NAC announces winners of 2008 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì The National Arts Centre (NAC) has announced the winners of the 2008 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition following the finals held on Sunday, May 4 in the NAC Studio. Eight finalists had been chosen from the 26 contestants heard in preliminary auditions held on April 30 and May 1. The grand prize-winner of the 2008 NACO Bursary ($7,000) is flutist Amelia Lyon (age 22). In 2007, Amelia was the winner of both the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award and the Special Prize for Orchestral Excerpts.

This year’Äôs winner of the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award of $5,000 is cellist Brian Jangho Yoon (age 21). The Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award ($3,000) went to percussionist Krystina Marcoux (age 18), while violinist Yolanda Bruno (age 18) won the NAC Vic Pomer Award ($2,000). The Piccolo Prix ($1,000) went to flutist Lara Deutsch (age 16).

The NACO Special Prize for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts was not awarded this year.

Honourable mentions of $150 went to violinist Won-Hee Lee (age 19); oboist Marc Gibbons (age 22), and violinist Justin Lamy (age 18).

The Bursary Committee and Jury were chaired by Vernon G. Turner, Canada’Äôs former Ambassador to the USSR and to Israel, and an active volunteer at the National Arts Centre. Mr. Turner said: ’ÄúThe dedication of these young artists is admirable. It makes me feel very optimistic about their prospects.’Äù

The 2008 Bursary Committee and Jury consisted of NAC Orchestra concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki, assistant principal second violin Winston Webber (upper strings), bassist Murielle Bruneau (lower strings), flutist Emily Smethurst (winds), French horn Fˆ©lix Acevedo (brass and percussion), and Ross Francis, (Friends of NACO representative). The Committee included Kelly Abercrombie as the NAC Music representative. The Jury included Turner and Francis (non-voting members), and also included special guests Jean-Guy Brault (former NACO flutist) and Rosalind Sartori (former NACO cellist), and special advisor Ian Bernard (non-voting member).

The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) Bursary Competition was first held in 1981. The NACO Bursary was created by the musicians of the NAC Orchestra as a gesture of appreciation to the audiences who had been so supportive to the Orchestra during its first decade. It is meant to provide recognition and financial support to help further the development of young Canadian orchestral musicians who have connections to the National Capital Region (NCR). In subsequent years thanks to the generosity of additional organizations and individuals, other prizes have been added for a total in 2008 of $18,500. These prizes, in addition to the NACO Bursary, are the Harold Crabtree Foundation Award, created in 2003 by this Foundation which strongly believes in the importance of helping young people; the Friends of the NAC Orchestra (formerly NACOA) Award created in 1993 to celebrate the Orchestra’Äôs 25th anniversary season; the NAC Vic Pomer Award commemorating one of the founding violinists of NACO and a dedicated teacher who died in 2001 at age 70; the Piccolo Prix provided ’Äúto encourage and support our young artists’Äù by NAC volunteer and Donors Circle member Cav. Pasqualina Pat Adamo, and the NACO Special Prize of $500 for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts.

All prizes are intended for music students aged 16 to 24 whose principal or family residence is in the National Capital Region, or who have been following a recognized course of music study in the NCR in the previous year in preparation for careers as professional orchestral musicians. Each year, a jury identifies deserving recipients through audition and selection.