Sept. 26: Music for a Sunday Afternoon begins with cellist Lynn Harrell

Music for a Sunday Afternoon 09-10 begins on SATURDAY, Sept. 26 with violinist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Lynn Harrell, pianist Angela Cheng and musicians of the NAC Orchestra

Ottawa, Canada – The first Music for a Sunday Afternoon chamber music concert of the National Arts Centre Orchestra season takes place on SATURDAY, September 26 and features solo cello followed by a chamber quartet. Famed American cellist Lynn Harrell has the first half to himself, performing Bach’s Suite for Cello Solo No. 3 in C major. In the second half a stellar quartet made up of NAC Orchestra Music Director Pinchas Zukerman on violin, principal cello Amanda Forsyth, associate principal viola Jethro Marks and guest pianist Angela Cheng performing Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major. This concert takes place on Saturday, September 26 at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada.

Bach’s six Suites for Solo Cello are extraordinary compositions in many ways. Unaccompanied music for this instrument was practically unknown in Bach’s day. They date from about 1720, when he was working for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. They were published as early as 1825, but remained in obscurity until Pablo Casals revived them in the early 20th century. Thanks to Casals, they are now recognized as masterpieces of the genre, and today rank among the pillars of every cellist’s repertoire.

If Schubert’s final, C-major symphony (The Great) justly deserves Robert Schumann’s epithet “the symphony of heavenly length,” then Brahms’s Second Piano Quartet equally deserves the title in the realm of chamber music. Lasting about 45 minutes in performance, it unfolds in a leisurely manner, brimming with hummable themes and ardent lyricism.

Tickets for Music for a Sunday Afternoon on Saturday, September 26 are on sale now at $29.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca. They may also be purchased at the National Gallery one hour before the concert

The NAC Orchestra launches its 09-10 season with Romantic Revolution Festival led by Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, including guest artists Gil Shah

Ottawa, Canada – Pinchas Zukerman opens the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s 40th anniversary season with the Romantic Revolution Festival from Wednesday, September 23 to Thursday, October 1 with guest stars including violinist Gil Shaham, pianists Angela Cheng, Katherine Chi and Anton Kuerti, and cellist Lynn Harrell. Over the course of five magnificent concerts on September 23, 24, 25, 30 and October 1 – four led by Pinchas Zukerman and one by Jean-Marie Zeitouni – the Festival explores the pivotal period in artistic and musical history that marked the emergence of Romanticism. Audiences will hear the first tentative strains of Romanticism in the music of Haydn (including his Cello Concerto performed by Lynn Harrell) and in Mozart’s later piano concertos (performed by Angela Cheng and Katherine Chi). They will hear it flourish in the glorious passages of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and Concerto for Violin (the latter performed and conducted by Pinchas Zukerman) and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (performed by Gil Shaham) and in the anguished harmonies of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony; and reach full power in the Symphony No. 4 by Schumann (Romantic composer par excellence) and the heart-wrenching Prelude to Act III of Verdi’s La Traviata. (A chronological listing of concerts follows.)

Each concert opens with a capella musical selections sung by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa led by director Michael Zaugg.

The Festival includes “Musically Speaking” talks at 7 p.m. given by media and musical celebrities prior to the concerts on September 23, 24, and 25, and October 1. The first two are in French: “L’Art de composer un programme” with musicologist Carol Bergeron on Sept. 23; “Les Beautés de l’inachèvement : la Huitième Symphonie de Schubert” with François Dompierre, composer and host, Radio-Canada, Espace musique on Sept. 24. The second two are in English: “Schumann’s Revision Quest: a journey from brainstorm to score” with CBC Radio Executive Producer Jill LaForty interviewing CBC Music Producer David Houston on Sept. 25; and “Beethoven Lite” with writer and broadcaster Eric Friesen on Oct. 1. The Oct. 1 concert also includes a Post-Concert Talkback with Eric Friesen interviewing Pinchas Zukerman following the latter’s performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

