≈ 90 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: October 11, 2022
Program
HANDEL Alla Hornpipe from Water Music, Suite No. 2
PURCELL Overture, Air, and Hornpipe from King Arthur
J.S. BACH Polonaise, Menuet, and Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2
VIVALDI Allegro (Mvt 1) from Concerto in G minor for Strings and Continuo
VIVALDI Larghetto and Allegro from Concerto in A, “per eco in lontano”
J.S. BACH Adagio and Allegro from Concerto in C minor for Oboe and Violin
HANDEL Andante from Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 1
TELEMANN Selections from Ouverture des Nations anciens et modernes
J.S. BACH Overture from Orchestral Suite No. 4
RAMEAU Selections from Suite from Dardanus
J.S. BACH Allegro (Mvt 3) from Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
HANDEL Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks
Program Notes
In tonight’s NACO playlist concert, conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni and the Orchestra explore some of the Baroque era’s finest instrumental music. Traversing from England to Germany, Italy, and France, you’ll hear how the period’s most notable composers—George Frederic Handel (1685–1759), Henry Purcell (1659–1695), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), Georg Philip Telemann (1681–1767), and Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) – shaped and influenced each other in three important types of orchestral music: the suite, the concerto, and in opera.
Repertoire
Alla Hornpipe from Water Music, Suite No. 2 in D major
Water Music is a large-scale orchestral suite that Handel specially wrote to accompany King George I and his entourage as they were conveyed on a barge on the Thames River, from Whitehall to Chelsea and back. The trip, which took place on July 17, 1717, was one of several publicity stunts to make the king appear more visible to his people at a time when he and his son, the Prince of Wales, were on rocky terms. In fulfilling the commission, Handel was demonstrating his support of the King.
Handel had the privilege of being in direct contact with the monarch, who granted him opportunities to write for royal ceremonial occasions. Naturally, the composer took advantage of the considerable orchestral (and when required, choral) forces the court had to offer, and Water Music is no exception. It is significant for being the first orchestral work composed in England to include horns, which are on full display in the Alla Hornpipe that opens this concert. In dialogue with the trumpets, they imbue this movement’s outer sections with a cheerful opulence. The hornpipe tune’s repeated notes are developed in the contrasting middle section, moving through several keys and varying textures between the woodwinds (oboes and bassoon) and strings.
Overture, Air, and Hornpipe from King Arthur
While Henry Purcell may be best known today for his opera Dido and Aeneas, it is in fact an exception within his output. All-sung opera was not fashionable in late 17th-century London so most of Purcell’s dramatic music was for spoken plays, and a genre called “semi-opera”—a combination of spoken word with extensive musical episodes featuring singing and dancing.
King Arthur, with a libretto by John Dryden, was the second semi-opera Purcell composed. Completed in 1691, it features elaborate passages of music, and is notable for two main character roles that require singing and speaking. The opening overture of the opera combines a stately curtain raiser with a lively contrapuntal section. It’s then followed by an air (a song-like instrumental composition) with a lilting melody. In Act 2, Scene 2, Emmeline (daughter of Conon, Duke of Cornwall) and her maid Matilda await news of battle. To help them pass the time, a group of “Kentish lads and lasses” entertain them with a medley of songs and dances that include a short hornpipe, a type of energetic folk dance.
Polonaise, Menuet, and Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067
Originally developed in 17th-century France, the Baroque suite is an instrumental form containing an overture and a series of dances (that is, movements inspired by dance rhythms and other characteristics but not for dancing to). It was later enthusiastically taken up by German composers such as Telemann, J.S. Bach, and Handel, who advanced the creative possibilities of the genre, in suites for solo instruments, for various combinations of instruments, and for large ensemble.
