Twenty-Year Old Piano Prodigy Ran Jia makes her Vancouver Debut

Twenty-Year Old Piano Prodigy Ran Jia makes her Vancouver Debut with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Vancouver BC ’Äì Twenty-year-old wunderkind Ran Jia took her homeland China by storm, performing from the age of seven ’Äì now, she sets her sights on North America. The VSO is honoured to present her Vancouver debut in an all-Mozart series finale in the Bach & Beyond and Beltone Symphony Sundays series packages. She will perform Mozart’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 12, while Maestro Bramwell Tovey leads the orchestra in Mozart’Äôs Paris and Linz symphonies.

Pianist Ran Jia has been hailed as ’ÄúChina’Äôs new champion’Äù and a ’Äúpiano poet.’Äù The daughter of Professor Daqun Jia, Dean of the Graduate Study Programs at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and one of China’Äôs leading composers, she began studying the piano at age 3 and immediately showed extraordinary natural abilities. Her professional career skyrocketed when she was the only concert pianist invited to perform at Thelonious Monk’Äôs 90^th birthday in New York. The winner of numerous accolades the world over, she now studies with Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

This concert celebrates the music of history’Äôs greatest musical genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Symphony No.31, better known as the ’ÄúParis’Äù Symphony, is one of Mozart’Äôs most famous symphonies. Longing to escape from the tyrannical, unappreciative grip of his employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg, in September 1777 Mozart and his mother set out to find him a new job. They arrived in Paris and over the next six months, Wolfgang and his music drew an indifferent response. To make matters worse, his mother died in July. One of the few bright spots of the Parisian period was his association with the Concert spiritual, a series of public musical events managed by Jean Le Gros. This impresario commissioned several works from Mozart including Symphony No.31 which was positively received by Parisian audiences.

Mozart composed Symphony No.36 in the autumn of 1783. After an emotionally strained visit with his family in Salzburg, he and his wife Constanze stopped in the city of Linz during their return journey to Vienna. They enjoyed the hospitality of Count Thun, a music-loving nobleman whose wealth allowed him the luxury of his own orchestra. As a gesture of gratitude to his host, Mozart composed this work for him. Written in just four days, it has been known as the Linz Symphony ever since.

Mozart launched his life as a freelance artist in Vienna in May 1781. Since he was best known there as a pianist, he composed numerous piano works, including Piano Concerto No.12 in A Major, to play at his own subscription concerts. Despite the modest nature and scoring of this concerto, it stands out in Mozart’Äôs early works for that instrument.

CONCERT INFO

Bach & Beyond and Beltone Symphony Sundays Series:

Music of the Master: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Friday & Saturday, May 15 & 16, 8pm, Chan Centre

Sunday, May 17, 2pm, Orpheum Theatre

Bramwell Tovey, conductor

Ran Jia, piano

Mozart Symphony No. 31, Paris

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 12

Mozart Symphony No. 36, Linz

Tickets $35 to $59 (Student, Senior and Subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available through VSO Customer Service at 604.876.3434 and online at www.vancouversymphony.ca

Chan Centre performance tickets also available at the Chan Centre Box Office, or Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone, 604.280.3311.

Generously Supported By:

The Bach & Beyond Series has been endowed by a generous gift from the Chan Foundation of Canada.

Radio Sponsor: CHQM-FM

Symphony Sundays Series Sponsor: Beltone

BIOGRAPHIES

Bramwell Tovey, conductor

A musician of striking versatility, Bramwell Tovey is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth and warm, charismatic personality on the podium. Tovey’Äôs career as a conductor is uniquely enhanced by his work as a composer and pianist, lending him a remarkable musical perspective.

Tovey garnered a 2008 Grammy Award and a 2008 Juno Award for his recording with violinist James Ehnes and the Vancouver Symphony. Recently named Principal Guest Conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, he works frequently with the Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Royal Philharmonic and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras, among many others. He has presided as host and conductor of the New York Philharmonic’Äôs Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall since its founding in 2004.

As a composer, he was honored with the Best Canadian Classical Composition Juno Award in 2003 for his Requiem for a Charred Skull. New works include a co-commission for the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics’Äô 2008 summer seasons as well as a full-length opera for the Calgary Opera, The Inventor, to premiere in January of 2011.