The Sept. 30 concert is a detailed exploration of Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto beginning with a “Beyond the Score®” multi-media exploration of Mozart’s life and times featuring narrator Bill Richardson (of CBC Radio), Ottawa actor Pierre Brault, soprano Donna Brown and pianist Katherine Chi, with the NAC Orchestra performing musical excerpts. In the second half Katherine Chi and the NAC Orchestra led by Jean-Marie Zeitouni perform the concerto in its entirety. “Beyond the Score®” is a presentation of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for the Romantic Revolution Festival in the NAC’s Southam Hall at 8 p.m. are on sale now at $19, $29, $39.50, $50, $60, $70 and $87.50 at the newly renovated NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

COMPLETE ROMANTIC REVOLUTION FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING

Beethoven’s “Eroica” Wednesday, September 23 at 8 p.m.
Mark Motors Audi Signature Series
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin; Cantata Singers of Ottawa; Michael Zaugg, chorus master

Cantata Singers a capella prelude:
BRAHMS Fünf ernste Gesänge, Op. 104

NAC Orchestra:
MALCOLM FORSYTH Jubilee Overture
MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto in E minor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”

Beethoven’s “Eroica” marks the turning point from Classicism to Romanticism with its extraordinary scope, bold harmonies, and drama. And its title? Originally dedicated to Napoleon, Beethoven angrily changed his dedication to “Sinfonia Eroica, Composed to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man,” after Napoleon declared himself Emperor. Gil Shaham, recent winner of the coveted Avery Fisher Prize and multiple Grammys, dazzles with lustrous tone and brilliant technique in Mendelssohn’s jewel of a violin concerto.

Musically Speaking: Pre-Concert Chat at 7 p.m. (in French)
“L’Art de composer un programme” with musicologist Carol Bergeron

Wednesday Mark Motors Audi Signature Series subscribers will attend this concert, and Thursday Signature Series subscribers will attend the Thursday, October 1 concert.

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The Radiance of Mozart Thursday, September 24, 2009
Ovation Series
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor; Angela Cheng, piano; Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Cantata Singers of Ottawa; Michael Zaugg, director

Cantata Singers a capella prelude:
FANNY HENSEL-MENDELSSOHN Gartenlieder, Op. 3: Im Wald; Hörst Du nicht die Bäume rauschen
FELIX MENDELSSOHN Sechs Lieder im Freien zu singen: I. Herbstlied
FANNY HENSEL-MENDELSSOHN Gartenlieder, Op. 3: Abendlich schon rauscht der Wald

NAC Orchestra:
VERDI Prelude to Act III of La Traviata
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”
MOZART Aria: “Ch’io mi scordi di te”
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 “Elvira Madigan”

Critically acclaimed Angela Cheng, known for her spot-on Mozart interpretations, is the soloist for his 21st Piano Concerto, which took its nickname from the radiant second movement heard in the film Elvira Madigan. Arianna Zukerman’s shimmering voice reveals the beauty of Mozart’s farewell gift to an admired soprano. Plus Schubert’s most famous – and mysteriously abandoned – symphony, the “Unfinished.”

Musically Speaking: Pre-Concert Chat at 7 p.m. (in French)
“Les Beautés de l’inachèvement : la Huitième Symphonie de Schubert” with François Dompierre, composer and host, Radio-Canada, Espace musique

Thursday Ovation Series subscribers will attend this concert, and Wednesday Ovation Series subscribers will attend the Friday, September 25 concert.

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Lynn Harrell & a Haydn Classic Friday, September 25, 2009
Ovation Series
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor; Lynn Harrell, cello; Cantata Singers of Ottawa; Michael Zaugg, director

Cantata Singers a capella prelude:
SCHUMANN Vier doppelchorige Gesange: Ungewisses Licht
SCHUBERT Die Nacht, Op. 17
BRAHMS Nun stehn die Rosen in Blüte
SCHUMANN Vier doppelchörigie Gesänge: Talismane

NAC Orchestra:
BACH Suite for solo cello
HAYDN Cello Concerto in C major
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4

Schumann gave his wife the Fourth Symphony as a special gift: it celebrated her 22nd birthday, their first wedding anniversary, and the christening of their first child, and even included a musical portrait of her. Lynn Harrell’s appealing way of reaching out to an audience has captured rapt listeners not only at the world’s famed concert halls, but also at the Grammys, where showbiz glitterati marveled at his artistry.