Though published as No. 2 among his orchestral suites, the suite in B minor was likely Bach’s last orchestral work. It was probably composed during his time in Leipzig, around 1739, for concerts of the Collegium Musicum. Scored for flute, strings, and basso continuo (keyboard with bass stringed instrument), this suite combines concerto elements within the suite form, as evident in its last three movements, which include virtuosic passages for the flute. In the Polonaise, the flute initially outlines the main melody with the first violins, but then provides a showy elaboration of it over the bass for the ensuing Double. It rejoins the violin part for the elegant Menuet. For the final Badinerie (“banter”), the flute assumes a soloistic role once more, intoning a playful melody over spirited strings.
Allegro (Mvt 1) from Concerto in G minor for Strings and Continuo, RV 157
Vivaldi was the undisputed master of the Baroque concerto, writing over 500 of them during his lifetime. Over two-thirds of these are for a single solo instrument (mostly violin) and strings; there are also nearly 100 double concertos and concertos for multiple solo instruments combined. About 60 are “ripieno concertos” or concerto a quattro, that is, string concertos without a soloist, of which RV 157 is one. Stylistically, they are similar to the sinfonias (or overtures) that preceded Italian operas, but are “pure music” in conception, that is, not illustrating text or evoking an opera’s mood or drama. In them, Vivaldi experimented with orchestral colour effects and various types of textures, in particular fugal counterpoint.
RV 157, probably composed in the 1720s or 1730s, was the first of a set of 12 concertos that were copied out by Vivaldi’s father, Giovanni Battista, possibly at the request of a patron, and now kept at the Paris Conservatoire. The opening Allegro is a dynamic movement, built on a descending chromatic bass line that is repeated throughout. Overtop, the two violin sections engage in inventively varied dialogue, with violas alternately contributing support and additional counterpoint.
Larghetto and Allegro from Concerto in A, “per eco in lontano”, RV 552
On March 21, 1740, the Crown Prince of Saxony-Poland, Friedrich Christian, visited the Pietà, the girls orphanage where Vivaldi was music director, and asked the composer to deliver and lead the performance of three concertos. RV 552 was one of these; subtitled, “per eco in lontano” or “to echo in the distance”, it features a solo violin on stage with the string orchestra and continuo, and three other violin soloists playing in the distance (usually in the balcony of the hall). It’s a remarkable example of Vivaldi’s ingenuity on a musical form he established.
In the poignant Larghetto, the on-stage strings (violins and violas only, no continuo) provide tip-toe accompaniment under a graceful melody in the solo violin, which is delicately echoed by the ensemble in the distance. More assertive gestures in the second section play up the echo effect—as if the on-stage violin is experimenting with its reverberation.
The final Allegro is in ritornello form, a structure Vivaldi instituted for the outer fast movements in the three-movement concerto, in which the ensemble plays a recurring section (the ritornello) that alternates with episodes highlighting the soloists. In the latter, the solo violins of the on-stage and distanced groups undertake virtuosic flights of fancy, including a dramatic echo dialogue, before the ritornello’s final return.
Adagio and Allegro from Concerto in C minor for Oboe and Violin, BWV 1060(R)
Johann Sebastian Bach deeply admired Vivaldi’s concertos and used them as a model for his own. This concerto survives in a version he created for two harpsichords; however, based on the characteristics of the parts, scholars believe that it’s a transcription of a lost concerto for oboe and violin, which is how it’s now usually played. It was probably composed during Bach’s time in Leipzig, when he ran the Collegium Musicum’s weekly concerts.
The Adagio is a gorgeous duet between the oboe and violin, whose lyrical lines endlessly intertwine over gentle plucked accompaniment. About two-thirds through, the violins and violas change to bowed notes—their sustained tones undergird a more intense exchange between the solo instruments, after which they return to pizzicato and the original mood. The final cadence resolves in the ensuing Allegro, an exuberant dance in ritornello form. In the solo episodes, oboe and violin converse as equals, though in moments, the violin is given the opportunity to indulge in virtuosic display.
