National Arts Centre announces the appointment of new musicians to the NAC Orchestra for the 2002 2003 season
September 11, 2002 -
Ottawa, Canada -- There will be some new faces among the musicians
of the National Arts Centre at the beginning of the 2002-2003 season,
the NAC has announced. Lawrence Vine, former principal horn of the
Calgary Philharmonic and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, has been
named principal horn, and violinist Martin Riseley, concertmaster of
the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, has been named interim associate
concertmaster. These musicians will join the front ranks of the
Orchestra along with new principal double bass Joel Quarrington,
former principal bass of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, whose
appointment was announced earlier this season. In addition Emily
Smethurst, has been named second flute and Patrick Healey will join
the Orchestra as part-time piccolo.
Pinchas Zukerman said: "I'm absolutely thrilled with the high
level of talent that we have attracted to the National Arts Centre
Orchestra."
French horn player Lawrence Vine (age 36) was principal horn of
the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for one season after spending the
previous 10 years as principal horn of the Winnipeg Symphony
Orchestra and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. A native of Hamilton,
Ontario, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree (Honours Performance)
from the University of Western Ontario. He continued his studies at
Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto,
and further trained with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the
Banff School of Fine Arts, and Cleveland's Kent/Blossom Music
Festival. His primary mentors have been Eugene Rittich (former
Principal Horn, Toronto Symphony) and Christopher Leuba (former
Principal Horn, Chicago Symphony). An active teacher and clinician,
Vine was for years an instructor at the University of Manitoba. He
was a long-time member of the Northern Brass quintet, and has
performed regularly with the MusikBarock Ensemble, Groundswell, the
Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, and the Land's End Ensemble
(Calgary). This year marked his second appearance at the Ottawa
International Chamber Music Festival. His solo engagements have been
widely acclaimed, and he has been a featured performer on numerous
recordings and CBC broadcasts, and performed with orchestras across
the country. In November 2002, he will perform for the first time as
soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Violinist Martin Riseley (age 33) became concertmaster of the
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 1994, and has performed as soloist in
concertos under conductors such as Grzegorz Nowak, Uri Mayer, and
Jorge Mester. He recently gave the North American premiere of Gavin
Bryars' Violin Concerto as well as the world premiere of a
concerto written for him by the New Zealand composer Christopher
Blake. Born in New Zealand, he began violin studies at age six. After
graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of
Canterbury School of Music as a pupil of Jan Tawroscewicz, he went to
the Juilliard School in 1989 where he earned a Master of Music and a
Doctorate of Musical Arts degree. He has performed with most leading
New Zealand orchestras and played recitals throughout that country
with pianist Maurice Till, as well as radio and television
recordings. He has also performed in recital with pianists such as
Jon Kimura Parker and Stephane Lemelin. Martin Riseley was soloist
and concertmaster with the Chamber Players of the Juilliard School in
their Merkin Hall debut, and in Alice Tully Hall as part of the
Mozart Bicentennial celebrations at Lincoln Center.
Flutist Emily Smethurst (age 23) was born and raised in Vancouver
where she studied with Camille Churchfield (principal flute Vancouver
Symphony Orchestra). She completed her Bachelor of Music at McGill
University, where her teachers were Carolyn Christie and Timothy
Hutchins, before studying for a year at Indiana University with
Thomas Robertello. She has been a member of the National Youth
Orchestra of Canada, and for the past two years has toured Europe
with the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra.
Piccolo player Patrick Healey (age 34) won first prize at the
National Music Festival of Canada and second prize in the Quebec
Symphony Orchestra Wind Competition. He has performed in Canada and
Europe as an orchestral musician, as founding member of the flute and
guitar Duo Piazzolla and as a soloist. He was granted a Premier Prix
de flûte à l'unanimité from the
Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and a Masters in Music
and Diplôme d'Études supérieures
spécialisées from the University of Montreal where he
is currently completing his doctorate in piccolo. He has recorded
several times for CBC Radio.