Musically Speaking: Pre-Concert Chat at 7 p.m. (in English) “Schumann’s Revision Quest: a journey from brainstorm to score”
CBC Radio Executive Producer Jill LaForty interviews CBC Music Producer David Houston

Wednesday Ovation Series subscribers will attend this concert, and Thursday Ovation Series subscribers will attend the Thursday, September 24 concert.

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Mozart’s Final Piano Concerto *Beyond the Score® Wednesday, September 30, 2009
National Arts Centre Orchestra; Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor; Katherine Chi, piano; Donna Brown, soprano; Bill Richardson, narrator; Pierre Brault, actor

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 27

Join the NAC Orchestra and conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni, with stellar soloists, actor Pierre Brault and narrator Bill Richardson to explore the history of Mozart’s music. The first half of this program includes projected images, musical examples performed by the NAC Orchestra and soloists, and theatrical narration; the second half features a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 in its entirety.

English narration with French surtitles

This concert is part of the Romantic Revolution Festival.

* Beyond the Score is produced by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

***

Pinchas Plays Beethoven Thursday, October 1, 2009
Mark Motors Audi Signature Series
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor and violin; Anton Kuerti, piano; Combined Ottawa Choruses; Duain Wolfe, chorus master

Cantata Singers a capella prelude:
FRIEDRICH SILCHER Ännchen von Tharau
MENDELSSOHN Abshied vom Walde
PETER CORNELIUS Der Traum
BRAHMS Abschiedslied

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27
BEETHOVEN Egmont Overture
BEETHOVEN Choral Fantasy
BEETHOVEN Violin Concerto

Beethoven’s notoriously difficult masterpiece, sometimes dubbed “the Mount Everest of violin concertos,” has near sacred status, testing the mettle of performers. What makes this evening even more extraordinary is that Pinchas Zukerman is not only the soloist but also conducts. Rounding out this all-Beethoven concert is a dramatic overture and the stately Choral Fantasy that, in tone and melody, foreshadows the “Ode to Joy” of the Ninth Symphony.

Musically Speaking: Pre-Concert Chat at 7 p.m. (in English)
“Beethoven Lite” with writer and broadcaster Eric Friesen

Musically Speaking: Post-Concert Talkback
Writer and broadcaster Eric Friesen interviews Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra

Thursday Mark Motors Audi Signature Series subscribers will attend this concert, and Wednesday Signature Series subscribers will attend the Wednesday, September 23 concert.

Pinchas Zukerman leads NACO's first-ever performance of Brahms' German Requiem

Pinchas Zukerman leads NAC Orchestra in its first-ever performance of Brahms’ German Requiem on June 18-19

Ottawa (Canada) – Music Director Pinchas Zukerman leads the National Arts Centre Orchestra in its first-ever performance of Brahms’ sublime German Requiem (Ein deutsches Requiem) as a grand finale to the 2008-09 season with soprano Nicole Cabell (making her NAC Orchestra debut), baritone Nathan Berg, and three choirs combined under the direction of chorus master Duain Wolfe – the Ottawa Choral Society (Matthew Larkin, director), Ottawa Festival Chorus (Laurence Ewashko and Duain Wolfe, directors) and Cantata Singers of Ottawa (Michael Zaugg, director). These Bostonian Bravo Series concerts on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m. in the NAC’s Southam Hall open with Capital BrassWorks alternating with a women’s chorus in works by Bach and Brahms.