Tovey has been awarded honorary degrees, including a Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Music in London, honorary Doctorates of Law from the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, and Kwantlen University College, as well as a Royal Conservatory of Music Fellowship in Toronto. In 1999, he received the M. Joan Chalmers National Award for Artistic Direction, a Canadian prize awarded to artists for outstanding contributions in the performing arts.

Ran Jia, piano

At twenty, pianist Ran Jia is already regarded as a striking musician with unusual natural abilities. Tan Dun hailed her a ’Äúpiano poet with dramatic skill in music-making’Äù.

Born on December 31, 1988 in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, Ms. Jia began studying piano at the age of three. She made her solo debut in 1995, and has since performed publicly in Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu, Fuzhou, and Xiamen in China. Her numerous awards include The Special Prize for her performance of a Mozart Sonata in the Second Piano International-E-Competition in 2004; the Silver Medal in The National Cultural Ministry Dandelion Youth Arts Competition in Nanjing, China in 2001; First Prize and the Osaka Mayer Prize in the Shanghai-Osaka Chinese and Japanese Friendship Youth Piano Competition in 2000; First Prize in The Sichuan Youth Piano Competition in 1998; and Second Prize in The National Xinghai Cup Piano Competition in 1998.

In October 2001, Ms. Jia performed Mozart’Äôs Sonata in F major (K. 533) at a master class at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Piano master Fou T’Äôsong praised her talent in the Evening News Standard in Shanghai as ’Äúan amazing natural feeling for music.’Äù In May 2004, Ms. Jia presented an ambitious recital at the Heluting Concert Hall at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The program included sonatas by Mozart, Prokofiev, and Schubert, Chopin’Äôs Ballade No. 1, Debussy’Äôs Preludes and Liszt’Äôs Mephisto Waltz No. 1. Her recital was received with great enthusiasm by the audience and the media. Oriental TV broadcasted two documentaries featuring Ran’Äôs life as a young artist including her live performance at the Conservatory.

In November 2005, Ms. Jia was selected to perform at Lincoln Center’Äôs Alice Tully Hall with her teacher, Gary Graffman, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’Äôs at a ’ÄúJunior/Senior Concert’Äù organized by the Musicians Emergency Fund, Inc. Ms. Jia performed Mozart’Äôs Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 under Maestro Li Jian. Highlights of 2006 included a return, sold-out concert at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and a performance of two Mozart concerti with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra at the Shanghai Concert Hall. She has recently been featured in a live concert on Chicago’Äôs classical music station WFMT and has given her recital debut at the concert series of Rockefeller University in New York. She was the only classical pianist invited to perform for a celebration concert in New York City in honor of Thelonious Monk’Äôs 90^th Birthday. This concert was broadcast worldwide on WQXR. Ms. Jia will make her debut at the Klavierfestival Ruhr in Germany in the summer of 2008 and will make her Carnegie Hall recital debut in the 08/09 season and return to Shanghai for a solo recital.

Ran Jia is currently studying with Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her father, Professor Daqun Jia, is one of the leading composers in China and Dean of the Graduate Study Programs at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Young Stars of the Young Century: 3 Teenage Virtuosi Perform in Toronto, May 9

Saturday, May 9 at the Glenn Gould Studio

SHOW ONE PRESENTS THREE ASTOUNDING YOUNG TALENTS

IN YOUNG STARS OF THE YOUNG CENTURY CONCERT

’ÄúThese concerts are so full of youthful energy and true virtuosity that I cannot think of a better way to inspire your kids and give yourself hope for the next generation,’Äù says Svetlana Dvoretskaia.

Her company, Show One Productions, is about to present the 2009 edition of its signature series, Young Stars of the Young Century. Three teenage virtuosi from the former Soviet Union ’Äì all international award-winners ’Äì perform in Toronto Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W.

Tickets, $35; students and seniors $30, are available from the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office, www.roythomson.com or 416-872-4255. Details including the complete program, and group rates may be obtained by visiting www.ShowOneProductions.ca.

The three Young Stars ’Äì all winners of awards from the California-based Guzik Foundation ’Äì are coming direct from their Carnegie Hall debuts, the night before.

