Toronto, Ontario-- Our musical colleagues from the nation’s capital return to Toronto for one night only, with its music director Pinchas Zukerman featured as both conductor and soloist. Pinchas Zukerman leads the National Arts Centre Orchestra in The Boughs of Music by the TSO’s Composer Advisor, Gary Kulesha; Maestro Zukerman will then step into the soloist spotlight in Beethoven’s one and only Violin Concerto, an essay in lyricism and rustic bravura. Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony will bring this concert to a close.

Consistent praise has followed this vibrant, classical-sized orchestra throughout its history of touring both nationally and internationally, recording, and commissioning Canadian works. The National Arts Centre Orchestra, now under the direction of renowned conductor/violinist/violist Pinchas Zukerman, continues to draw accolades both abroad and at its home in Ottawa where it gives over 100 performances a year.

In April 1998, Pinchas Zukerman was named Music Director of the NAC Orchestra. In addition to a full series of subscription concerts at the National Arts Centre each season, tours are undertaken to regions throughout Canada and around the world. Since the arrival of Pinchas Zukerman, education has been an extremely important component of these tours, with educational activities ranging from master classes and question-and-answer sessions to sectional rehearsals with youth and community orchestras and student matinees. In 1999, Pinchas Zukerman initiated the NAC Young Artists Programme, which is now part of the NAC Summer Music Institute (SMI) including the Conductors Programme founded in 2001, and the Young Composers Programme founded in 2003. Since the arrival of Pinchas Zukerman, the Orchestra is also exploring education through long-distance broadband videoconferencing, and increased use of the Internet. The NAC Orchestra has 40 recordings to its name, six with Pinchas Zukerman: Haydn, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert and Mozart (a CD of flute quartets, and a CD of orchestral and string quintets). The commissioning of original Canadian works has always been an important part of the National Arts Centre’s mandate with over 50 works commissioned to date. Some of these are featured on four CDs devoted to the music of Canadian composers: R. Murray Schafer, Harry Somers, Linda Bouchard and Alexina Louie. In 2002, the NAC Orchestra announced a New Music Plan which included $75,000 Awards to three Canadian composers – Denys Bouliane, Gary Kulesha and Alexina Louie – for which they are each working closely with the NAC over a four-year period.

Mon-Fri, 9-8. Sat, 12-5. Sun, 3 hrs. prior to concert start. VISA/MC/AMEX.