NAC Feb. 12: Debut Series with Shanshan Yao

NAC Orchestra’Äôs 2009 Debut Series of recitals and ’ÄúExploration of the Concerto’Äù continues on Feb. 12 with violinist Shanshan Yao

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì The National Arts Centre Orchestra’Äôs Debut Series, which gives talented rising star musicians the opportunity to perform in recital at the NAC, continues on Thursday, February 12 with violinist Shanshan Yao accompanied by pianist Jean Desmarais. The series of one-hour recitals takes place at noon in the NAC Salon. The program consists of Respighi’Äôs Sonata for Violin and Piano in B minor, three movements from Dompierre’Äôs Les Diableries, and Wieniawski’Äôs Polonaise in D major. Admission is $3, with proceeds going to fund the NACO Bursary.

Each Debut Series noon-hour recital is connected to a Musically Speaking ’ÄúExploration of the Concerto’Äù pre-concert talk the evening on the same date. Prior to the National Arts Centre Orchestra concert on February 12 at 8 p.m., Shanshan Yao, together with her mentor William van der Sloot of Calgary’Äôs Mount Royal College Conservatory, will discuss and demonstrate the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto to be performed later than evening by violinist Sarah Chang. Admission to the Pre-Concert Talk hosted by Michel Dozois is free.

As a soloist, Chinese violinist Shanshan Yao has performed with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Banff Centre Chamber Orchestra, and Japan’Äôs Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra. A violinist since the age of six, she enrolled at Shanghai Conservatory of Music when she was nine. She made her orchestra debut at the age of twelve playing Bruch’Äôs Violin Concerto in G minor with the Shanghai Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Yao is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including the Calgary Concerto Competition and Morningside Music Bridge Concerto Competition (Canada), and CBC Radio’Äôs Up and Coming series. Shanshan Yao is also an avid chamber musician and her piano trio won the second prize in the National Music Festival in Canada. Currently, Shanshan Yao is pursuing her Master of Music Degree at The Juilliard School with Donald Weilersteina and Ronald Copes. She continued her studies in Canada as a full-scholarship student in Mount Royal College Conservatory’Äôs Academy Program under the tutelage of William van der Sloot. Most recently, Ms. Yao received the Bachelor of Music Degree from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Aaron Rosand.

Recently, she was invited to appear in a special performance for the former Secretary of State Colin Powell at the Eisenhower Fellowships Conference in Philadelphia.

The NAC Debut Series continues with the following recitals and Musically Speaking Pre-Concert ’ÄúExplorations of the Concerto’Äù:

FRIDAY, MAY 15

Yina Tong, cello

Jean Desmarais, piano

Paul Lefebvre, host

Salon at 12 noon: Noonhour recital

Salon at 7 p.m.: Exploration of Herbert’Äôs Cello Concerto No. 2 with cello teacher John Kadz (Mount Royal College Conservatory).

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

Maghan Stewart, soprano

Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone

Jean Desmarais, piano

Paul Lefebvre, host

Salon at 12 noon: Noonhour recital

Salon at 7 p.m.: Exploration of the Choral Masterpiece: Brahms Requiem with star soprano-teacher Benita Valente with soprano Maghan Stewart and baritone Jonathan Estabrooks.

Scenes from Lori Laitman's Opera "The Scarlet Letter" at The Clinton Presidential Library

Scenes from renowned American composer Lori Laitman's opera, The Scarlet Letter, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th century American literary masterpiece, will be presented in recital at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, on February 8th, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Vocalists from the original production, which premiered to critical acclaim last November, will perform two scenes and select signature arias.

The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas through Robert Holden and The UCA Opera Program, provided the prolific American composer, admired for her masterful compositions for voice, an opportunity to collaborate with award-winning American poet David Mason.

"Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama," wrote Ellis Widner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette following the world premiere on November 6th, 2008. "This great story seems be on its way to becoming great opera..... It is mostly sung dialog, but the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective...Laitman's music can turn on an emotional dime, from the tense and emotionally complex confrontation between convicted adulteress Hester Prynne (soprano Christine Donahue) and Roger Chillingworth (baritone Robert Holden), the resurfaced husband determined to learn the identity of the child's father, to the achingly tender lullaby she sings to her daughter after Chillingworth departs. Laitman also shows great skill in the combination and repetition of motifs to heighten tension and revive a social-emotional subtext. At times, her music suggests the lushness of Stephen Sondheim."

The recital will take place on February 8th at 3:00 p.m. at The Great Hall, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, 1200 President Lincoln Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Cast includes Baritone Robert Holden as Roger Chillingworth,Soprano Christine Donahue as Hester Prynne,Tenor John Garst as Arthur Dimmesdale and Carl Anthony on piano. Admission is free to the public.

NAC, Feb. 10: Radu Lupu gives a solo piano recital of Beethoven and Schubert

The phenomenal Radu Lupu gives a solo piano recital of Beethoven and Schubert at the NAC on Feb. 10

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì A true colossus in the world of music, the Romanian virtuoso Radu Lupu will perform three piano sonatas by Beethoven including the monumental ’ÄúPathˆ©tique’Äù, and one Schubert Sonata in the National Arts Centre’Äôs Southam Hall on Tuesday, February 10 at 8 p.m. This solo piano recital opens the 2008-09 season of the Bombardier Great Performers Series.

Of Beethoven’Äôs vast output of 32 piano sonatas, a genre that occupied the composer throughout his entire creative life, the Pathˆ©tique Sonata No. 8 in C minor is the most exalted of all both in popular acclaim and historical import. The word ’Äúpathˆ©tique’Äù meant ’Äúmoved by strong passions,’Äù an apt title for this emotionally powerful work composed on the threshold of the age of musical Romanticism. Beethoven’Äôs two Op. 14 Sonatas (Nos. 9 and 10) reveal the composer in a relaxed, genial mood, and are filled with charm, elegance and intimacy.

In the second half of the recital, Radu Lupu will perform Schubert’Äôs Sonata in B-flat major. Like Beethoven, Schubert wrote piano sonatas throughout his lifetime, and this one is considered to one of the greatest works (many claim the greatest) in this genre.

Radu Lupu is firmly established as one of the most important musicians of his generation and is widely acknowledged as a leading interpreter of the works of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert. The pianist won a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance for his London/Decca recording the Schubert B-flat major Sonata which he is performing on this concert. His discography also includes a recording of Beethoven’Äôs ’ÄúPathˆ©tique’Äù Sonata as well as complete Beethoven concertos with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta.

First Prize winner in the 1966 Van Cliburn, the 1967 Enescu International and the 1969 Leeds International competitions, Radu Lupu has regularly performed as soloist and recitalist in the musical capitals and major festivals of Europe and the United States. He has appeared many times with the Berlin Philharmonic and with the Vienna Philharmonici. He is also a frequent visitor to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and all of the major London orchestras. This season, his annual winter tour will include concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Montreal Symphony. His European orchestral engagements include the Berlin Staatskapelle, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and Zurich Tonhalle, as well as recitals in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, and Stockholm.

Radu Lupu has performed at the NAC several times, both in recital and as soloist with the NAC Orchestra. His most recent recitals were in 2006 and 1999.

Tickets for this Bombardier Great Performers recital featuring Radu Lupu on February 10 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’Äôs 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

Clavecin en concert : concert du 6 fˆ©vrier 2009

Luc Beausˆ©jour, directeur artistique

RˆâCITAL DU CLAVECINISTE ITALIEN

RINALDO ALESSANDRINI

Le vendredi 6 fˆ©vrier 2009, 20 h 00

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, 400, rue Saint-Paul Est, Vieux-Montrˆ©al

Prix des billets : 28 $ (tarif rˆ©gulier), 10 $ (ˆ©tudiants, temps plein, 25 ans et moins)

et gratuit pour les moins de 15 ans

Renseignements et rˆ©servations : 514-748-8625 ’Äì www.clavecinenconcert.org

Montrˆ©al, 12 janvier 2009 ’Äì La sociˆ©tˆ© Clavecin en concert est heureuse de prˆ©senter en rˆ©cital le claveciniste italien Rinaldo Alessandrini.

