October 02, 2006 -

Ottawa, Canada -- Saxophonist Dick Oatts will give a jazz masterclass on Friday, October 6 in the NAC’s Fourth Stage from noon to 14:00. Admission is free. This is the first of four sessions of this season’s National Arts Centre Orchestra’s “Manhattan on the Rideau” series, which uses broadband videoconferencing to link leading jazz faculty members of the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) with accomplished music students at the National Arts Centre. The sessions use the very latest in broadband videoconference technology to connect teachers and students in real time with high fidelity audio and video. The series has been produced by the NAC’s Hexagon Project in association with MSM.

A masterclass is a one-on-one lesson in which a master musician teaches a selected student or ensemble under the watchful eyes of fellow students and members of the public. The audience can learn from the master along with the talented student in the spotlight. Each masterclass involves 2 to 3 students in succession followed by questions-and-answers. Dick Oatts will teach students from the Crane School at SUNY Potsdam.

For 30 years, Dick Oatts has appeared at college jazz festivals as a soloist and clinician throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, South America, and the Middle East. Oatts has been on the Manhattan School of Music Faculty since 1989 and an artist-in-residence at the Amsterdam Conservatory since 1997. His big band and larger group experience include performances with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Mel Lewis, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Lester Bowie, Joe Lovano, Sam Jones-Tom Harrell, Paquito D'Rivera, Jim McNeely, Tito Puente, Kenny Wheeler, and Gunther Schuller. Oatts is now a Steeplechase recording artist and has five CDs released as a leader. (All of Three, Standard Issue, Simone's Dance, Standard Issue vol. 2, South Paw). He also has a new CD out on the RED label with bassist Dave Santoro entitled Meru. Dick has 3 CDs as a leader on the DMP label with pianist and a co-leader Garry Dial. Born and raised in the state of Iowa, Dick Oatts was brought up in a musical family. After high school, Dick attended Drake University and in 1972 he began his professional career in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The full “Manhattan on the Rideau” 2006-2007 Broadband Jazz Masterclasses Series is as follows:

Friday, October 6
Dick Oatts

Wednesday, November 15
Peter Eldridge

Tuesday, December 12
Joe Temperly

Wednesday, April 11
Kenny Barron

All masterclasses are from 12 noon to 2 p.m. and take place in the NAC’s Fourth Stage

The NAC’s Hexagon project supports education outreach activities by leveraging next-generation networks like Canada's CA*net4 (www.canarie.ca) and Internet2 (www.internet2.org) in the United States as well as regional high speed networks throughout the world. The NAC’s broadband infrastructure includes state-of-the-art optical network access in all its performance spaces as well as on-site videoconference and audio-video production facilities. Hexagon projects include tele-mentoring sessions with master teachers in music, theatre and dance. General education outreach initiatives include the recent “Music Bridge III” programme (www.artsalive.ca/nacotour) in support of the NAC Orchestra's tour of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

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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