Georgian pianist Luka Okrostsvoridze is back for his third Young Stars performance, after his successful North American solo recital debut in Toronto in 2007. Armenian clarinetist Narek Arutyunyan returns after his first Toronto visit in Young Stars in 2008. Russian violinist Yuri Revich makes his Canadian debut.

Their concert features musical favorites from the sublime romanticism of Chopin and Schumann to the jazzy delights of Gershwin and Piazzolla, with plenty of virtuosic musical fireworks, individually and in duos and trios. Among other features composers are Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Sarasate and Franˆßaix.

LUKA OKROSTSVORIDZE, piano (born in Tblisi, Georgia in 1991), studied with Professor Dorensky (teacher of Denis Matsuev) at the Moscow Conservatory. An accomplished pianist and composer, Luka has won international competitions and festivals, including the Colmar in France. After Luka’Äôs first Toronto performance, with Young Stars in 2006, he made his North American solo recital debut here in 2007, winning fans with his charm, and passionate and mature playing. ’ÄúHis intensity is palpable,’Äù remarked the National Post.

YURI REVICH, violin (born in Moscow in 1991), has performed with the Russian National conducted by Mikhail Pletnev, the Moscow Soloists under Yuri Bashmet, and other leading orchestras. Yuri has won such international competitions as Virtuosi of the XXI Century and the David Oistrakh in Russia, and the Oldenburg Promenade and International Kloster-Schontal Violin Competition in Germany. In 2008, French master Alan Karbonar presented Yuri with a violin made especially for him. Germany’Äôs Weinheimer Nachrichten (Weinheim News) described how Revich ’Äúleft the public open-mouthed with the drama, passion and directness of his performance.’Äù

NAREK ARUTYUNYAN, clarinet (born in Gumri, Armenia, 1992) is a regular soloist with the great Russian orchestras, under the likes of Constantine Orbelian, Vladimir Spivakov, and Yuri Bashmet. Narek has also given solo recitals in France, Italy and Switzerland. A winner of many international competitions, Narek is equally gifted in classical and jazz. At his 2008 Toronto debut in Young Stars, Alexa Petrenko of Classical 96.3 FM exclaimed that ’Äúthis performance stopped time.’Äù

The artists’Äô Carnegie Hall debuts, May 8, mark the U.S. debuts of Okrostvoridze and Revich, and the New York debut of Arutyunyan.

YOUNG STARS OF THE YOUNG CENTURY

’ÄúThe Glenn Gould is a perfect acoustic venue,’Äù says Svetlana Dvoretskaia. ’ÄúIt also has a legacy, being named for one of the most important musicians in the world ’Äì which should make it as inspiring for the young virtuosi to play there as it is for the audience to hear them.’Äù

For the last five years, Show One Productions has presented the Young Stars of the Young Century gala concerts, featuring the cream of the most talented young musicians from the former U.S.S.R.

Their concerts are a celebration of musical achievement, friendship and peace. The youthful artists have received outstanding critical acclaim through the years, along with exposure to new audiences. The Toronto Star has called Young Stars a ’Äúhigh-wattage evening of classical music favorites.’Äù

THE GUZIK FOUNDATION

Every year, music schools throughout Russia groom their finest students to compete for scholarships granted by the Palo Alto-based Guzik Foundation. Over $400,000 is granted annually in cash prizes, recording contracts, concerts and other career enhancement. The Guzik Foundation Scholarship Program is funded by innovative philanthropist Nahum Guzik, a high-tech industrialist and Russian ˆ©migrˆ©.

Showcase 2009

International Performing Arts for Youth presents the
31st International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People, "Showcase 2009," January 21-24, 2009

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People (Showcase 2009), presented by International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY), is returning to PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, January 21-24. This annual event, held in a different city each year since 1979, attracts more than 400 artists, agents and presenters from across North America and the world. Showcase 2009 features 15 professional performing arts companies from around the world that create dance, music and theater specifically for young people. The companies are selected by an international committee comprised of experts in the field of performing arts for youth, including accomplished artists and artistic or programming directors, arts education directors, children's festival directors, and artist managers. This year's companies come from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Republic of the Congo, Scotland, The Netherlands, and The United States. Showcasing artists include Cas Public (Canada), Compagnie Punta Negra (Republic of the Congo), Corbian Visual Arts & Dance (USA), CORONA LA BALANCE - Danish National Ensemble for Children's Theatre (Denmark), Dream Jam Band (USA), Introdans Ensemble for Youth (The Netherlands), Jessica Wilson Productions (Australia), Nephesh Theatre (Israel), Nightswimming (Canada), Off Broadway Booking (USA), Puppet State Theatre Company (Scotland), Rennie Harris Puremovement (USA), Slingsby Theatre Company (Australia), Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (Australia), and Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience (USA.)