Considˆ©rˆ© comme l'un des acteurs essentiels de la scˆ®ne internationale de la musique ancienne et comme le plus grand spˆ©cialiste de Monteverdi, Rinaldo Alessandrini mˆ®ne depuis plus de vingt ans une importante carriˆ®re de rˆ©citaliste au clavecin, au pianoforte et ˆÝ l'orgue. Fondateur et directeur musical du Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini s'est imposˆ©, notamment, par ses interprˆ©tations du rˆ©pertoire italien des XVII^e et XVIII^e siˆ®cles. Ses enregistrements de Monteverdi ou de Vivaldi sont d'incontestables rˆ©fˆ©rences.

Cet artiste passionnant et passionnˆ© jouera ˆÝ Montrˆ©al un programme variˆ© oˆ¼ la musique italienne du XVII^e tient une place de choix. Lors de son sˆ©jour en sol quˆ©bˆ©cois, Monsieur Alessandrini donnera des cours de maˆÆtre au Conservatoire de musique de Montrˆ©al, ˆÝ l'universitˆ© de Montrˆ©al et ˆÝ l'universitˆ© McGill.

PROGRAMME

Bernardo Storace: Ciaccona (Selva di varie compositioni, 1664)

Girolamo Frescobaldi: Toccata Prima (Secondo Libro, 1615)

Girolamo Frescobaldi: Cento Partite sopra Passacagli (Primo Libro,1627)

Giovanni Picchi: Ballo alla Polacha, Ballo Ongaro, Ballo ditto il Pichi

(Intavolatura di Balli, 1621)

Michelangelo Rossi: Toccata Settima (Toccate e Corenti, 1657)

Pause

Dietrich Buxtehude: Preaeludium et Fugue en sol mineur BuxWV 163

Louis Couperin: Prˆ©lude, Chaconne, Tombeau de Mr de Blancrocher

George Friedrich Handel: Suite en mi mineur HWV 438

Allemande ’Äì Sarabande ’Äì Gigue

Pancrace Royer: La Marche des Scythes (Piˆ®ces de Clavecin, 1746)

Clavecin en concert remercie le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quˆ©bec et le Conseil des arts de Montrˆ©al de leur soutien.

NACO, Jan. 9: Debut Series begins with pianist Alexander Seredenko

NAC Orchestra’Äôs 2009 Debut Series of recitals and ’ÄúExploration of the Concerto’Äù begins on Jan. 9 with pianist Alexander Seredenko

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì The National Arts Centre Orchestra’Äôs Debut Series, which gives talented rising star musicians the opportunity to perform in recital at the NAC, will begin a new season on Friday, January 9 with pianist Alexander Seredenko. The series of one-hour recitals takes place at noon in the NAC Salon. On this opening concert, Alexander Seredenko will perform Prokofiev’Äôs Sonata No 2 in D minor and Liszt’Äôs Sonata in B minor.

Admission is $3, with proceeds going to fund the NACO Bursary.

Each Debut Series noon-hour recital is connected to a Musically Speaking ’ÄúExploration of the Concerto’Äù pre-concert talk the evening of the same day. Prior to the National Arts Centre Orchestra concert at 8 p.m., the young instrumentalist and his mentor will discuss and demonstrate the concerto to be performed on that program. On January 9 at 7 p.m. in the Salon, pianist Alexander Seredenko and his teacher teacher James Anagnoson, the Dean of the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music, will explore elements of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 to be performed with the NAC Orchestra by pianist Jonathan Biss. Admission to the Pre-Concert Talk hosted by Paul Lefebvre is free.

