Artists

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  Conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni

  

  Conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni

  Jean-Marie Zeitouni is one of the brightest conductors of his generation, renowned for his expressive and eloquent style in a repertoire that ranges from Baroque to contemporary music.

  Over the years, Jean-Marie Zeitouni has been Artistic Director of the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra (2011–2021), and Musical Director of the Colorado Music Festival (2014–2019), the Columbus Symphony (2010–2015), and the opera program at the Banff Centre (2005–2007). He has also been Artistic Partner of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Conductor and Chorus Director at the Opéra de Montréal as well as Musical Director of their Atelier lyrique, Chorus Director at the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and at the Opéra de Québec, and Musical Director of the orchestra and of the opera workshop at Laval University. Over a 12-year period of fruitful collaboration with Les Violons du Roy he alternately held the positions of conductor in residence, assistant conductor, and principal guest conductor. Since 2022, he has been conducting the Orchestre symphonique du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal as well as directing the orchestra conducting class.

  Highly sought after as a conductor of both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Zeitouni regularly conducts in Europe and across North America.

  In 2023–2024, he conducts the Orchestre National de Montpellier in a project by the Palazetto Bru Zane at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Orchestre national de Lille for a recording on the Alpha label, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy at the Festival international du Domaine Forget, the NAC Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, San Antonio Philharmonic, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. He will also assume the musical direction during the creation of the new opera La Reine-garçon by Julien Bilodeau and Michel-Marc Bouchard at the Opéra de Montréal, and will take the helm for the production of Lucie de Lammermoor at the Opéra of Quebec.

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  Choir Ottawa Choral Society

  

  Choir Ottawa Choral Society

  One of Canada’s premier large choral ensembles, the Ottawa Choral Society (OCS) draws its auditioned voices from across the National Capital Region. As well as presenting an annual subscription series, the Society appears regularly with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, performs under renowned conductors with acclaimed vocal artists, and tours internationally. Its programming is diverse and ambitious—from timeless masterworks to adventurous music by today’s leading composers. With a vision of creating community through music, the OCS fosters Canadian talent by providing training opportunities for young soloists, conductors, and choral singers. The Society commissions and performs new works, engages leading Canadian musicians, offers bursaries and scholarships, and invites the region’s outstanding youth and children’s choirs to share its stage. Our 2023–2024 season begins with A Christmas Playlist at the National Arts Centre. On December 17, we perform a concert of seasonal music (at St. Francis of Assisi Church) featuring renowned actor Pierre Brault as storyteller. On March 5, 2024, we present Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and other works by Jewish composers (at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre). On May 26 we perform the Te Deums by Haydn, Dvorak and Pärt, at St. Francis of Assisi. Our season closes with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at the National Arts Centre on June 19–20. www.ottawachoralsociety.com

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  Soprano Maghan McPhee

  

  Soprano Maghan McPhee

  Age old pedagogy. Fresh new rep.

  Maghan McPhee is a revered lyric coloratura soprano thanks to her sensitive artistry, precise musicianship, and luscious instrument. She is adept with standard repertoire and highly sought after for premiering new works by established contemporary composers such as Monica Pearce, Andrew Ager, and Aulon Naci. Her soaring soprano suits the difficulty and high tessitura of many Mozart roles including Ilia (Idomeneo), Susanna and Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), and Zerlina and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). Other signature roles include Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen, and Berta in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia where she made her mark and “immediately had the public holding their breath during her brief but remarkable solo” (LeDroit).

  An accomplished concert performer, she has sung at Carnegie Hall, and with notable orchestras including Thirteen Strings, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the American Symphony Orchestra. With the NAC Orchestra she worked with Alexander Shelley in Mendelssohn’s AMidsummer Night’s Dream along with acclaimed actor Colm Fiore and was the soprano soloist in their Messiah. McPhee launched her debut recording Portrait with pianist Parvaneh Eshghi, to great reviews: “[Maghan has] full command of her instrument, precise in her attacks, and stylish in her approach to the songs...” (barczablog).

  Maghan is a curious artist and forever dedicated to her passion for exploring the human voice’s power and possibility. She imparts the training she received in New York and holds a private studio embracing in-person training as well as virtual with students all over the country and abroad. She is the founding executive director of Breno Italy International Music Academy. BIIMA is celebrating its 10th season enabling participants to awaken their artistry in an idyllic and nurturing setting in voice, piano, choral, improvisational composition, and flute. biimaperformance.com

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  Baritone Hugo Laporte

  

  Baritone Hugo Laporte

  Acclaimed for his velvety timbre and outstanding stage presence, young French-Canadian baritone Hugo Laporte regularly performs across Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2023 he made his acclaimed debut at Teatro alla Scala in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann.