Andante from Organ Concerto in G minor, Op. 4, No. 1
In 1732, Handel was offered two nights a week to put on opera at a new theatre in London’s Covent Garden. During the Lenten season, he replaced the operas with oratorios—dramatic works for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, usually on a religious theme, but without staging, sets, and costumes. He combined this genre of his own invention with another new kind of composition he created: the organ concerto. Performed during the intervals of the oratorio, these concertos enabled Handel to show off his skills as a performer and composer.
His first organ concertos date from 1735; six were published as Op. 4 in 1738, including this one in G minor, considered to be one of the more sizeable and innovative works of the group. Scored for organ, two oboes, strings, and continuo, Op. 4, No. 1 was first performed at Covent Garden on February 19, 1736, with Alexander’s Feast, John Dryden’s ode for which Handel had composed a brilliant setting. The Andante finale is a vivid display for the organist’s musical skill. Unfolding in three “cycles”, the organ part is at first steady in the lower registers, then expands its range and becomes increasingly elaborate in the second, and finally finishes with even more dazzling flourishes.
Selections from Ouverture des Nations anciens et modernes, TWV55:G4
Les Allemands anciens et modernes
Les Danois anciens et modernes
Les vieilles femmes
Telemann was the leading German composer during the first half of the 18th century and was enormously prolific. Among his numerous works are around 125 orchestral suites, the French form of which he helped popularize in Germany—by 1707, many of his were already well known in Leipzig. Many aspects of the French-style suite, initially established by Italian-French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687) influenced his own, in terms of style and structure (stately overtures with dotted—i.e., long-short-long—rhythms followed by a series of dance movements), as well as instrumentation. He also sometimes used descriptive titles for entire works or movements, which he applied to this “ouverture” (the original French word indicating “suite”) about “ancient and modern nations”.
Written in 1721, this suite for strings and continuo consists of movements characterizing three nationalities of Hamburg origin—the Germans and the Danes (which you’ll hear tonight), as well as the Swedes. Each is divided into two parts, the first depicting the “old” nations—with rather serious, restrained, and somewhat stolid music—followed by the much livelier and dynamic personas of the “modern” nations. The finale, also performed on this program, portrays the old women with their sighing complaints depicted by chromatic scales.
Overture from Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069
For the overtures to his instrumental suites, Johann Sebastian Bach, like Telemann, used as his model the structure established by Lully. The one at the beginning of the orchestral suite in D major, likely composed in the 1730s, abides by the format: an introductory section, with its characteristic dotted rhythms, followed by a fast section of fugal counterpoint, then a return to the majestic opening. It is scored for a substantial ensemble including three trumpets, three oboes, bassoon, strings, and continuo, which gives the overture a grand flair. Significantly, the three oboes are treated as equals to the violins and violas, enriching the sonority and the texture of the music. In the galloping section, after the entries of all the instruments, listen for an extended section showcasing the three oboes in animated dialogue.
Selections from Suite from Dardanus
Menuet tendre en rondeau
Tambourins
Loure
Entrée des Songes
Tambourins
Rameau, France’s leading composer of the 18th century, did not create any operas until late in his already significant career as a music theorist and writer of keyboard works. However, from his first, Hippolyte et Aricie in 1733, he stirred up great controversy within the French operatic establishment, causing a divide between the “conservative” supporters of lullistes (after Lully) and the “progressive” ramoneurs. The dispute reached its peak in 1739 with his fifth opera, Dardanus. Critics took issue with the seemingly overly complicated, “Italianate” style of Rameau’s music, then “revolutionary” to their ears. One disparagingly noted that Dardanus was “so laden with music that for three whole hours the orchestral players do not even have time to sneeze.”
Today, Rameau’s orchestral writing for opera is appreciated for its remarkable power (often enlivening lacklustre plots) and its richness of colour and texture. (In his operas of the 1740s, he introduced orchestral horns and clarinets, instruments new to France, and experimented with techniques such as pizzicato and glissando, which had been rarely used at the Paris Opéra.) The instrumental selections from Dardanus you’ll hear tonight exhibit Rameau’s skill and originality in invigorating some of the standard dance forms in French opera.