On Friday, June 19 only, there is a Musically Speaking pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. This exploration of the Brahms German Requiem will be led by star soprano-teacher Benita Valente (on the faculty of the NAC Summer Music Institute) and demonstrated by young soprano Maghan Stewart and baritone Jonathan Estabrooks accompanied by pianist Jean Desmarais. This entertaining and informative lecture-demonstration, hosted by Paul Lefebvre, is free.

Brahms considered calling this Requiem the “Human Requiem”. With a gentle setting of “How lovely is thy dwelling place” as its centrepiece, it is intended to comfort the bereaved and give them peace and hope. The composer’s crowning achievement, the German Requiem ranges from radiant to dramatic. Brahms began the Requiem when he was only 23 and suffering from the loss of Schumann, his dear friend and mentor – and he completed it three years after the death of his mother.

The opening half of this program features Capital Brassworks, a 12-member ensemble made up of brass players from the NAC Orchestra, in transcriptions of three Bach numbers, two of which are introduced by the respective chorales upon which they are based performed by a women’s choir singing unaccompanied – “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” (Jesus bleibet meine Freude) and “Sleepers, Wake” (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme). As an interlude in this Bach encounter, the women’s choir joins two horns and a harp for a group of Brahms songs that, due to their unusual scoring, are rarely heard in live performance but which are among the most divinely beautiful ever written. The evening opens with Bach’s Fantasia in C major performed by Capital BrassWorks.

California-born soprano *Nicole Cabell, the 2005 Winner of the BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff, and a DECCA recording artist, has received tremendous public and critical acclaim for her work in opera, concert and recital. This season included her debut season at the Metropolitan Opera, and this summer, she makes her Hollywood Bowl debut as Clara in Porgy and Bess. Next season she returns to the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony.

Baritone Nathan Berg made his debut at the National Arts Centre in 1998, and his most recent appearance was last season, singing Mendelssohn’s Elijah. A winner of prizes in the Royal Over-Seas League, Peter Pears, Kathleen Ferrier and Walther Gruner Lieder Competitions, Mr. Berg’s musicality and artistry continues to receive international critical acclaim. His operatic credits include the Canadian Opera Company, New York City Opera, and Bayerische Staatsoper.

*Nicole Cabell replaces soprano Erin Wall. (However Erin Wall will perform with the NAC Orchestra in Opera Under the Stars on July 24 as part of Orchestras in the Park.)

Tickets for these Bostonian Bravo Series concerts on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m. are on sale now at $19.00, $39.00, $49.00, $59.00, $69.00 and $86.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

NACO, March 16: Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug in recital

Ottawa (Canada) – The Bombardier Great Performers Series of recitals will feature the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, one of the world’s great violinists and violists, together with his recital partner, the pianist and composer Marc Neikrug (pronounced NIKE-roog), on Monday, March 16 at 8 p.m. in the NAC’s Southam Hall. This recital – the first for Zukerman and Neikrug in Ottawa since 2005 – features music by Schubert, Janácek, Dvorák and Suk. Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug have performed together all over the world since 1975. This season alone, their recital schedule has taken them to Vienna, Philadelphia, New York and Chicago.

Pinchas Zukerman, described by Itzhak Perlman as the “greatest violist that ever was” opens the program on that instrument performing the Sonata “per Arpeggione” in A minor. Then he switches to violin for Janacek’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Dvorák’s Four Romantic Pieces and the final two of Suk’s Four Pieces for Violin and Piano.

The two musicians describe their musical selections as follows: “The program was chosen for its wonderful variety of sounds and emotions. The first half highlights the sound of the viola alone, focusing on the single greatest piece played on that instrument. It is a work which can and begs to be heard in isolation. The second half is entirely Czech music. The Janácek Sonata is a work of tremendous originality, depth, and drama. It has a great impact on audiences and deserves to be played much more than it is. The remaining pieces are charming miniatures of particularly national character. The nice relationship is that Suk was not only a pupil of Dvorák but also his son-in-law.”

