NAC Orchestra makes 150 rare recordings available online for free

National Arts Centre Orchestra / News Release

June 30, 2009

For immediate release

A gift for Canada Day: National Arts Centre Orchestra makes 150 rare recordings available online for free

NAC Musicbox features podcasts with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and others

Ottawa (Canada) – The National Arts Centre – to celebrate Canada Day and its 40^th anniversary – is launching the NAC Musicbox, a first-of-its-kind, online music archive of National Arts Centre Orchestra recordings as part of ArtsAlive.ca, the NAC’s award-winning performing arts educational website.

The NAC Musicbox is an online music collection with a player that allows users to search, create playlists and stream more than 150 select archival performances by the NAC Orchestra from the past 40 years. The website also contains a virtual music exhibit that enriches the music collection with an enticing array of related photos, essays about the historical background, ideas of what to listen for, and educational activities.

Key highlights of the NAC Musicbox are two, six-part podcast series on the history of the NAC Orchestra. Renowned writer-broadcaster and classical music specialist Eric Friesen hosts the English programs while Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer, musicologist and longtime music critic for LeDroit newspaper, hosts the French version.

Eric Friesen is joined by special guests and music superstars Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Angela Hewitt, Jon Kimura Parker, Anton Kuerti, and others. For his part, Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer delves deep into the orchestral works drawing from his 40 years of personal experience with the NAC.

ArtsAlive.ca is the National Arts Centre’s performing arts education website targeted at Canadian teachers, students, parents and the general public. The website helps the NAC pursue its strategic goals of strengthening performing arts education across Canada and developing audiences among Canadian youth. The NAC Musicbox could not have been made without the generous support of CBC Radio 2 and is made possible in part through the Culture Online program of Canadian Heritage.

Canadian Music Centre launches CentreStreams

Canadian Music Centre launches CentreStreams – providing unprecedented online access to Canadian classical music

December 8th, Toronto, ON - The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) is pleased to announce the launch of its newest online initiative – CentreStreams. Designed to provide music enthusiasts across Canada (and abroad) with online streaming access to a catalog of over 8,000 contemporary classical works by Canadian composers, CentreStreams once again positions the CMC as a leader among international music information centres.

Prior to the launch of this initiative, performers, conductors, researchers, teachers and students were required to visit one of the CMC's five regional offices to access the extensive collection in its Ann Southam Audio Archive. CentreStreams will now provide countless more Canadians with access to this material – which truly is a national treasure.

CMC is especially proud of the timing of this launch as it serves as a kick-off to the organization's 50^th Anniversary celebrations which begin in January 2009.

CentreStreams represents the next stage in the CMC's online strategy, which also includes the Sounds New podcast, the New Music in New Places social network, several award-winning online educational activities (Composer Portraits: Influences of Many Musics, Sound Adventures and Sound Progression) and the availability of recordings from its Centrediscs label on all major music download services. We look forward to finding ways to further integrate these online projects while also exploring further opportunities to bring Canadian classical music to an ever larger online audience.

The three-year process to design, implement and launch CentreStreams could not have taken place without the financial support of the Heritage Policy Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, the ongoing cooperation of CBC Radio 2 (a partner of the CMC's for almost 50 years) and the leadership of CMC's extremely talented Web Developer/Architect Travis McCauley. We are very thankful for the commitment that each of these partners showed for the project.

The Canadian Music Centre, founded in 1959 is the primary resource for music scores, parts and recordings of Canadian contemporary music. Housing Canada's largest collection of Canadian classical music works, distributed through its 5 Regional Centres and Libraries, the CMC exists to promote the works of its Associate Composers in Canada and abroad. The Centre makes available for sale or rental more than 18,000 scores and/or works of Canadian contemporary classical music composers through its on-demand Music Publishing Services. Visit www.musiccentre.ca.

Dilettantes

Be part of the global classical music uprising - upload your music online now!

Dilettantemusic.com, the first online classical music community, has launched an mp3 uploads tool and Events Calendar, offering its growing network of composers, musicians, orchestras and ensembles the opportunity to showcase their music and publicise their concerts.

mp3 Uploads
Now Dilettantes can enhance their user profiles by uploading mp3s of their own performances or compositions. The upload function gives emerging musicians and composers an opportunity to make themselves and their music heard by listeners and potential collaborators. Those looking to hire musicians for a wedding or other event have a portfolio of talent at their fingertips.

Mp3s are linked to Dilettantemusic.com’s extensive classical music data. This means that users searching for a work in the site’s Music Pages will find members’ mp3s on the page describing that work.

Juliana Farha, the company’s founder says ‘For a musician or composer, the most effective CV is the music itself. We’re looking forward to seeing Dilettantes use this tool to show off their skills and passion.’

Events Calendar
The user-generated Events Calendar provides a unique online diary that brings together a range of classical music events from full orchestral concerts to intimate student recitals.

Dilettantes can upload details of any classical music event that they are organising, participating in or attending, with those events linked to the profiles of Dilettantes who created them. Dilettante calendars are organised by city, although users can switch calendars to search events anywhere they like.

The Dilettante Site
At the heart of the Dilettantemusic.com site is an unprecedented level of integration between the Members’ network and Music pages.

Web 2.0 tools enable classical music lovers and novices alike to harness the power of the Internet for covert exploration and discovery. Members of the Dilettante community create online profiles that showcase their musical lives, from favourite composers to works in their repertoire. They can share news and views in blogs, ‘small talk’ and through private messages.

The Dilettante Music catalogue is enhanced by the web’s most comprehensive data about classical performers, composers and their works, supplied by All Media Guide.

Dilettante Launch
Since its launch in January 2008, the Dilettante community has attracted users from as far afield as China, Argentina and Iceland, joining professionals and organisations such as Tasmin Little and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Rising Stars Webcast Series
The series continues with Matthew Schellhorn performing Chopin’s Scherzo No.4 in E. Musicians are welcome to submit webcasts for broadcast on the Dilettante site.

Classical Club Night Collaboration
Dilettante is launching a collaborative club night series with Blank Canvas, which takes place at 93 Feet East in London’s Brick Lane on Wednesday 9 July 2008. More details can be found at www.dilettantemusic.com/member/blankcanvas.