July 21, 2005 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC) will return to the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Monday, August 15 at 19:30 for a free concert under the baton of Jacques Lacombe. The 94-member ensemble of elite young musicians from across Canada will perform Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture, Bartók’s Le Mandarin merveilleux and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5.

The National Arts Centre concert on August 15 is part of the NYOC’s 45th summer tour, sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group, which begins in Nanaimo, BC, on July 26 and finishes at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto on August 16. 

National Capital Region participants this summer are Kristin Day (21, bassoon), Shasta Ellenbogen (17, viola), Megan Giffin (17, oboe), Amelia Lyon (20, flute), Olga Rykov (16, violin), Gareth Thomas (18, bassoon), and Sarah Williams (15, violin). They were chosen from among a record number of young musicians aged 13 to 28 who competed earlier this year at the 45th annual TD Financial Group National Auditions to win a seat in the 2005 orchestra. This summer’s NYOC Tour follows an intensive four-week training session at the University of Victoria, where the young musicians have the privilege of enjoying one of the world’s finest orchestral educational experiences.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has been in existence since 1960 and in its 45 years, has been voted the Best Youth Orchestra in the World on a number of occasions. The most extensive and important orchestral program of its kind in Canada, the NYOC has fueled the professional ranks of orchestras in Canada and around the world with over 2200 alumni.  More than a third of professional orchestral musicians in Canada are alumni of the NYOC (and more than half of the National Arts Centre Orchestra), and graduates also perform with leading international orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New York, London and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestras, and countless others.

Jacques Lacombe, born in Cap-de-la-Madeleine (Québec), is a conductor of international stature. This season he has continued his role as Principal Guest Conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducting 18 concerts. He has also conducted Puccini's La Fanciulla del West in Vancouver, The Pearl Fishers at the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Massenet's Sappho in Avignon, concerts with the Orchestre Lamoureux at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, and last season he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in performances of Massenet's Werther

Tickets for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Monday, August 15 at 19:30 are free and may be picked up in person at the NAC Box Office during regular Box Office hours, Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 21:00. Once tickets run out, patrons are encouraged to come on the night and will be seated if space becomes available.

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For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca

Rob Gold, Senior Marketing Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 357
rgold@nac-cna.ca

Keira Grant, NYOC Marketing and Public Relations Association
(416) 532-4470 ext. 225
kgrant@nyoc.org