October 04, 2004 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Arts Centre’s eighth annual fund-raising Gala, featuring an unforgettable performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman and Young Artists Programme mentor Viviane Hagner together with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, has reached a new fundraising high, netting a spectacular $740,000, which brings the total raised to date by the Galas to over $3 million. All proceeds from the October 2 Gala, which sold out months in advance, go to the National Arts Centre’s National Youth and Education Trust, a primary resource for supporting the artistic development of young Canadian talent.

The Young Artists Programme, under the umbrella of the NAC Summer Music Institute, is just one of the many NAC initiatives made possible with the support of the National Youth and Education Trust. The Trust represents a nationwide promise to inspire and encourage artistic ideas and to assist young people through professional training, educational resources, mentorship and superb performances for young audiences.

The concert featured the world’s premier cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma in no fewer than three works, one of them with the young violinist Viviane Hagner, a former mentor of the NAC Young Artists Programme. The National Arts Centre Orchestra was conducted by Music Director Pinchas Zukerman who, in response to the rousing response from the audience, produced his viola for a surprise encore joining Ma and Hagner in Dohnanyi’s Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello.

The encore was dedicated to the memory of the late Honorable Mitchell Sharp, a devoted friend of the NAC and the Orchestra, and to his widow Jeanne d’Arc Sharp. The Mitchell Sharp Young Musician’s Endowment was created in honour of Sharp’s 90^th birthday in 2001 as an important component of the newly created National Youth and Education Trust.

Kenneth Loeb, in his second year as Chair of the Gala Committee, said: “This annual event just keeps getting better, both artistically and in the level of commitment that our community and supporters from across Canada bring to the gala. Our thanks go to Pinchas Zukerman and the musicians of the National Arts Centre Orchestra who donated their services for the occasion, and to a truly wonderful committee that helped set this new record for the National Youth and Education Trust.”

The National Arts Centre Gala was presented by TELUS, Founding Partner of the National Youth and Education Trust, in association with CGI, Sun Life Financial, Bruce Power, Forest Products Association of Canada and Accenture. Special thanks also go to A & E Television Networks, Tri-Co Printing, Xerox, TD Canada Trust, The Ottawa Citizen, LeDroit, The National Post, The Lowe Martin Group, and Biddle McGillvray Advertising.

Janet Yale, Executive Vice President, Legal, Government & Regulatory Affairs of TELUS, presenting sponsor of the Gala, said: “The NAC’s annual fundraising Gala is simply one of the most important events on Ottawa’s cultural agenda.  It’s an essential part of making the NAC’s innovative youth programs possible.  It’s also a terrific opportunity to celebrate the performing arts in our community and to renew our commitment to making them a vibrant part of a new generation’s future.  As a founding partner of the NAC’s National Youth & Education Trust, TELUS is particularly proud of the Trust’s role in delivering on that promise by supporting the use of technology to transcend the boundaries of time, location and distance.”

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