March 04, 2004 -

Ottawa, Canada -- Ottawa soprano Donna Brown presents an eclectic vocal programme for the next Music for a Sunday Afternoon concert on Sunday, March 14 at 14:00 in chamber music by Michael Head, John Corigliano, Albert Roussel, André Caplet and Paul Hindemith along with musicians of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in the Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada. Donna Brown is joined in four of these five works by NAC Orchestra principal flute Joanna G’froerer. G’froerer also performs Debussy’s solo Syrinx. The concert opens with Frank Bridge’s Phantasy for Piano Quartet in F-sharp minor featuring Ottawa pianist Jean Desmarais.

Renowned for the floating, angelic quality of her voice, celebrated Canadian soprano Donna Brown has performed on many of the world’s great opera and concert stages, including Paris, London, Tokyo, Geneva, Berlin, Vienna, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles and with many renowned conductors, among them Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Helmuth Rilling, Carlo Maria Giulini, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Marek Janowski, Kurt Masur, Daniel Barenboim, Charles Dutoit, Pinchas Zukerman and Trevor Pinnock. In addition, recitals have always been of major importance to Donna Brown. She has been filmed for television (in operas and concerts) in France, England, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.

With over two dozen recordings to her name, Ms. Brown is proud to have taken part in numerous “world premiere” recordings such as Rodrigue et Chimène by Debussy/Denisov with Kent Nagano conducting; Scylla et Glaucus by Leclair with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting; Messe Solonelle by Berlioz with Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Requiem Der Versohnung with Helmuth Rilling; Fanny Mendelssohn Lieder with pianist Françoise Tillard; and Gitanjali commissioned by the NAC for Donna Brown and the National Arts Centre Orchestra from Canadian composer R.Murray Schafer with Mario Bernardi conducting.

Joanna G’froerer has been the principal flute of the NAC Orchestra since 1992. She is featured on a recently released NAXOS recording with the Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturia.

MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON PROGRAMME:

FRANK BRIDGE: Phantasy for piano quartet in F-sharp minor
Donnie Deacon, violin
Sally Benson, viola
David Hutchenreuther, cello
Jean Desmarais, piano

MICHAEL HEAD: Bird Song; A Piper
Donna Brown, soprano
Joanna G’froerer, flute
Jean Desmarais, piano

CORIGLIANO: Three Irish Folk Song Settings
Donna Brown, soprano
Joanna G’froerer, flute

DEBUSSY: Syrinx
Joanna G’froerer, flute

ROUSSEL: Deux Poèmes de Ronsard
Donna Brown, soprano
Joanna G’froerer, flute

CAPLET: “Écoute mon coeur”; “Viens ! Une flûte invisible”
Donna Brown, soprano
Joanna G’froerer, flute
Jean Desmarais, piano

HINDEMITH: Mélancolie, Op. 13
Donna Brown, soprano
Donnie Deacon, violin
Winston Webber, violin
Sally Benson, viola
David Hutchenreuther, cello

This Music for a Sunday Afternoon series concert, presented in collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada, takes place on Sunday, March 14 at 14:00. Tickets at $27.00 (GST and facility fee included) are on sale now at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111. Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca. Student tickets at $14.25 are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card. Music for a Sunday Afternoon tickets may also be purchased one hour before the concert outside the Auditorium of the National Gallery.

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