Alexander Seredenko became a scholarship student at the Young Artists Performers Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he completed his ARCT diploma at the age of fourteen. He is currently pursuing his studies at The Glenn Gould School in Toronto where he is a full scholarship student of James Anagnoson. Alexander has won top prizes in National and International Piano music competitions. In March 2008 he became the first Canadian ever to receive the First Prize at the Thirteenth Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition in Japan. Most recently he won the Tom Thomas Concerto Competition at The Glenn Gould School and as a result will perform the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with Maestro Peter Oundjian and the Royal Conservatory Orchestra at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in February of 2009. Alexander made his CBC radio debut in 2001 after winning the Canada wide network competition Up and Coming.

The NAC Debut Series continues with the following recitals and Musically Speaking Pre-Concert ’ÄúExplorations of the Concerto’Äù:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Shanshan Yao, violin

Jean Desmarais, piano

Michel Dozois, host

Salon at 12 noon: Noonhour recital

Salon at 7 p.m.: Exploration of Mendelssohn’Äôs Violin Concerto with violin teacher William van der Sloot (Mount Royal College Conservatory).

FRIDAY, MAY 15

Yina Tong, cello

Jean Desmarais, piano

Paul Lefebvre, host

Salon at 12 noon: Noonhour recital

Salon at 7 p.m.: Exploration of Herbert’Äôs Cello Concerto No. 2 with cello teacher John Kadz (Mount Royal College Conservatory).

FRIDAY, JUNE 19

Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone

Jean Desmarais, piano

Paul Lefebvre, host

Salon at 12 noon: Noonhour recital

Salon at 7 p.m.: Exploration of the Choral Masterpiece: Brahms Requiem with star soprano-teacher Benita Valente with soprano Maghan Stewart and baritone Jonathan Estabrooks.

Violinist Arabella Steinbacher performs in Montreal on Feb 2

GERMAN VIOLINIST ARABELLA STEINBACHER

With pianist Robert Kulek

Recital at Place des Arts - Thˆ©ˆ¢tre Maisonneuve

Presented by The Pro Musica Society

Monday, February 2, 2009 at 7:30pm

Place des Arts - Thˆ©ˆ¢tre Maisonneuve

(260, blvd. de Maisonneuve West, Montrˆ©al)

Program

Schnitkke: Violin Sonata No. 1

Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in G major

Bach: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor
Ravel: Violin Sonata

Tickets: $40 | $35 | $20 students

Available at the Place des Arts Box Office: 514.842.2112

or visit www.promusica.qc.ca/emerald.html

Photo by Robert Vano. Available in high-resolution from Christina Jensen PR.

Praise for Arabella Steinbacher:

’ÄúIf this stunning recital is anything to go by, Arabella Steinbacher has a remarkable future ahead of her.’Äù ’Äì The Strad

’ÄúDoubtless a single violin performance recently has been as moving and exceptional as the concert debut of the Munich violinist Arabella Steinbacher. Of her essence: natural and with placid contemplation, distinguished and musically aesthetic, both elegant and rich in tone, while intelligently interpreted.’Äù ’Äì Stuttgarter Zeitung

Montreal, Canada’ÄîMunich-based, twenty-six-year-old violinist Arabella Steinbacher ’Äì ’ÄúThe Frˆ§ulein Wunder’Äù (Regensburger Zeitung) ’Äì will perform a recital with pianist Robert Kulek as part of the Pro Musica Society’Äôs Emerald Series. The performance will take place in Salle Maisonneuve at Place des Arts (260 blvd. de Maisonneuve West, Montrˆ©al) on February 2, 2009 at 7:30 pm. Ms. Steinbacher’Äôs program will include Schnitkke’Äôs Violin Sonata No. 1, Beethoven’Äôs Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major, Bach’Äôs Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor, and Ravel’Äôs Violin Sonata. The performance follows the recent North American release of Ms. Steinbacher’Äôs newest album, ’ÄúSonatas by Faurˆ©, Poulenc and Ravel’Äù with Robert Kulek, on ORFEO International. (Review copies of the disc are now available from Christina Jensen PR.)