Allegro from Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major, BWV 1046
The six Brandenburg Concertos take their name from Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg to whom Bach had presented them as a gift on March 24, 1721, two years after he had played for him in Berlin. However, they were likely composed for Bach’s employer, Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, who at his court maintained an ensemble of excellent instrumental musicians. For each concerto, Bach followed the fashionable Italian model established by Vivaldi, applying the ritornello form in the fast movements, though he expanded the solo episodes using thematic development and modulation to more keys.
The first Brandenburg Concerto uses the largest instrumentation of them, including three oboes, bassoon, two horns, a “violino piccolo” (a small violin tuned higher than the usual), strings, and basso continuo. In the autograph score, the horns are noted as “Corni di caccia”, or hunting horns, which are valveless. The ”violino piccolo” (tuned up a third from the standard) is the main star of the Allegro third movement. Amidst the robust orchestral dance, it takes a soloistic turn playing rapid flourishes and grand chords. Horn and oboe also take the spotlight. In a dramatic moment of reminiscence, a brief excerpt from the preceding slow movement appears, just before the final return of the main theme.
Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks
Tonight’s playlist concludes with the overture from one of Handel’s grandest works: the orchestral suite entitled Music for the Royal Fireworks. He had originally intended it to be played by a huge wind band (24 oboes, 9 horns, 9 trumpets, 12 bassoons, and three sets of timpani) but then, as he was completing the score, reduced the woodwinds’ numbers to doubles and added strings. The king apparently wanted only “martial musick”, without “fidles”, but Handel evidently managed to get his way. An open rehearsal in Vauxhall Gardens on April 21, 1748, was attended by a massive crowd (of over 12,000, according to one report), with the official performance given six days later, after which the firework display was launched.
The opening overture is the crown jewel of the work. Composed using the French form, its first section features the signature stately dotted rhythms, which are then inventively incorporated into a hymn-like melody. The ensuing Allegro has a militaristic atmosphere, with alternating fanfares between the horns and the trumpets, after which the opening grandeur returns to round off the movement.
Program notes by Hannah Chan-Hartley, PhD
Artists
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.
Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra is praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary learning and engagement programs, and its unwavering support of Canadian creativity. The NAC Orchestra is based in Ottawa, Canada’s national capital, and has grown into one of the country’s most acclaimed and dynamic ensembles since its founding in 1969. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, engaging communities from coast to coast to coast through inclusive programming, compelling storytelling, and innovative partnerships.
Since taking the helm in 2015, Shelley has shaped the Orchestra’s artistic vision, building on the legacy of his predecessor, Pinchas Zukerman, who led the ensemble for 16 seasons. Shelley’s influence extends beyond the NAC. He serves as Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK and Artistic and Music Director of Artis—Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in the United States. In addition to his other conducting roles, the Pacific Symphony in Los Angeles’s Orange County announced Shelley’s appointment as its next Artistic and Music Director. The initial five-year term begins in the 2026-2027 season, with Shelley serving as Music Director-Designate from September 2025. Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds and Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser complement Shelley’s leadership. In 2024, the Orchestra marked a new chapter with the appointment of Henry Kennedy as its first-ever Resident Conductor.
The Orchestra has a rich history of partnerships with renowned artists such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Renée Fleming, Hilary Hahn, Jeremy Dutcher, Jan Lisiecki, Ray Chen, and Yeol Eum Son, underscoring its reputation as a destination for world-class talent. As one of the most accessible, inclusive and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
A hallmark of the NAC Orchestra is its national and international tours. The Orchestra has performed concerts in every Canadian province and territory and earned frequent invitations to perform abroad. These tours spotlight Canadian composers and artists, bringing their voices to stages across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.