Pinchas Zukerman was named Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1998, and he continues to guest conduct and perform with the world’s finest orchestras. His current season comprises well over 100 concert engagements and travel to 17 countries including France, India, Israel, China, Turkey, Peru, New Zealand, Austria, Russia and the United Arab Emerates. He performs orchestra, solo recital and chamber music repertoire in 34 cities. He appears with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he became Principal Guest Conductor in January 2009, in Moscow, Italy and Spain; the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on tour in the US; the Israel Philharmonic in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Bombay and Israel; the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France and Gulbenkian Orchestra.

Marc Neikrug has performed worldwide as a pianist, for over thirty years appearing regularly at major festivals and concert halls. He is also an internationally renowned composer whose chamber music, symphonic music, music-theater and opera have been performed by major orchestras all over the world and by artists including Zubin Mehta, Loren Maazel, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Alan Gilbert, David Zinman, Leonard Slatkin, Lawrence Foster, Oliver Knussen, James Galway, and the Emerson, Vermeer, Tokyo and Orion Quartets.

His music-theater work Through Roses has since its premiere in 1980, had hundreds of performances in fifteen countries and has been translated into 11 languages. Last July it was performed by members of the NAC Orchestra at the Canadian War Museum.

Tickets for this Bombardier Great Performers recital featuring Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug on March 16 are on sale now at $19.00, $39.00, $45.00, $49.00, $59.00 and $69.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

2009 NAC Gala: a Magical Evening with Yo-Yo Ma and Pinchas Zukerman on Oct. 3

The 2009 NAC Gala offers a Magical Evening with Yo-Yo Ma and the NAC Orchestra led by Pinchas Zukerman on Oct. 3

Ottawa, Canada – “Yo-Yo Ma is the greatest cellist today. Everything he touches he turns to gold...gorgeous, almost voluptuous playing.” Boston Herald

The National Arts Centre is delighted to announce that superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, “the most popular artist in classical music today,” will return as special guest for the 2009 NAC Gala on Saturday, October 3. Music Director Pinchas Zukerman will lead the National Arts Centre Orchestra for this “Magical Evening with Yo-Yo Ma”, presented by TELUS. The fundraising evening benefits the National Youth and Education Trust which provides funds for the NAC’s wide array of performing arts programming for young artists, young audiences and schools.

Yo-Yo Ma has been a cultural beacon for decades. Young and old flock to his sold-out concerts, coming away moved, thrilled, and inspired. This astonishing artist has performed at the Oscars, the Grammys, the Olympics, and recently before a live audience of over a million at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. He returns to the NAC Orchestra to perform Dvorák’s beloved Cello Concerto with the NAC’s own luminary Pinchas Zukerman leading the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Additional programming will be announced at a later date.

There will be a pre-concert reception for all patrons at 5:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 6:30 p.m. Those who purchase Encore Seating will join Gala sponsors at a post-concert reception, followed by dinner on the Southam Hall stage.

Subscribers who sign up for the 2009-2010 National Arts Centre Orchestra season, which will be announced on March 3, will benefit from a priority purchasing period from April 1 to 15 before tickets go on sale to the general public on May 18.

The NAC is honoured once again to have TELUS, Founding Partner of the National Youth and Education Trust, as the Presenting Sponsor of the Gala – a commitment that reflects TELUS’s continuing support of this primary resource for supporting the artistic development of young Canadians through educational materials, professional training, mentoring programs and young audience performances. The Trust is also supported by Michael Potter and Véronique Dhieux, supporters and patrons of the National Arts Centre Gala, and members of the NAC Foundation’s Donors’ Circle.

The NAC is delighted to announce that Janet Yale, TELUS’ executive vice president, Corporate Affairs, has agreed to chair the Gala Committee for the fourth year.