"The Arrival is such a special show... so warm and heartfelt... and it is a great privilege to get to present it at the IPAY Showcase," says Cathcart Weatherly, General Manager of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, one of Australia's leading producers of theatre for children and families. "Coming from Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city on the planet, this is a great opportunity for [us] to show off our premier work at the Showcase and look to building a tour of North America"

Showcase features an exhibit area that provides display information and video material on touring productions. As an educational service to the field, the conference offers professional development learning communities which engage current issues and trends. Of particular significance this year, IPAY will present a plenary session led by Teresa Eyring, Executive Director of Theatre Communications Group.

"In hosting Showcase in 2005, 2007, and now 2009, I have had a unique perspective in watching the conference grow in size and scope," says Colleen Porter, Director of Arts Education at PlayhouseSquare. "With artists from more countries around the world applying and performing each year, the shows presented continue to reach new heights in artistic excellence. Furthermore, the professional development has grown from a one day event to a plethora of sessions and topics that run the length of Showcase. Our attendees' response to the performances is reflected in their dialogue during the learning communities, allowing for a truly integrated and thought-provoking conference experience."

Since 2001, International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) has created professional and educational opportunities supporting meaningful performing arts experiences for young audiences in North America. IPAY is proud to be the only service organization devoted exclusively to the entire performing arts for youth industry, including all forms of theatre, dance, and music. It exists to serve its membership consisting of presenters, artists, and agents/managers from throughout the world by providing meaningful engagement with, and support of, the presentation and creation of new and established work for young audiences in North America.

"We are both proud and excited to host our colleagues throughout North America and indeed from around the world, in this world-class facility at PlayhouseSquare", says IPAY Board President, Boomer Stacey. "This global community meeting place provides a spark to stimulate international dialogue and collaboration, a hub for artists, presenters, educators and promoters to connect and work together, as well as creating a portal to look at what and how we produce or program for young audiences here in North America - and it all stems from the work that is happening on-stage. "

Registration for Showcase 2009 or membership to IPAY is available at www.ipayweb.org. Register to exhibit before October 1 or register to attend Showcase before November 1 and save $50. Contact Daniel Student, Administrative Director, at 267-690-1325 or daniel@ipayweb.org for any questions regarding the conference.

Concert November 9: Jin Joo Cho

Jeunesses Musicales Ontario presents

JINJOO CHO, VIOLIN
LOUISE-ANDRˆâE BARIL, PIANO

Date: Sunday November 9th Time: 3:00pm
Venue: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West
Tickets: $15 Adults/ $10 Students & Seniors
For on-line ticket orders: http://jinjoo.eventbrite.com/

Jeunesses Musicales Ontario is proud to present violinist Jinjoo Cho and
pianis Louise-Andrˆ©e Baril with their concert as part of the Desjardins
Concerts 2008-2009. This tour will bring the two musicians in many cities
throughout Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and British Colombia.

JINJOO CHO, VIOLIN
Violinist Jinjoo Cho won the First Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award
at the 2006 Montreal International Musical Competition, and the gold medal
at the 2005 Stulberg International String Competition. She has appeared as a
soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the
Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kalamazoo
Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland, and the Aspen Concert Orchestra. She has
worked with world renowned artists such as Robert McDuffie, Peter Oundjian,
Muhai Tang, and Kent Nagano. Ms. Cho appeared on a national radio broadcast
of From the Top in a program later designated best of the year. Ms. Cho has
given recitals in Seoul, Cleveland, Montreal, and New York, and she served
as a musician-in-residence at the Kentucky Center for Performing Arts. Ms.
Cho made her European debut in the Herkulessaal in Munich last season.
During the 2007-2008 seasons, Ms. Cho had performed in subscription concerts
with the Quebec Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, I Musici de Montrˆ©al, and
CityMusic Cleveland.