Yosuke Kawasaki currently serves as Concertmaster of the NAC Orchestra and Guest Concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. His versatile musicianship allows him to pursue a career in orchestra, solo, and chamber music. His orchestral career began with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and soon led to the Mito Chamber Orchestra, the Saito Kinen Orchestra, and the Japan Century Orchestra, all of which he led as concertmaster. His solo and chamber music career spans five continents, collaborating with artists such as Seiji Ozawa, Pinchas Zukerman, and Yo-Yo Ma and appearing in the world’s most prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Royal Concertgebouw.
Yosuke’s current regular ensembles are Trio Ink and the Mito String Quartet. His passion for chamber music led to his appointment as Music Director of the Affinis Music Festival in Japan. He is also an artistic advisor to the chamber music festival Off the Beaten Path in Bulgaria.
As an educator, Yosuke has given masterclasses and performed alongside students in schools across Canada. Well-versed in the string quartet literature, he was entrusted by Seiji Ozawa as the youngest faculty member of the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy at age 26. He was also an adjunct professor of violin at the University of Ottawa School of Music from 2013 to 2022 alongside the beloved pedagogue Yehonatan Berick.
Yosuke began his violin studies at age six with his father, Masao Kawasaki, and Setsu Goto. He was subsequently accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, where he furthered his education. He graduated from The Juilliard School in 1998 under the tutorship of Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Felix Galimir, and Joel Smirnoff.
Heralded for the "exquisite liquid quality" of his solo playing (Gramophone), Charles "Chip" Hamann was appointed to the principal oboe chair of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1993 at the age of 22. Chip has also served as guest principal oboe with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Quebec's Les Violons du Roy.
Chip's debut solo album, the double CD collection Canadian Works for Oboe and Piano with pianist Frédéric Lacroix, was released in 2017 on the Centrediscs label, and his playing was lauded for "well-rounded tone, sensitive phrasing and . . . breathtaking sustained tones" (The Whole Note) and "exquisite musicianship" (The Double Reed). With the NAC Wind Quintet, his performances of music for wind instruments by Camille Saint-Saëns with pianist Stéphane Lemelin for the Naxos label, including the op. 166 Oboe Sonata won Gramophone magazine's Editor's Choice award in 2011. Chip was also featured in J.S. Bach's Concerto for violin and oboe BWV 1060 with Pinchas Zukerman on NACO's 2016 Baroque Treasury album for Analekta that earned him praise as a "superb colleague" (Gramophone) and for "a gorgeous, expressive sound" (Ludwig van Toronto). Chip has commissioned numerous solo works from leading Canadian composers and continues to champion new repertoire.
Chip has appeared as a concerto soloist with Les Violons du Roy, the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra in Nebraska, the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, and Ottawa's Thirteen Strings. He has appeared many times with NACO, both in Ottawa and on tour, in major concertos, including Mozart, Strauss, and Vaughan-Williams. He has been a featured recitalist at the International Double Reed Society conferences and has presented solo recitals across Canada and the U.S.
Chip is an adjunct professor of oboe at the University of Ottawa School of Music and was on the NAC Summer Music Institute faculty for 20 years. He is a frequent faculty member at Canada's National Academy Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Orchestre de la Francophonie. Chip has been a guest clinician throughout Canada and at leading conservatories in the U.S. He has given clinics internationally in Mexico, China and Japan, where he is a frequent guest artist at the Affinis Music Festival and has been a guest faculty member of the Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra, a prominent orchestral training institution.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Chip pursued early study with Brian Ventura and William McMullen and later at the Interlochen Arts Camp and Interlochen Arts Academy with Daniel Stolper. He earned a Bachelor of Music and the prestigious Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in 1993, where he was a student of Richard Killmer.
Praised by critics for the beauty, clarity and fluidity of her sound, impeccable phrasing, and consummate musicality, Joanna G’froerer enjoys an exciting career as an orchestral player, chamber musician, soloist, and educator. Principal Flute of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1992, Joanna was appointed to this position at age 20, one of the youngest musicians ever hired by the Orchestra.
