The NAC Orchestra and Music Director Alexander Shelley will go on tour to perform in the Republic of Korea and Japan this spring. It will be the first time the NAC Orchestra has taken the stage in Japan in four decades.
The Orchestra will tour with pianists Yeol Eum Son in Korea and Olga Scheps in Japan, visiting six different cities, and performing in some of the region’s major concert halls, including Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and the Seoul Arts Center.
It will mark the NAC Orchestra’s 99th road trip since its founding in 1969, and comes as Alexander Shelley celebrates his tenth anniversary as Music Director.
The Tour: Details
The tour program will include the international premieres of works by Canadian composers Kelly-Marie Murphy and Keiko Devaux.
The Orchestra will perform in Seoul on May 31 as a key event marking the closing of the Korea-Canada Year of Cultural Exchanges. Other notable tour dates include a performance at Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan with a program that pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Canadian jazz icon Oscar Peterson. The Orchestra will be collaborating with the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet, led by JUNO winning pianist Robi Botos, for the world premiere of a newly commissioned arrangement of Peterson’s Trail of Dreams.
Along with performances, the tour will open up cultural exchange opportunities for youth, and help develop new talent, including past participants of the NAC Orchestra Mentorship and Conductor Development programs.
Those opportunities will include workshops, special performances, masterclasses and other activities, provided in conjunction with Ottawa’s OrKidstra, Sistema New Brunswick, Friends of El Sistema Japan, and Orchestra of Dream (El Sistema Korea), among others.
“This journey is not only a series of concerts in iconic halls. It’s about cultural exchange, community engagement with youth and families, and supporting the next generation of professional artists,” says Alexander Shelley in a statement.
“The NAC Orchestra is committed to creating these important opportunities when it tours.”
The Orchestra will leave Ottawa for Korea on May 25 and return to Canada on June 8. Prior to the tour, on May 20, NACO will present a free send-off concert in Southam Hall, led by Alexander Shelley, and featuring pianist Olga Scheps.
Tour highlights (Republic of Korea):
- Performance at Busan Citizen’s Hall in Busan (May 29)
- Performance at the Gumi City Culture and Arts Center in Gumi (May 30)
- Performance at the Seoul Arts Centre in Seoul (May 31)
Tour highlights (Japan):
- Performance at Suntory Hall in Tokyo (June 3)
- Performance at the Mie Center for the Arts in Tsu (June 5)
- Performance at World Expo 2025 in Osaka (June 6)
- Performance at the Symphony Hall in Osaka (June 7)
“Our tour to Korea and Japan is an opportunity for the members of this Orchestra to play a vital role for Canada as cultural ambassadors, something they excel at, says NAC Orchestra Managing Director Nelson McDougall. “Our concert repertoire will shine an international spotlight on our exceptional Canadian musicians and composers and the emerging artistic talent from our Mentorship Program. We also look forward to cultural exchange opportunities in partnership with leading academic and social development organizations in Canada, Japan, and Korea. Music is a truly universal language. We have the responsibility to use it to bring us closer together.”
More details about the free May 20 concert to be announced soon; details here.
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