Ms. Cho, a dedicated orchestral and chamber musician, was a member of the
Wo¬°-Mˆ©n String Quartet. The group was coached by Peter Salaff, Donald
Weilerstein, Arnold Steinhardt and the Cavani, Pacifica, and Takˆ°cs String
Quartets. Her duo with cellist Joshua Roman regularly performs in Cleveland,
Seattle, and Spokane.

Ms. Cho, a native of Seoul, South Korea, attended the Yewon Art School. She
has been attending the Aspen Music Festival and School and was a member of
the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music from 2002
onward, in both venues as a student of Paul Kantor. She attended the Curtis
Institute of Music, studying there with Joseph Silverstein and Pamela Frank,
and is currently enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she is
working as a student of Paul Kantor.

LOUISE-ANDRˆâE BARIL, PIANO
A native of Cornwall, pianist Louise-Andrˆ©e Baril is one of Canada's most
accomplished musicians. An arranger, soloist, chamber musician, vocal coach,
and rehearsal pianist, she has collaborated with major ensembles and
conductors in Canada and abroad. She is regularly invited to collaborate in
major international competitions. She appears on over forty recordings and
is regularly heard on Radio-Canada's airwaves. Passionate about opera, her
repertoire includes over one hundred operatic works. She is especially
dedicated to French vocal music.

Louise-Andrˆ©e takes a great interest in emerging artists and has established
several opera workshops and projects for young artists, such as the
Universitˆ© de Montrˆ©al's opera workshop and the Orford Arts Centre opera. A
much sought-after teacher, she works with several music institutions in
Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. Since 2007, Louise-Andrˆ©e Baril has
been an artistic advisor at Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, for the
movement's opera productions in particular.

Since 1949, Jeunesses Musicales of Canada has had a dual mission: to bring
fine music to audiences of all ages, especially 3 to 12-year-olds, and to
foster the careers of outstanding young professional instrumentalists,
singers and composers in Canada and abroad. Thanks to the support of its
partners and the work of hundreds of volunteers, Jeunesses Musicales of
Canada has become Canada's largest classical music performance network and
produces some 800 concerts a year. In 2000, the organization opened a new
building in Montreal that includes a 100-seat chamber music hall.
JMC is affiliated with Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI), founded in
1945 in Belgium and considered today by UNESCO as the world's leading
cultural organization dedicated to youth and music. Each year, Jeunesses
Musicales International's 41 national chapters organize more than 30,000
musical events, reaching an audience of some six million people.

This tour is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Mouvement
des caisses Desjardins, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quˆ©bec, The
Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, the Conseil des arts de
Montrˆ©al The Ontario Arts Council, and The Toronto Arts Council.

PING!

PING!

CREATING NEW MUSIC FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS

A celebration in support of the Norman Burgess Fund

Music, Food & Wine at Gallery 345

Sunday, October 26, 2008 (2-4PM)

TORONTO, ON, October 2, 2008: On Sunday, October 26, 2008 at Gallery 345 in Toronto, the Canadian Music Centre (Ontario Regional Office) proudly presents PING!, a celebration of new music for young musicians. In a rare Toronto appearance The St. Lawrence String Quartet ’Äî ’Äúremarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection" (The New Yorker) ’Äî performs R. Murray Schafer's notorious and sublime Quartet no. 3. From outbursts of yelling to spell-binding mysticism, the work is a landmark of the contemporary repertoire and a favourite of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Eve Egoyan ’Äî ’Äúa player of incredible, often very quiet intensity’Äù (The Wire) and the mesmerizing Gregory Oh perform Linda Smith's entrancing piano duo Velvet. The afternoon features world premieres of the 2007 Fund commissions by Andrew Staniland and Abigail Richardson performed by Daniel Lee (guitar) and the SOCMI orchestra with conductor Michael Schulte. Two young composers going places, Andrew Staniland’Äôs music has been described as ’Äúbeautiful and terrifying’Äù by New Yorker magazine while Abigail Richardson won top prize in the under-30 division of the prestigious International Rostrum of Composers in Paris.

Norman Burgess: a legacy of creativity and innovation.