Yo-Yo Ma was born in 1955 to Chinese parents living in Paris. He began to study the cello with his father at age four and soon came with his family to New York, where he spent most of his formative years. Later, his principal teacher was Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School. He sought out a traditional liberal arts education to expand upon his conservatory training, graduating from Harvard University in 1976. He has received numerous awards, including 15 Grammy® Awards from his discography of over 75 albums, the Avery Fisher Prize (1978), the Glenn Gould Prize (1999), the National Medal of the Arts (2001), and the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award (2008). Appointed a CultureConnect Ambassador by the United States Department of State in 2002, Yo-Yo Ma has met with, trained and mentored thousands of students worldwide. In 2006, Secretary General Kofi Annan named him a U.N. Messenger of Peace and in 2007 Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon extended his appointment.

Pinchas Zukerman has been Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1998, and his genius and prodigious technique have been a marvel to critics and audiences for over four decades. He is equally respected as a violinist, violist, conductor, and chamber musician while his dedication to teaching has been a major catalyst for many of the education initiatives supported by the National Youth and Education Trust. Pinchas Zukerman's discography contains over 100 titles, and has earned him 21 Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards. He was named first-prize winner of the 1969 Leventritt Competition, and, in 1983, President Reagan awarded him a Medal of Arts for his leadership in the musical world. In October 2002, he became the first recipient of the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence at the National Arts Awards Gala in New York City.

Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra donate their services for the NAC’s annual Gala.

Concert tickets for the NAC Gala on Saturday, October 3 are priced at $70, $125 and $150 and include the pre-concert reception with wine and canapés at 5:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 6:30 p.m. These go on sale on April 1 to members of the NAC Donors Circle and to subscribers to the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s 2009-2010 season which goes on sale on March 3. Orders can be made only with a valid order form which will be accepted online, by mail, by fax, or dropped off in person in the NAC Box Office from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. This priority period lasts until April 15. The Box Office opens to the general public on May 18.

NACO, Jan. 28-29: Pinchas Zukerman leads a Haydn Celebration

Pinchas Zukerman plays Haydn’s Violin Concerto and leads the Lord Nelson Mass to honour Haydn’s 200^th anniversary on January 28 and 29

Ottawa, Canada – Pinchas Zukerman leads the National Arts Centre Orchestra in a celebration of Haydn in commemoration of the 200^th anniversary of his death showcasing the composer’s amazing contributions to the concerto and vocal repertoire. These Ovation Series concerts on Wednesday, January 28 and Thursday, January 29 at 8 p.m. in NAC’s Southam Hall open with Pinchas Zukerman demonstrating his mastery of the classical form with Haydn’s festive Violin Concerto No. 1 in C major, full of fast runs, double stops, and big changes in volume and pitch. Then audiences will experience the mighty Lord Nelson Mass, a work filled with both triumph and anguish composed by Haydn to honour Admiral Horatio Nelson’s destruction of Napoleon’s fleet at The Battle of the Nile in 1798.

The mass will be performed by a spectacular array of soloists and the combined vocal forces of four Ottawa choirs. The soloists are Ottawa soprano Donna Brown (who also returns the following weekend for a Music for a Sunday Afternoon chamber music concert); Grammy Award-winning American mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor making her NAC Orchestra debut; American tenor Lawrence Wiliford, an alumnus of the COC’s Ensemble Studio, and Canadian bass Robert Pomakov, in his fifth appearance with the NAC Orchestra. Chorus master Duain Wolfe has prepared the combined choral forces of the Cantata Singers of Ottawa (Michael Zaugg, director), Seventeen Voyces (Kevin Reeves, director); Ewashko Singers (Laurence Ewashko, director) and the Ottawa Festival Chorus (Laurence Ewashko and Duain Wolfe, directors).

There are three Musically Speaking events connected with the NAC Orchestra’s Haydn Celebration, presented in collaboration with a Haydn Symposium “Transcendence, Reality and Universality in the Music of Joseph Haydn” taking place in Ottawa (Jan. 28-30).

There are Musically Speaking Pre-Concert Chats in French both nights at 7 p.m. titled
“Haydn : Les messes d’un franc-maçon” with music critic Jean Jacques Van Vlasselaer.