Since her extraordinary and unexpected debut in Paris in March 2004, when she stepped in on short notice for an ailing colleague and performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Sir Neville Marriner, German violinist Arabella Steinbacher has become a fast-rising star on the international concert scene. Ms. Steinbacher’Äôs New York recital debut in June 2006 was called ’Äúa particular highlight of the month’Äù by The Strad magazine. The New York Times wrote, ’ÄúBalanced lyricism and fire ’Ķ.among her assets are a finely polished technique and a beautifully varied palette of timbres.’Äù

In November 2007, Ms. Steinbacher made her debut as soloist with a major American orchestra, performing the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnˆ°nyi. The Chicago Tribune reported, ’ÄúFrom her magical entry over hushed orchestral strings to the biting swagger she brought to the dancing finale, it was evident that her feeling for this music runs as deep as her technical command. The central Adagio came off especially beautifully, Steinbacher conveying its brooding melancholy with a rich vibrato, impeccable intonation and a remarkable breadth of phrasing. The sound she drew from her 1716 "Booth" Stradivari stood out from the orchestra: limitless tonal depth swaddled in velvet. Let's have her back, and soon.’Äù

In 2007, Ms. Steinbacher received an ECHO-Klassik Award (considered to be the German equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for Young Artist of the Year for her album, Violino Latino, a collection of a Spanish and South-American works performed with pianist Peter von Wienhardt on ORFEO. In addition, her recording of Shostakovich’Äôs Violin Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, also on ORFEO, was named among the October 2007 ’ÄúLes Chocs du Mois’Äù in Le Monde de la Musique. She received the German Record Critics Award in 2005 for her ORFEO recording of Milhaud’Äôs rarely-heard Violin Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, and Concertino de Printemps; and again in 2006 for her Shostakovich disc. Ms. Steinbacher recently signed an exclusive recording contract with PentaTone Classics, and will release her first disc with that label in spring 2009.

More about Arabella Steinbacher: Highlights of Ms. Steinbacher’Äôs 2007-2008 season included debuts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner (broadcast live on national television and radio), the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi, the Orchestre National de Belgique under Walter Weller, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Marek Janowski, and the Orchestra Nacionales de Espana under Mark Albrecht. She also toured with Vladimir Ashkenazy and the European Youth Orchestra, performing in cities including Bucharest, Vienna, Liverpool and Bratislava. On July 12, 2008, Ms. Steinbacher opened the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, performing with the NDR-Sinfonieorchester led by Christoph von Dohnˆ°nyi. The concert was broadcast live on national television and radio.

Highlights of Ms. Steinbacher’Äôs 2008-2009 season, include her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, a debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit, her official subscription series debut with the NDR-Sinfonieorchester under Christoph von Dohnˆ°nyi, and her debut with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner. In addition, she will perform at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, and in December 2008 will make her recital debut at the Theatre de Champs Elysee. Ms. Steinbacher will also appear with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony, Prague Symphony Orchestra, and the National Orchestra of Belgium. She will perform during the Beethoven Easter Festival in Prague, and tour with Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In May 2009, she will perform four concerts with the Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and then tour Spain with that orchestra. In June, she will perform Sofia Gubaidulina's Offertorium with the Orchestre de l'Opˆ©ra de Paris at Salle Pleyel in Paris under Christoph von Dohnˆ°nyi; also in June she will make her debut at the BBC Proms performing with the Bamberg Symphony under Jonathan Nott; in October, she will perform at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly, following a tour of Asia. Future highlights include an appearance with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchester with Sir Colin Davis and a tour of Germany with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Lorin Maazel during the 2009-2010 season.

Arabella Steinbacher’Äôs diverse repertoire includes more than twenty concertos for violin. In addition to all of the major concertos of the Classical and Romantic period, she also performs those of Barber, Berg, Glazunov, Khatchaturian, Milhaud, Prokofiev, Schnittke, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Szymanowski, and Hartmann.

Born in Munich in 1981 to a German father and a Japanese mother, Arabella Steinbacher began studying the violin at the age of three. Her mother is a professionally trained singer who came to Germany from Japan to study music, and her father was the first Solorepetitor in the Bayerische Staatsoper, from 1960 to 1972. At nine, she became the youngest violin student of Ana Chumachenko at the Munich Academy of Music. She received further musical inspiration and guidance from Ivry Gitlis, whom she still meets regularly in Paris. In 2001, she won the sponsorship prize of the Free State of Bavaria and in the same year she was awarded a scholarship by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. From Anne-Sophie Mutter, who personally supports her, Ms. Steinbacher received a bow from the master luthier Benoit Rolland. Ms. Steinbacher currently plays the Guarneri Del Gesu known as the ’ÄòJarnovich’Äô(c. 1741) which is on extended loan from Jonathan P Moulds. She is managed by Tanja Dorn at IMG Artists. For more information, please visit www.arabella-steinbacher.com or www.imgartists.com.

News Release - Measha Brueggergosman at Stratford Summer Music, August 7-10, 2008

Stratford, Ont’Ķ John A. Miller, Artistic Producer of Stratford Summer Music, has announced that renowned Canadian soprano and Deutsche Grammophon recording artist Measha Brueggergosman returns to Stratford Summer Music to perform four recitals accompanied by German collaborative pianist Justus Zeyen from August 7 ’Äì 10, 2008 at St. Andrew’Äôs Church, 25 St. Andrew Street, Stratford. Repertoire for the recitals will be drawn from the works of Benjamin Britten, Arnold Schoenberg, Francis Poulenc, William Bolcom and Erik Satie.

In 2005 Ms. Brueggergosman made her Stratford Summer Music debut, performing four exclusive concerts as well as a joint appearance with Detroit’Äôs Brazeal Dennard Chorale in the festival’Äôs closing night gala.

Award-winning soprano Measha Brueggergosman is in great demand as an opera and concert artist. Originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick, she has performed with some of the world’Äôs most prestigious symphony orchestras and in many of the world’Äôs renowned concert halls. In April the Canadian soprano made her Mozart opera debut as Elettra in Opera Atelier’Äôs production of Idomeneo; critics and the public were unanimous in their praise for her work in this sold-out production. Her other operatic roles have included Madame Lidoine in Poulene’Äôs The Dialogues of the Carmelites for the Vancouver Opera; Juno in Aeneas in Karthago at the Staatsoper Stuttgart and both Liu in Turnadot and Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking for the Cincinnati Opera.

Measha, as she is fondly known by her fans, signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and released her debut recording Surprise with the label in North America in autumn 2007; she is also featured on the label’Äôs recording of Beethoven’Äôs Symphony No. 9 recorded by The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by music director Franz Wesler-Mˆ�st. She has two recordings with CBC Records: So Much to Tell which includes works by Copland, Barber and Gershwin, and Extase which features music by Massenet and Berlioz.

Brueggergosman’Äôs Stratford Summer Music recitals will be performed at 11:15 a.m. on August 7, 8 and 9 and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 10. Tickets are $35 and are available on line at www.stratfordsummermusic.ca or by calling the box office at 1-800-567-1600. Stratford Summer Music runs from July 21 to August 17, 2008.

For complete concert information log on to the website or call 519-271-2101.

NACO, May 12: Grammy winning violinist James Ehnes performs in recital

Ottawa, Canada ’Äì Canadian violinist James Ehnes (pronounced ENN-is), who has won both a Grammy Award and his fifth Juno Award this year, returns to the National Arts Centre’Äôs Southam Hall to perform in recital on Monday, May 12 at 20:00 as part of the Bombardier Great Performers Series. His recital partner is pianist Andrew Armstrong.

Ehnes and Armstrong will perform Leclair’Äôs Sonata in D major, Brahms’Äô Sonata No. 1 in G major, Bartˆ„k’Äôs Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin and Piano, and R. Strauss’Äôs Sonata in E-flat major.

Violinist James Ehnes is widely considered one of classical music’Äôs brightest talents. He has performed in over 20 countries on five continents with many of the world’Äôs most renowned orchestras and conductors. He first performed at the NAC in recital on the NAC Debut Series in 1993 at age 16 and a few months later made his NAC Orchestra debut at the CBC Young Performers Competition which he won. He has returned a number of times since, most recently performing on both violin and viola with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra this past November. He will return to the National Arts Centre Orchestra next season to perform the Korngold Violin Concerto, his recording of which (along with concertos by Barber and Walton) earned him his recent Grammy and Juno Awards. The recording joins an already impressive and internationally multi-award winning discography of over 20 recordings featuring repertoire ranging from Bach violin sonatas to John Adams’Äôs Road Movies. His 250^th Mozart anniversary double-disc of the composer’Äôs complete works for violin and orchestra won the 2007 Juno.

Born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1976, James Ehnes began violin studies at the age of four, and at nine became a protˆ©gˆ© of Canadian violinist Francis Chaplin. He continued his studies with Sally Thomas at The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation in 1997. In 2007 he became the youngest person ever elected as a Fellow to the Royal Society of Canada. James Ehnes plays the ’ÄúEx Marsick’Äù Stradivarius of 1715 and gratefully acknowledges its extended loan from the Fulton Collection.

Pianist Andrew Armstrong has been praised by critics for his passionate expression and dazzling technique, delighting audiences around the world. He has performed solo recitals and appeared with orchestras in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States, including performances at Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and Warsaw’Äôs National Philharmonic. Having performed over 35 concertos, Armstrong has impressed his international audiences with a large repertoire ranging from Bach to Babbit and beyond. In 1996, he was named Gilmore Young Artist, and at the 1993 Van Cliburn Competition, where he was the youngest pianist entered, he received the Jury Discretionary Award.

Tickets for this Bombardier Great Performers recital on Monday, May 12 at 20:00 are on sale now at $19.00, $29.00, $39.00, $45.00, $49.00, and $59.00 with box seats at $69.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’Äôs website at www.nac-cna.ca. Subscriptions are also still available by calling the Subscription Office at 613-947-7000, ext. 620.

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. Same-day Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $10 at the NAC Box Office between 14:00 and 18:00 on the day of performance only, 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.

NAC, Jan. 8: Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey together in recital

National Arts Centre Orchestra / News Release

December 19, 2007

For immediate release

Vocal legends Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey together in recital with pianist Jake Heggie on the Bombardier Great Performers series on January 8

Ottawa , Canada ’Äì Two illustrious singing stars ’Äì Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey ’Äì join forces for a glorious duo-recital on Tuesday, January 8 at 20:00 as part of the Bombardier Great Performers Series. The radiant mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade is beloved for her warmth and intimate rapport with audiences, and the resonant bass of Samuel Ramey has given voice to villains and devils, prophets and emperors. With pianist Jake Heggie, their program ranges from classic French art-songs to the classiest hits of Broadway, and includes Berlioz, Offenbach, Copland, Gershwin and Hammerstein, among others.

Recognized as one of the most beloved musical figures of our time, Frederica von Stade has enriched the world of classical music for three decades with her appearances in opera, concert, and recital. Her return to the NAC stage marks her first appearance here since a series of performances between 1977 and 1981 including the acclaimed production of Massenet's Cendrillon for the NAC's Festival Canada in 1979. That same year she recorded Italian Opera Arias with the NAC Orchestra and Mario Bernardi. The mezzo-soprano is well known to audiences around the world through her numerous featured appearances on television including several PBS specials and Live from Lincoln Center telecasts. She has made over sixty recordings with every major label, including complete operas, aria albums, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums. Her recordings have garnered six Grammy nominations, two Grand Prix du Disc awards, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, Italy's Premio della Critica Discografica, and "Best of the Year" citations by Stereo Review and by Opera News which wrote "Everything von Stade touched turned to gold."