  Hugo Laporte’s recent and upcoming roles include Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Enrico Ashton (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Belcore (L'elisir d'amore) at Opéra de Québec; Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Conte Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), and Escamillo (Carmen) at Opéra de Montréal; Zurga (Les Pêcheurs de perles) at l'Opéra du Royaume; and Gwynplaine in the world premiere of L'Homme qui rit by Ichmouratov (adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo) at Festival Classica. In addition, he performs Mozart’s Great Mass conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Handel’s Messiah with Orchestre Classique de Montréal at St Joseph’s Oratory.

  In great demand as a concert and oratorio singer, Hugo Laporte has appeared with Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Moscow’s Helikon-Opera, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the NAC Orchestra, and Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. He also frequently performs in sacred works such as Fauré’s Requiem, Brahms’ Deutsches Requiem, J.S. Bach's St Matthew’s Passion, and G. Finzi’s In Terra Pax. His recent recordings include the complete recording of Massenet’s songs on the ATMA Classique label, alongside artists such as Marie-Nicole Lemieux.

  Hugo Laporte has received awards in several competitions, including the "Teatro alla Scala" prize at the Belvedere Competition in Austria, and the Grand prize of OSM Competition. He holds a master’s degree with honours in Music (Vocal studies) from the Université Laval, Québec. He sincerely thanks La Relève Musicale de Québec for their support during his studies, and Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques international opera program for supporting his career.

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  Featuring National Arts Centre Orchestra

  

  Featuring National Arts Centre Orchestra

  Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the Orchestra performs a full series of subscription concerts at the National Arts Centre each season, featuring world-class artists such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds.

  Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009 - 2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.

  National and international tours have been a hallmark of the National Arts Centre Orchestra from the very beginning. The Orchestra has toured 95 times since its inauguration in 1969, visiting 120 cities in Canada, as well as 20 countries and 138 cities internationally. In recent years, the orchestra has undertaken performance and education tours across Canada, as well as the U.K. and China. In 2019, the Orchestra marked its 50th anniversary with a seven-city European tour that included performances and education events in England, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, and that showcased the work of six Canadian composers.

  The NAC Orchestra has recorded many of the more than 80 new works commissioned since its inception, for radio and on over 40 commercial recordings. These include Angela Hewitt’s 2015 JUNO Award-winning album of Mozart Piano Concertos; the groundbreaking Life Reflected, which includes My Name is Amanda Todd by Jocelyn Morlock, winner of the 2018 JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year; and from the 2019 JUNO nominated New Worlds, Ana Sokolović’s Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes, 2019 JUNO Winner for Classical Composition of the Year.

  The NAC Orchestra reaches a national and international audience through touring, recordings, and extensive educational outreach. The Orchestra performed on Parliament Hill for the 2019 Canada Day noon concert in a live broadcast for CBC Television.

  NAC media featuring National Arts Centre Orchestra

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  Stage Manager Tobi Hunt McCoy

  

  Stage Manager Tobi Hunt McCoy

  Tobi Hunt McCoy is enjoying another year as Season Stage Manager with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. In past seasons, she stage-managed Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Christopher Plummer in 2001 and Colm Feore in 2014. For the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra she co-produced the 1940s Pops show On the Air with Jack Everly, a show they had co-produced in 2007 for the NAC Orchestra.

  Last season, Hunt McCoy made her Southam Hall acting debut in the role of Stage Manager in the Magic Circle Mime Co.’s production of Orchestra from Planet X. Additional professional duties have included aiding Susanna and the Countess in schooling the Count and Figaro on the finer points of marital love during The Marriage of Figaro; keeping her eyes open (for the first time ever) during the flying monkey scene in The Wizard of Oz; mistakenly asking Patrick Watson for proof of identity backstage; holding her breath while marvelling at the athletic ability of the cast during Cirque à Broadway; and cheering on Luke and Princess Leia with Charlie Ross, Émilie Fournier, and Erik Ochsner during the Star Wars Pops concert.

  In her spare time, Hunt McCoy is the Head of Arts, English, Drama, and Library at Lisgar Collegiate Institute.

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