News
Table of Contents
2012-04-28: Wanted: A New Treasurer for Friends 2012-01-23: Dates for This Season’s Music To Dine For Announced 2012-01-20: Dates for NACO Bursary Competition Announced 2011-07-23: Zheng accepted at Interlochen 2011-05-27: Erica Zheng wins Friends MusicFest Canada Award 2011-05-16: Flutist wins Friends Bursary 2011-04-11: Friends announce new awardWanted: A New Treasurer for Friends
The Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra is looking for a person to fill the position of Treasurer on the Board of Directors. The position would involve advising the Board on financial matters, attending monthly Board meeting and managing the financial transactions of the Friends of NACO. Anyone interested should contact Harvey Slack, Chair of the Nominating Committee, at 613-798-5673 or at
A more detailed job description will be provided on request.
Dates for This Season’s Music To Dine For Announced
This season’s Music To Dine For is taking shape. Dinners are already scheduled with the following hosts: the Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary (Tuesday 24 April) and the Ambassador of Colombia (Friday 4 May). Other dinners are planned, hosted by the High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam, the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Ambassador of Sweden and the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The dates of these events will be announced soon.
Details can be found on our website at http://www.friendsofnaco.ca/WebPages/e/events.html#music-to-dine-for.
Dates for NACO Bursary Competition Announced
The annual NAC Orchestra Bursary Benefit Concert will be held in the Salon of the NAC at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. Tickets are available through the NAC Box Office at $15 each.
The Bursary Competition Finals will be held in the Studio of the NAC at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 7. Eight talented young musicians will be competing for $19,000 in awards. Free admission, though donations to the Bursary Fund would be welcome.
For more information, please see our Events page.
Zheng accepted at Interlochen
Erica Zheng, the recipient of the first Friends award for the outstanding woodwind player in MusicFest Canada, has been accepted to the Interlochen Arts Academy (IAA) in Michigan. The IAA is North America’s most prestigious arts prep school. At one time, all three principal trumpets in Canada’s big three orchestras (NACO, TSO, MSO) were graduates of the IAA. Charles “Chip” Hamann, principal oboe in the National Arts Centre Orchestra, went to school there as well. David Currie, conductor of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and Douglas “Pace” Sturdevant, former principal trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, graduated from IAA together in 1966.
Erica Zheng wins Friends MusicFest Canada Award
Flutist Erica Zheng of Ottawa is the first recipient of the $1000 Friends award for the outstanding wind player in MusicFest Canada, held in Richmond BC in May of this year.
Flutist wins Friends Bursary
Flutist Christian Paquette, 21, is the winner of the $3,000 Friends of the NAC Orchestra award in this year’s NACO Bursary Competition. Christian is a student at the University of Ottawa in the studio class of Camille Churchfield, working toward his Bachelor in Music Performance. Besides studying flute, he has studied conducting, conducted operas and sung in choirs and opera productions.
Friends announce new award
At the suggestion of the NAC, the Friends have agreed to sponsor a new award at MusicFest Canada. The award, valued at $1000, will be presented to the outstanding woodwind player at the festival. The Friends thus fill a gap in the awards, since there is an award at the annual festival for every other category of player except for woodwinds. The National Arts Centre currently sponsors two awards at MusicFest Canada, one for the outstanding brass performer and one for the outstanding orchestral performer.