June 13, 2007 -

Ottawa, Canada -- The National Arts Centre (NAC) today announced details of "Schafer at 75", a New Music collaboration planned in honour of the 75th birthday of Canadian composing legend R. Murray Schafer. The announcement was made by NAC Orchestra Managing Director Christopher Deacon together with R. Murray Schafer at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto, co-hosted by Elisabeth Bihl, CMC Executive Director.

"Schafer at 75" features a showcase of R. Murray Schafer's creations during the NAC Orchestra's eXpressions new music festival in March 2008, including the NAC-commissioned Gitanjali performed by its dedicatee, soprano Donna Brown; a Teachers Symposium for educators, music specialists and young composers at the NAC, and a Choral Music Workshop for local choirs and choir directors. The collaboration will also include the commission of a major new orchestral work to be premiered in celebration of the National Arts Centre's NAC's 40th anniversary season in 2009.

"This celebration of my work combines the orchestral, choral, and chamber music as well as some creativity work with classroom teachers. It's wonderful to be able to do this with the NAC Orchestra that has commissioned some of my major works, and the new commission is an extension of that relationship," commented Schafer.

"The National Arts Centre salutes the creative output of one of its musical giants. Murray Schafer changed the way the world perceives its sonic environment, and opened new opportunities for teachers to tap into the creativity of every child. We hope Schafer at 75 will be a hero's homecoming, allowing the NAC Orchestra to revisit some of the great works Schafer has written while we look forward to another new work which will arrive just in time for the NAC's 40th birthday in May 2009," said Deacon.

"Schafer at 75" will include four concerts during the eXpressions new music festival. On March 26, 2008, the NAC Orchestra conducted by Alexander Mickelthwate will present a programme of important works by Schafer together with a complementary work by a composer chosen by Schafer as significant or influential to his career. The NAC-commissioned Gitanjali,which the Orchestra premiered in 1992 and which was included on the NAC Orchestra's all-Schafer CBC Records CD Garden of the Heart released in 1997, will be performed, as it was at its premiere, by Canadian soprano Donna Brown for whose voice it was written. The programme will also include Letters from Mignonperformed by Schafer's wife and artistic collaborator, mezzo-soprano Eleanor James, for whom it was written in 1986, and Scorpius, which premiered in 1991.

On March 28, the Molinari Quartet – with whom Schafer has enjoyed a fruitful collaboration over many years – will perform the composer's Quartets 8, 9 and 10. On March 29 the NAC New Music Ensemble together with Eleanor James and Voces Boreales will perform Schafer and Friends, an Evening of Chamber & Choral Music including Schafer's exceptional contributions to repertoire for chamber choir. The fourth concert is connected to the Choral Music Workshop outlined below.

The National Arts Centre will develop in collaboration with R. Murray Schafer a two-day Teacher Symposium during eXpressions 2008, to be held at the NAC. This will be aimed at classroom teachers and music specialists, university faculty and pre-service teachers, and young emerging composers. R. Murray Schafer has been invited to speak on a number of topics, including his philosophy of music education, exploring musical creativity in the classroom, music and the environment, and how to compose for young people. The Symposium will be captured on video from which educational segments will be produced and made available on the NAC's Performing Arts Education website ArtsAlive.ca – a lasting legacy of Schafer at 75.

A Choral Music Workshop and Concert on the music of R. Murray Schafer on Tuesday, March 25 in the Grand Hall of the Museum of Civilization will be produced for choir members, choir directors and teachers, using a "Schafer lab choir", comprised of a broad spectrum of choral singers from the National Capital region. The Workshop and Concert will celebrate Schafer's historic contribution to choral music education, and the composer himself will be there to answer questions. The "Schafer lab choir" will be invited to perform in the NAC lobby prior to the opening "Schafer at 75" concert at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday, March 26, 2008.

In honour of the 40th anniversary of the National Arts Centre in 2008-09, R. Murray Schafer has been commissioned to compose an important new 25-minute work for the NAC Orchestra. This work will have its world premiere in May 2009.

R. Murray Schafer and the NAC Orchestra
The relationship between the National Arts Centre Orchestra and R. Murray Schafer dates back to 1973 when the NAC commissioned its first work from the composer – East. The NAC Orchestra has performed Schafer's music on 30 occasions throughout its history and has commissioned three works in addition to East from the composer: Cortege in 1977, The Garden of the Heart in 1981, and Gitanjali in 1992.

The National Arts Centre honoured R. Murray Schafer in a concert dedicated entirely to his music in 1996. Following that performance, the National Arts Centre Orchestra led by Conductor Laureate Mario Bernardi recorded The Garden of the Heart, three important works for female voice and orchestra by Schafer released by CBC Records (SMCD 5173) in 1997. The CD features stellar performances by three of Canada's most distinguished singers: soprano Donna Brown, and mezzo-sopranos Annamaria Popescu and Judith Forst. The NAC-commissioned works The Garden of the Heart sung by Annamaria Popescu, and Gitanjali sung by Donna Brown for whom it was composed, were included on the CD. The third work, Adieu Robert Schumann sung by Judith Forst on the CD, was commissioned by the CBC and premiered by the NAC Orchestra in 1978 with Maureen Forrester as soloist.

R. Murray Schafer has won national and international acclaim not only for his achievements as a composer but also as an educator, environmentalist, literary scholar, visual artist and provocateur. A prolific composer, he has written works ranging from orchestral compositions to choral music as well as musical theatre and multi-media ritual. Many of his compositions and writings stand as landmarks in the evolution of music and its communication in the 20th century.

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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