National Youth Orchestra of Canada returns to the NAC for its annual summer visit with a free concert under the baton of Kazuyoshi Akiyama on August 16
July 21, 2004 -
Ottawa, Canada -- The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC) will return to the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Monday, August 16 at 19:30 for a free concert under the baton of Kazuyoshi Akiyama. The 94-member ensemble of elite young musicians from every province in Canada will perform Wagner’s Lohengrin, Prelude to Act III ; Mirrors, Echoes, a new work commissioned by the NYOC from its composer-in-residence Rodney Sharman; Canadian composer Jacques Hétu’s Images de la Révolution; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major.
The National Arts Centre concert is part of the NYOC’s 44th summer tour which begins on July 28 and 29 in Victoria; continues on to Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Kelowna, BC; Edmonton, AB; Regina, SK; Winnipeg, MB; Kenora and Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Montreal, QC, and (after Ottawa) finishes at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on August 17. The National Youth Orchestra’s 2004 National Tour is sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group.
Local participants this summer are Kristin Day (20, violin), Sebastian Chow (17, violin), Paul Casey (18, viola), Mark Johnston (17, violin), Tamsin Johnston (19, oboe), Anya Muminovich (18, violin), Sarah Williams (14, violin), Won-Hee Lee (15, violin), Stephanie Park (17, violin) and John Wong (24, percussion) from Ottawa; and Andrée-Anne Bernier (20, violin) from Gatineau.
The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has been in existence since 1960 and in its 44 years, has been voted the Best Youth Orchestra in the World on a number of occasions. It has produced over 2200 alumni, and over 37% of all professional orchestral musicians in Canada (and more than half of the NAC Orchestra) are graduates of the NYOC.
The 2004 NYOC National Tour follows an intensive four-week training session at the University of Victoria, where young musicians have the privilege of enjoying one of the world’s finest orchestral educational experiences. Chosen during the TD Bank Financial Group Auditions last January, these exceptional 94 young Canadians are experiencing a “musical boot-camp” run by a select group of internationally renowned faculty committed to launching the next generation of Canadian orchestral musicians.
The Orchestra’s leader in 2004 is conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama. Maestro Akiyama is no stranger to the NYOC, returning for his 11th season. Maestro Akiyama has enjoyed long associations with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver, Tokyo and Osaka orchestras. He is currently Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and is a dedicated teacher.
Tickets for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada at the National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall on Monday, August 16 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. Limit: Four tickets per person. Once tickets run out, patrons are encouraged to come on the night and will be seated if space becomes available.
For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca
Barbara Smith, NYOC Executive Director:
(416) 532-4470 ext. 222, (250) 472-7483
Bsmith@nyoc.org
Beth Sulman, Holmes Communications:
(416) 628-5602
bsulman@holmesmark.com