There are Musically Speaking Post-Concert Talkbacks both nights led by music critic Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer in discussion with Austrian Haydn scholars Peter Revers, Peter-Maria Krakauer and Hartmut Krones.

And on January 28 only there is a Pre-Concert Talk in English from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. in the Panorama Room titled “Haydn’s Nelson Mass and the Aesthetics of Salvation” with Haydn scholar James Webster from Cornell University. This talk is the Keynote Opening Lecture of the Haydn Symposium presented by Carleton University and the Kunstuniversität Graz in association with the “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, with the NAC, and with the Kunstforum, Embassy of Austria. The Opening Remarks for the Symposium are from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. also in the Panorama Room. The public is invited to come at either 6 p.m. for the Remarks or at 6:30 p.m. just for the Lecture.

Tickets for these Ovation Series concerts on January 28 and 29 are on sale now at $19.00, $39.00, $49.00, $59.00, $69.00 and $86.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.

NACO, Jan 8-9: Pinchas Zukerman leads Beethoven's Fifth on an all-Beethoven program with pianist Jonathan Biss

Pinchas Zukerman leads Beethoven’s Fifth on an all-Beethoven program on January 8 and 9 that also features American pianist Jonathan Biss in the Piano Concerto No. 3

Ottawa (Canada) – Four instantly recognizable notes (“ba-ba-ba-BAH”) start you on a magnificent journey called Beethoven’s Fifth. Music Director Pinchas Zukerman will lead the way through this most celebrated and superb of all symphonies on an all-Beethoven program to begin the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s New Year on Thursday, January 8 and Friday, January 9 at 8 p.m. in the NAC’s Southam Hall. These Bostonian Bravo Series concerts open with the brilliant young American pianist Jonathan Biss performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

The NAC is offering two ways for audiences to prepare for the experience. Beethoven’s Third Concerto is part of the NAC Orchestra’s online “Explore the Symphony” series of podcasts by music critic Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer hosted in separate English and French versions by NAC Orchestra assistant principal double bass Marjolaine Fournier. The podcast can be found online in the podcast section of the NAC website www.nac-cna.ca, or in the Jan. 8-9 event listing, or in the NAC Orchestra under “Explore the Symphony”.

This concert also offers the first of this year’s “Musically Speaking” pre-concert performance-demonstrations featuring an artist on the Debut Series together with a teacher. On Friday, January 9 (one night only) at 7 p.m., concertgoers are invited to explore Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 as described by teacher James Anagnoson, the Dean of the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and demonstrated by young pianist Alexander Serendenko. This entertaining and informative lecture-demonstration, hosted by Paul Lefebvre, is free. (Alexander Serendenko will also perform a one-hour Debut Series recital at 12 noon on January 9 in the NAC Foyer.)

American pianist Jonathan Biss first performed Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto in 1999. He says, “Once when my favourite moment came – the hushed entry of the timpani after the cadenza – it hit me so hard I stopped breathing. This is not the wisest course of action when playing a concerto, but I can honestly say it was involuntary.”

Twenty-eight-year-old American pianist Jonathan Biss has already proved himself an accomplished and exceptional musician with a flourishing international reputation through his orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances in North America and Europe and through his EMI Classics recordings. He made his debut with the NAC Orchestra in 2002, and his most recent appearance at the NAC was in September 2007, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman. Since he made his New York Philharmonic debut in 2001, Jonathan Biss has appeared with the foremost orchestras of the United States and Europe. This season includes debuts with the Colorado Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets for these Bostonian Bravo Series concerts on Thursday, January 8 and Friday, January 9 at 8 p.m. are on sale now at $19.00, $39.00, $49.00, $59.00, $69.00 and $86.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website at www.nac-cna.ca.

Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $11 at the NAC Box Office from 2 p.m. the day before the concert to 6 p.m. the day of, upon presentation of a valid Live Rush card.

Groups of 10 and more save 15% to 20% off the regular price of tickets to NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances. To reserve your seats call 613-947-7000 ext. 384 or email grp@nac-cna.ca.