July 14, 2006 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Arts Centre Orchestra conducted by Alexander Mickelthwate will present a glorious summer afternoon concert of Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven on Saturday, July 22 at 16:00 in the open air on the grounds of Rideau Hall as part of the Governor General’s Summer Concert Series. NAC Orchestra Principal Trumpet Karen Donnelly is the featured soloist.

The concert opens with Mendelssohn’s mysterious and beautiful Hebrides Overture which the composer was inspired to write after a visit to Fingal’s Cave in the Western Scottish Highlands. Mozart’s charming and lively Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music) continues the celebration. The liquid gold tones of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s principal trumpet Karen Donnelly are featured in Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto, one of his most popular concertos. The 75-minute concert (no intermission) concludes with Beethoven’s rambunctious Symphony No. 8.

Alexander Mickelthwate is the newly appointed Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and will also assume the role of Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the coming season after being Assistant Conductor for the past two seasons. As a guest conductor, Mickelthwate has appeared with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Toronto and Hamburg; the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony and the National Arts Centre Orchestra where he made his debut in 2004 conducting the Lord of the Rings Symphonic Concert.

Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and picnics. No tickets are required for this free outdoor concert at Rideau Hall on Saturday, July 22 at 16:00. Rideau Hall is located at 1 Sussex Drive.

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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

Cynthia Jolly, Information and Media Services,
Rideau Hall
(613) 990-2997
cjolly@gg.ca