National Youth Orchestra of Canada returns for annual summer visit

National Youth Orchestra of Canada returns to the NAC for its annual summer visit with a free concert under the baton of Alain Trudel on July 28

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC) will return to the National Arts Centre’Äôs Southam Hall on Tuesday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m. for a free concert under the baton of Alain Trudel. The 100-member ensemble of elite young musicians from across Canada will perform Haydn’Äôs Symphony No. 96 and Mahler’Äôs Symphony No. 6 on a program that opens with Dreams of Flying by Canadian composer and NYOC alumnus Rob Teehan, who at age 26 is the youngest composer the NYOC has ever commissioned.

Tickets for the concert on Tuesday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m. are free and may be picked up in person at the NAC Box Office during regular Box Office hours, Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Once tickets run out, patrons are encouraged to come on the night and will be seated if space becomes available.

The National Arts Centre concert on July 28 is part of a two-week tour across Ontario and Quebec including Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto sponsored by TD Financial Group. In addition, on August 2, 2009 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC) will make history as one of the first Canadian orchestras to broadcast a concert live via the internet (www.nyoc.org/webcast). In 2010, the NYOC will celebrate its 50-year anniversary with a series of concerts across the country.

National Capital Region participants this summer are Benoit Constant, 20 (violin), Pamela Cummings, 19 (violin), Ruza McIntyre, 17 (violin), Christine Yoo, 16 (violin), Sunmock Yang, 17 (viola), Heather Bourne, 20 (viola), Josh Brintrall, 22 (clarinet), Roxanne Lˆ©veillˆ©e, 23 (clarinet) and Christopher Graham, 22 (trombone). They were chosen from among over 550 applications received from across the country after auditions were held in major cities in January.

For four weeks in June, they underwent intensive training at the University of Western Ontario in London. During this time, they received professional instruction from Canada’Äôs top orchestral musicians and had more practical hours of training than most universities offer in a year.

The 2009 NYOC principal conductor is Alain Trudel, who is no stranger to Canadian orchestral music lovers. Mr. Trudel is currently principal conductor of the new National Broadcast Orchestra (which replaced the CBC Radio Orchestra) and principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. He is also music director and conductor of l’ÄôOrchestre symphonique de Laval and serves as artistic advisor to the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada is Canada’Äôs advanced orchestral training institute for musicians ages 14 to 28. Its mission is to educate, elevate, and empower Canada’Äôs most gifted young orchestral musicians. The NYOC supports, strengthens and advances the art of orchestral music in Canada through nationally prominent concert tours, recordings, outreach activities, and through the performance and commissioning of Canadian music. Over the years, the reviews and praise bestowed on the NYOC have been nothing short of amazing. It was called ’Äúthe best youth orchestra in the world’Äù at the World Youth Orchestra Conference in Tokyo. One third of Canada’Äôs professional orchestral musicians (and more than half of the National Arts Centre Orchestra,) got their start in the NYOC. For more information on the NYOC, visit www.nyoc.org.