Nacocast: Classical Music Podcast With Sean Rice

Through much of the 1990’s, the NAC Orchestra was led by the baroque and classical specialist from England, Trevor Pinnock. This was a time of continued financial challenges for the NAC, but Trevor Pinnock was not only a superb musician, but a man of great character and helped heal the ravages of the late 1980’s. The NAC Orchestra also shows its flexibility as gifted and colourful Principal Guest Conductor Franz Paul Decker leads them into the territory of Richard Strauss, Paul Hindemith, Jean Sibelius and Johannes Brahms.

After 13 years under Bernardi, the NAC Orchestra’s new leader was another Italian: Franco Mannino. Where Bernardi had been all northern Italy - cold blue light, Mannino was all southern Italy - red hot light. Listen to the smiles that come into the voices of those who remember Mannino. Then a darkness descends on the NAC as financial woes threaten the orchestra and its ambitious programs, and the orchestra goes on strike. The young Polish Israel conductor, Gabriel Chmura, succeeds Mannino, but his stay in Ottawa is short-lived.

The National Arts Centre Orchestra was born in the cultural euphoria of the 1960’s, an off shoot of a bold Centennial Year project for our nation’s capital. Not only did Ottawa get its first arts centre complex, it acquired a world class orchestra almost instantly. Meet the bold and visionary men who created the NAC and the orchestra. Hear from Music Director Mario Bernardi and from players and music lovers alike who remember those early days, and hear excerpts from the orchestra’s audio archive.

Karina Canellakis is the newly appointed Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam, beginning in the 19/20 season. Winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Karina is internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretive depth. She made her European conducting debut in 2015 with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in Graz, Austria, replacing the late Nikolaus Harnoncourt, returning the following June to conduct Concentus Musicus Wien in four symphonies of a Beethoven Cycle. She first made headlines in 2014 filling in at the last-minute for Jaap van Zweden in Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she held the position of Assistant Conductor for two seasons.

“Every time a child passed through the station, the child wanted to stop, and every time, the adult with them pulled them along on their way.” Sean Rice interviews author Kathy Stinson, illustrator Dušan Petričić and composer Anne Dudley who all had a hand in creating the music performed by the NAC Orchestra’s telling of The Man With The Violin in December 2017. The book and the music were inspired by the real-life story of world-renown violinist Joshua Bell and the National Post's experiment on a January morning in Washington’s subway station.\n\n The Man with the Violin: Suite for Violin and Orchestra is a co-commission with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra. The work was premiered at the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. in February 2017.

Natasha Gauthier of Artsfile.ca interviews pianist Alice Sara Ott and conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen who performed the Grieg Piano Concerto together with the NAC Orchestra, at the NAC, in January 2018. Join them as they talk about personal firsts, world travels, and the whirlwind life of a musician.

Sean Rice, second clarinetist of the NAC Orchestra, interviews the five apprentices who participated in the NAC's annual Institute for Orchestral Studies in the fall of 2017. They were: Alexander Volkov, violin Gabrielle Bouchard, violin Alisa Klebanov, viola Grace Sommer, cello Talia Hatcher, double bass The Institute for Orchestral Studies (IOS) is an apprenticeship program designed to prepare highly talented young musicians towards successful orchestral careers. It was established in 2006 under the guidance of former Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, and is funded by the National Arts Centre Foundation through the National Youth and Education Trust. Apprentices take a seat in regular NAC Orchestra rehearsals and performances, and get private lessons, coaching and mentorship throughout their apprenticeship.

Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro, a well-travelled artist, talks with Sean Rice about her first time with the Pina Bausch dance company and with the NAC Orchestra, all in the same week in September 2017.

Sean Rice interviewed the NAC Orchestra’s principal oboe Chip Hamann about his new album, a two-disc album that was released in June 2017. It was the first classical recording at the Isabel Bader Centre in Kingston. What a fantastic and incredible hall to record! The double-cd set is called Canadian Works for Oboe and Piano, a collaboration with Ottawa pianist Fred Lacroix. It all started with John Burge’s Sonata Breve No. 4 for oboe and piano, composed in 2012. Fred Lacroix was also rather instrumental in the creation of this recording. Chip outlines several ideas that contributed to his CD which is available on the Canadian Music Centre’s website. … Sean Rice a interviewé Chip Hamann, hautbois solo de l’Orchestre du CAN, au sujet de son nouvel album, un album à deux disques qui a été publié en juin 2017. Ce fut le premier enregistrement de musique classique au centre Isabel Bader à Kingston. Quelle salle fantastique et incroyable pour un tel enregistrement! L’ensemble s’intitule Canadian Works for Oboe

Robert Chafe is a 2010 Governor General Award recipient for his play, Afterimage. His extensive body of work also includes such plays as Place of First Light, Charismatic Death Scenes, Belly Up, Emptygirl, Oil and Water, Butler's Marsh, and Tempting Providence. Butler's Marsh and Tempting Providence also earned Robert a 2004 Governor General Award nomination. Robert is Artistic Director for the company, Artistic Fraud, based in St. John's, and he collaborates quite frequently with our head of English Theatre here at the NAC, fellow Newfoundlander, Jillian Keiley. We are incredibly fortunate that Robert is able to join us today to talk about his work, Heirloom. The NAC Orchestra and Shallaway Youth Choir performed "Heirloom" by Larysa Kuzmenko and Robert Chafe (based on Brahms Intermezzo, Op. 118, No. 2) on April 27, 2017.

