National Arts Centre Orchestra

National Arts Centre Orchestra
Orchestra
Founded	1969
Concert hall	National Arts Centre Southam Hall
Principal conductor	Alexander Shelley
Website	nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra

The National Arts Centre Orchestra (NAC Orchestra) is a Canadian orchestra based in Ottawa, Ontario led by Music Director Alexander Shelley. The NAC Orchestra's primary concert venue is Southam Hall at the National Arts Centre. Since its inception, the Orchestra has commissioned more than 90 works, mostly from Canadian composers. The NAC Orchestra has made over 50 commercially released recordings. The Orchestra has visited more than 125 cities in Canada and more than 130 cities internationally in its 51-year history, including a coast-to-coast Canadian tour in 1999 and again in 2017. In May 2019, the NAC Orchestra completed a major European tour, performing and delivering education events in five countries.

History

The NAC Orchestra was founded in 1969 as the resident orchestra of the newly opened National Arts Centre, with Jean-Marie Beaudet as Music Director and Mario Bernardi as founding conductor. Bernardi became Music Director in 1971 and held the post until 1982. The NAC Orchestra undertook its first international tour in 1973 to Europe, travelling as far as Leningrad.The NAC Orchestra has remained committed to touring internationally, averaging approximately one tour per every two years. Previous tours have taken them to the UK, China, the United States, and all over Europe.

Beaudet and Bernardi are the only Canadian conductors to be appointed Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. Bernardi was named Conductor Laureate in 1997. Subsequent NAC Orchestra music directors have included Franco Mannino (1982 to 1987), Gabriel Chmura (1987 to 1990), and Trevor Pinnock (1991 to 1997). From 1999 to 2015, world renowned violinist, violist, pedagogue and conductor Pinchas Zukerman was the NAC Orchestra's Music Director. The orchestra expanded to 61 players during Zukerman's tenure. In October 2013, the NAC Orchestra announced the appointment of Alexander Shelley as its next music director, as of the 2015–2016 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. In 2018, the NAC announced that his contract was renewed through to 2022.

Franz-Paul Decker was Principal Guest Conductor from 1991 to 1999. In 2001, Jean-Philippe Tremblay became the NAC Orchestra's Apprentice Conductor, a then newly created post, for a two-year term. John Storgards is the current Principal Guest conductor of the NAC Orchestra and Jack Everly is the Principal Pops Conductor.

Recordings

The NAC Orchestra was founded in 1969 as the resident orchestra of the newly opened National Arts Centre, with Jean-Marie Beaudet as Music Director and Mario Bernardi as founding conductor. Bernardi became Music Director in 1971 and held the post until 1982. The NAC Orchestra undertook its first international tour in 1973 to Europe, travelling as far as Leningrad.The NAC Orchestra has remained committed to touring internationally, averaging approximately one tour per every two years. Previous tours have taken them to the UK, China, the United States, and all over Europe.

Beaudet and Bernardi are the only Canadian conductors to be appointed Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. Bernardi was named Conductor Laureate in 1997. Subsequent NAC Orchestra music directors have included Franco Mannino (1982 to 1987), Gabriel Chmura (1987 to 1990), and Trevor Pinnock (1991 to 1997). From 1999 to 2015, world renowned violinist, violist, pedagogue and conductor Pinchas Zukerman was the NAC Orchestra's Music Director. The orchestra expanded to 61 players during Zukerman's tenure. In October 2013, the NAC Orchestra announced the appointment of Alexander Shelley as its next music director, as of the 2015–2016 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. In 2018, the NAC announced that his contract was renewed through to 2022.

Franz-Paul Decker was Principal Guest Conductor from 1991 to 1999. In 2001, Jean-Philippe Tremblay became the NAC Orchestra's Apprentice Conductor, a then newly created post, for a two-year term. John Storgards is the current Principal Guest conductor of the NAC Orchestra and Jack Everly is the Principal Pops Conductor.

In May 2020, the NAC Orchestra released a new full-length recording, Clara, Robert, Johannes— Darlings of the Muses, the seventh album released by Analekta over the last four years and the fifth under the direction of Alexander Shelley. The album is the first of four in a recording cycle that explores the closely intertwined personal and artistic connections between three musical giants: Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Robert Schumann’s and Johannes Brahms’ symphonies are paired and combined with Clara Schumann’s chamber works and orchestral pieces, including some special gems. The album features Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero: in homage to Clara Schumann’s famed improvisation skills – she improvised to warm up as well as to link consecutive works during her concerts –Montero offers original improvisations inspired by Clara’s music and performs Clara’s Piano Concerto.

The previous album, the Bounds of Our Dreams was released in the Fall of 2018 and featured the world-premiere of Walter Boudreau’s Concerto de l’Asile, performed by pianist Alain Lefèvre as well as a solo by NAC Orchestra Concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki. In January 2020, the recording was nominated by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for a JUNO award in the category Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble. The awards ceremony was set to take place in March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-2019 pandemic.

That album followed New Worlds, with Music Director Alexander Shelley, which was nominated for a JUNO award for Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble. in 2019. From that album, Montreal composer Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes…, commissioned by the NAC, won the JUNO award for Classical Composition of the Year. “, Additional previous recordings with Analekta include Life Reflected, from which Jocelyn Morlock's My Name Is Amanda Todd won the Juno Award for Best Classical Composition of the Year in 2018 and ENCOUNT3RS, all of which feature preeminent Canadian artists and composers.

Prior to its recording relationship with Analekta, the NAC Orchestra had already released more than 40 recordings, six of which were with most recent former conductor Pinchas Zukerman: Haydn, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert and two of Mozart (a CD of flute quartets, and a CD of orchestral music and string quintets). The commissioning of original Canadian works has been an important part of the National Arts Centre's mandate, with over 90 works commissioned to date.

An all-Mozart double CD was released in 2003 featuring both orchestral and chamber music with Pinchas Zukerman as conductor and violin soloist. A CBC Records chamber music CD of Mozart Flute Quartets featuring principal flutist Joanna G'froerer, guest violinist Martin Beaver, Pinchas Zukerman on viola, and principal cellist Amanda Forsyth was named best Canadian chamber music recording of 2001 by Opus Magazine.

Music Directors

• Jean-Marie Beaudet (1969–1971)
• Mario Bernardi (1971–1982)
• Franco Mannino (1982–1987)
• Gabriel Chmura (1987–1990)
• Trevor Pinnock (1991–1997)
• Pinchas Zukerman (1999–2015)
• Alexander Shelley (2015–present)

External links

• Official website of the National Arts Centre Orchestra