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Great results for Friends’ Bake Sale in support of the 2012 FanFair

By Board Member Moira Dexter, Volunteers Coordinator, and Board Member Emmanuelle Beaulne, Communications

On Sunday, December 16, 2012, Friends of the NACO held their annual bake sale in support of the Christmas FanFair and Carol Sing-Along, a free and widely popular event presented annually by the National Arts Centre Orchestra Players’ Association to aid the Ottawa Food Bank and Snowsuit Fund.

CBC Radio’s Laurence Wall co-hosted the 2012 FanFair with Marjolaine Fournier, Assistant Principal Double Bass.

Organized under the very capable leadership of Christine McLaughlin, our bake sale netted close to $1500, thanks to the forty-nine volunteers who baked, wrapped and sold delicious baked goods. The sale was over in 30 minutes! Six of our members also strolled through the audience dressed up as elves to collect donations.

The musicians, directed by NACO’s viola David Thies-Thompson, played before a packed audience. The concert featured performances by Christ Church Cathedral Men and Boys Choir and Girls Choir, Orkidstra KidSingers and Kiddlywinks, bassoon Darren Hicks, winner of the 2012 NAC Bursary, pianist Jean Desmarais, who played the celesta, and bass Christopher Mallory. Renowned Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman was also featured as Special Guest Conductor.

In total, the 2012 FanFair raised near $32,000 for the Snowsuit Fund and the Ottawa Food Bank.

Congratulations and thank you to all participants!

Acting Editor: Emmanuelle Beaulne conbrio@friendsofnaco.caAssociate Editor: Lise Bazinet

Con Brio

in this issue

Great results for Friends’ Bake Sale in support of the 2012 FanFair .............. 1

The Friends Bursary Award at Twenty ............... 2

A most delightful Music to Dine For at the Spanish Embassy .... 2

Mark your calendars ......... 2

newsletter of friends of the national arts Centre orChestra winter 2013

Orkidstra Kids sing Jingle Bells. Photo by Izabel Dabrowski.

Special Guest Conductor Measha Brueggergosman directs the Orchestra. Photo by Izabel Dabrowski.

2012 FanFair Bake Sale. Photo by Izabel Dabrowski.

2

The Friends Bursary Award at Twenty

By Board member David Laister, Awards and Bequests

This year, 2013, marks a significant milestone in the annals of the Awards and Bequests file of the Friends. The upcoming NACO Bursary competition in May will be the twentieth anniversary of this award.

The Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra Award was created in 1993 by the then NACO Association to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Orchestra and further the training of gifted young musicians who have connections to the National Capital Region. The award currently stands at $3,000.

There have been 25 recipients so far of our award. One of the very first winners in 1993 was Guylaine Lemaire who is well recognized in Ottawa as a member of the Chamber Players of Canada and the Thirteen Strings and is a regular player with the NACO in the viola section. She has a number of recordings to her credit, one of my favourites being Schubert’s piano quintet “The Trout.” Some of our early winners have gone on to win the NACO Bursary top prize. Renée London was the first in 1995 and again in 1997, now no longer possible as top prize winners are ineligible to enter subsequent NACO competitions, and Beth Sturdevant, cello, the last in 2000.

In a recent conversation with Beth she said what a great honour it was to win the Friends prize, particularly growing up in Ottawa as the daughter of Douglas Sturdevant, principal trumpet for the NACO for many years and now Acting Associate Director, and Nancy Sturdevant, who is still playing viola with the NACO. She found, as do all our winners, that the financial help and performance exposure are a great encouragement and motivation to continue their instrumental studies, and the Bursary competition provides a rare opportunity to compete in a prestigious event and venue. As a result of winning the Friends prize in 1999, she tried again and won the top prize and also participated in the Summer Music Institute for a couple of years in its early days along with Jethro Marks and Jessica Linnebach. This set her on a career path leading to world travel playing the cello and that in 2006 provided her with a freelance highlight to play with Harry Connick Jr. on Broadway and touring out of New York City with Barbra Streisand. She is now giving back to budding young musicians through teaching, having recently obtained a teaching education degree from the University of Ottawa.

It is essential to thank all our Friends for your

continuing commitment to supporting music education through ongoing membership and generous donations, without which this award would not be possible.

Planning is well under way for this year’s competition and we hope to see you at the May 29 finals in the NAC Studio; once again thank you all for your generous support upon which we depend.

I would like to thank Ryan Purchase, Orchestra Operations Associate, NAC Music Department, for his help in providing material on past Friends of the NACO winners.

A most delightful Music to Dine For at the Spanish Embassy

By Pierre Delage, Board member, Legal Counsel

As part of the programme “Music to Dine For”, an activity under the umbrella of Friends of the NACO, ably coordinated by Anna Morena, we were invited to an event on December 10 hosted by Ambassador and Ms Gómez-Múgica Sanz at the Spanish Embassy Residence. This activity permits Friends to amass funds for young musicians in order to facilitate their studies of music. Embassies involved in this activity host these dinners gratuitously, and we are most grateful for their involvement. Of course, guests at these dinners are the provider of funds.

As is customary, the dinner was preceded by a musical presentation given by four students at the Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau: William Lamoureux, violin; Camille Leclerc, violin; Joaya Paquette-Yager, viola; and Claire McIntosh, cello.

The musical programme included two Menuets by Haydn; Leroy Anderson’s Plink Plank Plunk; Vivaldi’s Concerto in D, and Latineries by Grégoire Gagnon. The group also offered a piece by composer André Gagnon, at the request of one of the guests.

Following thank you remarks by the Ambassador, guests were invited to the dining room where an excellent fare was served. The first course was a duo of Cod-stuffed Sweet Red Peppers accompanied by a 2010 Rueda Marqués de Riscal, followed by a Demi Poulet de Grain and a Marqués de Riscal Crianza, Vintage 2010. Dessert was a Spanish Basque specialty of Fruits in a crêpe prepared by the residence’s Chef under the watchful eyes of Ms Gómez-Múgica Sanz, herself a native of Bilbao.

Coffee and liqueurs were served in the living room. All in all a very charming evening in the company of very charming hosts, Ambassador and Ms Gómez-Múgica Sanz.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Music to Dine For, Embassy of Argentina, April 9, 2013

Embassy Chamber Music Concert, Embassy of Turkey, April 26, 2013, 7:00 pmDeadline for registration: April 19, 2013.Tickets: Members of Friends: $75/ticket; Non-members of Friends: $100/ticket

Bursary Benefit Concert, Sunday, April 7, 2013, 1:30 PM, in the NAC Salon The winner of the 2012 Bursary prize, Darren Hicks, is to be invited to perform at the concert and receive the Vernon G. Turner Performance Opportunity Award.

Bursary Competitions:Preliminary rounds, May 27 and 28 (not open to the public) Final rounds, May 29, in the Studio.

Right: Beth Sturdevant at home on the cello. Photo provided by Beth Sturdevant.