A native of Vancouver, Joanna comes from a family of professional musicians. She studied flute in Vancouver with Kathleen Rudolph and in Montreal with Timothy Hutchins, earning a Licentiate in Music from McGill University in 1993. Her education also included orchestral training at the Interlochen Arts Camp and with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.
Joanna performs regularly as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra, appearing in over 30 programs since joining the Orchestra. She has also performed concerti with many of Canada’s other fine ensembles, including the Vancouver, Victoria, and Quebec City symphony orchestras. Joanna is a past first-prize winner of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition.
Joanna’s recordings include a CBC disc of Mozart’s Flute Quartets with Pinchas Zukerman, Martin Beaver, and Amanda Forsyth, named Best Canadian Chamber Music Recording of 2002 by Opus magazine. A Naxos recording of Rodrigo’s Flute Concerto and Fantasía para un gentilhombre with the Asturias Symphony under Maestro Maximiano Valdes was “exquisitely played by the Canadian virtuoso Joanna G’froerer” (Anthony Holden, The Observer). Also, for Naxos, Saint-Saens’ Music for Wind Instruments was a Gramophone magazine Editor’s Pick in 2011. A new recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, with Jens Lindemann, James Ehnes, Jon Kimura Parker, and Charles Hamann, was nominated for a JUNO Award in 2021.
Joanna has been featured in the chamber music festivals of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa, as well as Halifax’s Scotia Festival of Music, the Campos do Jordao Festival in Brazil, and the Affinis Festival in Japan. She is a member of the National Arts Centre Wind Quintet and the G’froerer Gott Duo with harpist Michelle Gott.
Joanna co-founded the Classical Unbound Festival in Prince Edward County, Ontario, and served as Co-Artistic Director during its first three seasons.
As an educator, Joanna has taught flute at the NAC Summer Music Institute, at Domaine Forget and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and presented masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout Canada, as well as in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She is presently on the music faculty at McGill University in Montreal.
Joanna G’froerer is a Wm. S. Haynes Artist, playing a custom 19.5 K gold Haynes flute with lightweight silver mechanism and headjoints in 19.5K and 14K gold.
A dedicated champion of contemporary music, Montreal-born violinist Noémi Racine Gaudreault is renowned for the virtuosity and sensitivity of her playing. She has performed as a soloist in orchestras across Canada, the United States, France, and Turkey. In addition to her career as a soloist, Noémi is a much sought-after chamber musician, playing regularly in contemporary and chamber music festivals. She has been the Principal Second Violin of the Orchestre Métropolitain and solo violin of the SMCQ, the ECM, and the Quartango Ensemble. She holds a First Prize with Great Distinction from the Montreal Music Conservatory and an Artist Diploma from McGill University. Noémi currently lives in the National Capital Region. She is Assistant Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Thomas Annand was a student of Graham Steed, John Grew, and Marie-Claire Alain. In 1987 he won First Prize at the RCCO National Organ Competition and since then has pursued an active career as a performer on organ, harpsichord, and as conductor. He has been Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Church, Ottawa since 1992, giving over 200 recitals there including a series of weekly recitals where he performed a vast repertoire including the ten symphonies of Widor, the complete organ works of Liszt, Franck, and Mendelssohn. As harpsichordist he performed all the major works of Bach in seven marathon recitals in 2004–2005. He has performed as a soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Les Violons du Roy, touring with them to Carnegie Hall on three occasions. He has been a featured artist in the Boston Early Music Festival, the Carmel Bach Festival, the International Congress of Organists, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. As a conductor he was the founder of Capital BrassWorks with whom he recorded for the CBC SM5000 series, and a frequent guest conductor of the Thirteen Strings. He has appeared on film (Denys Arcand’s Le Règne de la beauté), radio, and television. In addition he has had his choral music published and performed and has contributed continuo realizations to editions of early music. Thomas Annand is a Fellow of the RCCO for which he has worked as an examiner and a jury member for the Organ Playing Competition, and is a past-Chair of the Ottawa Centre.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees