NACO’s Ideas of North Festival has gone from strength to strength over the past 10 days, culminating in two memorable final concerts over the weekend. It’s rare for the orchestra to enjoy the luxury of a deep dive into a single composer over an intensive period,
"History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity." — Cicero Poor old Cicero met an unfortunate end sometime later but these words are worth considering when you read books
By Nathaniel Dove He holds the rare honour of being denounced in the House of Commons and being awarded the Order of Canada. And for 50 years, he has made his living by satirizing all that he sees ripe for his wit. Now Terry Mosher, better
When Matthew Larkin left his post as music director at Christ Church Cathedral, he said he would be moving forward to found a new choir in Ottawa. Well, true to his word, Larkin has done just that and the Caelis Academy Ensemble will debut at
Tom Thomson is one of those figures in Canadian history who commands our attention even a century after his demise. As an outdoorsman, his ability was legendary but as a painter, his eye captured something true about our place, especially the rocks, trees and lakes
Gabriel Dumont would be intrigued. Dumont, the ally of Louis Riel and leader of the Métis forces during the 1885 North-West Rebellion against the Canadian government, fled Canada for the U.S. after the rebellion was quashed and Riel hung. In the U.S., he joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild
As the new exhibition of paintings by the great Canadian James Wilson Morrice was being hung at the National Gallery earlier this week, a passing comment had Katerina Atanassova’s heart glowing like a fauvist apple. Atanassova, the exhibition curator, was overseeing the hanging of a
This Saturday six singers will seek the top prize in the biennial Brian Law Opera Competition in a concert in Southminster United Church as part of the Concerts by the Canal series. The competition is one of the key activities conducted by the National Capital
John Storgårds gets nightmares when he doesn't play his violin very much. Lack of contact with the instrument of his musical life upsets his world seemingly. He should sleep well this week. The NAC Orchestra's principal guest conductor will be showing off the range of his musical
Kiya Tabassian is a musical explorer and an explorer of music. His journeys take him back in time and around the world in a search for inspiration for his ensemble Constantinople. That search often produces a range of concerts and this fall and winter, his group