Samuel Ramey reigns as the foremost interpreter of bass and bass-baritone operatic and concert repertoire, commanding with astounding versatility an impressive breadth of repertoire that encompasses virtually every musical style. Samuel Ramey holds the distinction of being the most recorded bass in history. His more than eighty recordings include complete operas, recordings of arias, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums on every major label, garnering nearly every major award including three Grammy Awards. His exposure on television and video is no less impressive, with video recordings of the Metropolitan Opera's Carmen, Bluebeard's Castle, Semiramide, Nabucco, and the compilation "The Met Celebrates Verdi;" San Francisco Opera's Mefistofele; The Rake's Progress from the Glyndebourne Festival.

As a pianist, Jake Heggie has often accompanied Frederica von Stade in recital, as well as such singers as Dawn Upshaw, Kristin Clayton, Susan Graham, Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, Paul Groves, Thomas Hampson and Bo Skovhus. He is also the renowned composer of the acclaimed operas Dead Man Walking (libretto by Terrence McNally), The End of the Affair (libretto by Heather McDonald, Leonard Foglia and Jake Heggie), the lyric drama To Hell and Back (libretto by Gene Scheer), and the musical scene At the Statue of Venus (libretto by Terrence McNally). The recipient of a 2005-06 Guggenheim Fellowship, he has composed more than 200 songs, as well as concerti, orchestral works and chamber music. (Jake Heggie replaces pianist Warren Jones.)

COMPLETE RECITAL PROGRAMME:

Frederica von Stade

AMBROISE THOMAS: Mignon : Frederick's Gavotte

AMBROISE THOMAS: Mignon : Connais tu le Pays

JACQUES OFFENBACH: The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein:Ah, que j'aime les militaires

Samuel Ramey

BERLIOZ: La damnation de Faust: Devant la maison

CHARLES GOUNOD: Faust : Vous qui faites l'endormie

ARRIGO BOITO: Mefistofele : Ecco il mondo

Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey

AARON COPLAND:

Why do they shut me out of Heaven? (FVS)

The Dodger (SR)

Little Horses (FVS)

At The River (SR)

I Bought Me A Cat (FVS/SR)

Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey

GEORGE GERSHWIN:

Do it again (FVS)

They All Laughed (SR)

How Long Has This Been Going On? (FVS)

Embraceable You (SR)

By Strauss (FVS)

Just Another Rumba (SR)

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (FVS/SR)

Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey

COLE PORTER: Don't Fence Me In (SR)

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN : I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No (FVS)

OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN: People Will Say We're In Love (FVS/SR)

STEPHEN SONDHEIM: Send In the Clowns (FVS)

FREDERICK LOEWE: They Call the Wind Maria (SR)

IRVING BERLIN: An Old-Fashioned Wedding (FVS/SR)

Tickets for this Bombardier Great Performers recital on Tuesday, January 8 at 20:00 are on sale now at $19.00, $29.00, $39.00, $45.00, $49.00, and $59.00 with box seats at $69.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC's website at www.nac-cna.ca. Subscriptions are also still available by calling the Subscription Office at 613-947-7000, ext. 620.

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. Same-day Live Rush tickets (subject to availability) for full-time students (aged 13 to 29) are $10 at the NAC Box Office between 14:00 and 18:00 on the day of performance only, 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.

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Jane Morris

Communications Officer/Agente de communication

National Arts Centre Orchestra/Orchestre du Centre national des Arts

Telephone/Tˆ©lˆ©phone: 613-947-7000 x 335

Fax: 613-996-2828

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