Throughout his career Norman Burgess worked passionately to foster innovation, creativity and excellence in music education. As Director of the Conservatory at Mount Royal College he launched the internationally renowned Academy for Gifted Children and the Calgary Fiddlers. At the Royal Conservatory in Toronto he served as Dean and helped found the Centre for Learning Through the Arts.

Musician, educator, administrator and proud advocate of Canadian music, Norman Burgess dreamed of expanding the repertoire for young string players. The Norman Burgess Memorial Fund makes this vision possible. The Fund selects and commissions Canadian composers to work in partnership with professional string educators and their students with the goal of creating enriching new musical works for study and performance.

PING!

Sunday, October 26, 2008 ’Äì 2 to 4PM

Gallery 345: 345 Sorauren Avenue, Toronto

Reservations: 416.961.6601 x 207 | aayotte@musiccentre.ca

Tickets include performance, delectable local food & wine

Admission: $50 regular; $30 arts worker; $20 (20 years & under); Free for kids under 12

Cash / Visa / Mastercard accepted

NACO, Jan. 10 : NAC Orchestra launches new Debut Series of recitals and "Exploration of the Concerto"

National Arts Centre Orchestra / News Release

December 19, 2007

For immediate release

NAC Orchestra launches new Debut Series of recitals and "Exploration of the Concerto" on Jan. 10

Ottawa , Canada ’Äì The National Arts Centre Orchestra's long established Debut Series, which gives talented young musicians the opportunity to perform in recital at the NAC, will begin a new format in the New Year. The first concert of the new series takes place on Thursday, January 10 at noon in the NAC Salon featuring violinist Nikki Chooi from Victoria, BC and pianist Jean Desmarais. The programme will include the Beethoven Sonata for Piano and Violin Op 30, No.3, Tchaikovsky's Melodie and Waxman's Carmen Fantasy. Admission is $3, with proceeds going to fund the NACO Bursary.

Each Debut Series concert is connected to a Musically Speaking "Exploration of the Concerto" prior to that evening's National Arts Centre Orchestra concert, at which the young instrumentalist and mentor discuss and demonstrate the concerto to be performed. On January 10 at 18:30 in the Salon, violinist Nikki Chooi and his former teacher William van der Sloot of Mount Royal College Conservatory, with Jean Desmarais at the piano, will explore elements of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto to be performed that evening by superstar Midori. Admission to the Pre-Concert Talk hosted by Paul Lefebvre is free.

In addition, the following day on Friday, January 11, William van der Sloot will give a masterclass as part of the NAC International Masterclass Series from 9:30 to 11:30 in the NAC's Rehearsal Hall B.

The next Debut Series features cellist Ni Tao in recital with pianist Jean Desmarais on February 21 at noon, and in a pre-concert "Explore the Concerto" with mentor John Kadz of Mount Royal Conservatory at 19:00. Pianist-teacher Andrˆ© Laplante (student and exact date TBA) will be featured in April.

Nikki Chooi, born in Victoria, is in his freshman year at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia studying with Joseph Silverstein and Ida Kavafian. His previous teachers include Bill van der Sloot at the Mount Royal College Conservatory, and Sydney Humphreys at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. He participated in a masterclass with Pinchas Zukerman during the NAC Orchestra's BC Tour in 2004, and subsequently participated in the NAC Summer Music Institute. He was awarded two Special Prizes and was a semifinalist at the XIII Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition at which he was the only Canadian. His many other awards include being the only competitor to place 1^st in three major categories in the history of the Canadian National Music Festival. He has performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

William van der Sloot has established a reputation as a leader in the development of young artists in Canada. His students have won international acclaim, having won prizes in many major national and international competitions, including Grand Prizes at the Canadian National Festival and the Canadian Music Competition. He has given many master classes for major music organizations in Canada, the United States, Germany, Russia, and China. He will again be a faculty member at Mount Royal College's international Morningside Music Bridge program this summer and at the Valhalla Summer School of Music in Silverton, BC. He has worked in extensive masterclass seminars with Max Rostal, Tibor Varga, Yehudi Menhuin, Joseph Gingold, and members of the Juilliard, Hungarian, and Alban Berg String Quartets.

-30-

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

www.nac-cna.ca

www.artsalive.ca