Principal Bassist, Joel Quarrington, joins us to talk about his brand new solo album, Schubert: An die Musik, that he recorded with Canadian pianist, David Jalbert. We discuss his love of the music that he recorded and his album release at this year's Double Bass Convention in Ithaca, NY.

Maestro Alexander Shelley shares his thoughts on the National Arts Centre Orchestra's 2017-18 opening festival of music, Ideas of North - featuring an array of Scandinavian composers and performers, including many of Sibelius' symphonies and tone poems. Principal Guest Conductor, John Storgårds, will perform Kaiji Saariaho's Violin Concerto and Guest Conductor Hannu Lintu joins Maestros Shelley and Storgårds on the podium for the series of concerts.

In this bilingual panel discussion on Creation and Collaboration that preceded the world premiere of ENCOUNT3RS (April 20-22, 2017), animator Catherine Clark speaks with the six Canadian artists involved in this historic NAC dance-music commission celebrating Canada 150. Following a discussion between Executive Producer of Dance Cathy Levy and Music Director Alexander Shelley in 2015, choreographer Jean Grand-Maître (Alberta Ballet) and composer Andrew Staniland; choreographer Emily Molnar (Ballet BC) and composer Nicole Lizée; and choreographer Guillaume Côté (The National Ballet of Canada) and composer Kevin Lau were invited to create three new one-act ballets and three original orchestral scores to be performed by the NAC Orchestra under Alexander’s baton. The outcome was an extraordinary dance and music triple bill. The panel conversation centred on the genesis and creative process for each collaboration; the choreographer-composer relationship; the ground-breaking nature of this project; the impact this

Sean Rice and Alexander Shelley talk about the "Soul Stirring Music" coming up in the 2017-2018 season of the NAC Orchestra. "I am full of anticipation for the NAC Orchestra season ahead and the glorious music that awaits us. We will host some of the finest performers in the world - artists like Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Lang Lang, Angela Hewitt, Stephen Hough, Pinchas Zukerman and John Storgards." - Alexander Shelley

In celebration of Beethoven and Schumann – two highly expressive and innovative composers, the NAC Orchestra created an eclectic evening of music, dance and art called Classical Collisions. Fine art inspired graffiti artists while classical music mixed with DJ scratching - and everybody danced. Artist Anita Kunz, who was commissioned to create the illustration of Beethoven and Schumann in a fraternal kiss loved the concept. “It’s a lovely, warm idea of brotherhood between these two great composers.” For Music Director Alexander Shelley it was an opportunity to welcome a diverse community of artists to collaborate and create. "It’s absolutely appropriate that we should have other improvisers in the building showing what they do with these themes." explained Shelley. Classical Collisions was a 21st century interpretation of the free spirited romantic era. And it was a party I’m sure both Beethoven and Schumann would have loved.

November 16 & 17 was the world-premiere of Peter Paul Koprowski's Concertante for Double Bass, Strings and Percussion, written for and performed by the NAC Orchestra’s own world-class, mega-talented principal double bass Joel Quarrington. Sean talks with Joel about his roots, his training and his career as a double bass player. Excerpts of Peter Paul Koprowski's Concertante for Double Bass, Strings and Percussion from the NAC Orchestra concert in Southam Hall on November 17, 2016.

Did you know the Canadian Brass shares founding members with the National Arts Centre Orchestra!? Join Sean Rice in a conversation about the history and future of Canadian Brass with founding member Chuck Daellenbach and newest member Caleb Hudson. Chuck shares stories like filling in with the NAC Orchestra, getting to Carnegie Hall by way of children's concerts, and Caleb talks about possibly the most difficult audition in history. Musical excerpts are from their spectacular concerts with the NAC Orchestra from November 3-5, 2016.

The death knell for classical music has been ringing for decades. Yet many say the music is not only alive, it’s kicking! Join us for a fascinating, up-close-and-personal conversation with two highly original voices – Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, and Andrew Potter, Editor of the Ottawa Citizen. With special guest Nadia Sirota ,violist and host of WQXR's Q2 Music Meet the Composer podcast.

Vanguards of the New York indie classical scene, composer Nico Muhly and violist Nadia Sirota embody the meaning of "classical reincarnated" in an electrifying concert. Nadia Sirota joins Alexander Shelley in the Canadian premiere of Nico Muhly’s Electrifying Viola Concerto. This much anticipated work was commissioned by an international consortium of orchestras and organisations made up of Orquesta Nacionales de España, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Festival of Saint Denis and National Arts Centre Orchestra. Nadia Sirota’s debut album, First Things First (New Amsterdam Records), was a New York Times 2009 record of the year, and she can also be heard on albums by Grizzly Bear, yMusic (a new music ensemble who commission Sufjan Stevens, Son Lux, and other young American composers),Jonsi, the National, Ratatat, Doveman, My Brightest Diamond, and Arcade Fire’s Grammy-winning The Suburbs.

Nick talks to Alexander Shelley about his plan to perform, over the next several seasons, the works of one of his favourite composers, Richard Strauss. The orchestra begins next week with performances of Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration.