Canada’s top musical talents vie to train and tour with NYOC

Jan 5, 2011

Canada’s top musical talents vie to train and tour with National Youth Orchestra of Canada

NYOC launches music career building program for Canada’s Best Young Musicians

(TORONTO, January 4, 2011) – More than 30,000 auditions and 1,350 students after the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC, www.nyoc.org) first opened its doors in 1960, the NYOC is proud to introduce the most relevant new music career development program in its history, designed to give students the skills and tools necessary to create a life-long career in the global music industry.

“NYOC represents the crème de la crème of teen and young adult classical and chamber musicians. We help these musicians discover life-long careers that are both robust and relevant,” said NYOC Executive Director, Barbara Smith. “Never before have there been so many opportunities in the classical music business. We aim to put these young artists on the fast track to success.”

Throughout January, the NYOC will host tryouts across the country and are expected to draw 500 students aged 16 to 28 to audition for admission into the elite training program. The NYOC intensive summer session provides comprehensive training for the classical music business, featuring full orchestral rehearsals, sectionals, private lessons, and business and career development workshops.

“This is an intensive Orchestral Boot Camp. Work with industry leaders, these young musicians and learn more practical lessons in six weeks than they would over an entire year in most universities – one of many things that sets the NYOC apart,” said Smith. The NYOC 2011 Summer Tour will be conducted by Jonathan Darlington, music director of Vancouver Opera.

The NYOC will also announce the finalists for the first annual Canada Council for the Arts Michael Measures Prize in mid-January. This $15,000 prize will be awarded to a NYOC student who is an outstanding young Canadian musician and plays an orchestral instrument. The 2011 prize has been designated for a violinist aged 16 – 22, who will be Concertmaster for NYOC’s 2011 training session and tour. Finalists will compete for the prize in repertoire recitals on February 20 at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM). 

“We are thrilled that NYOC continues to attract the best of the best from Canada’s youth orchestras and music programs. Our new partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts and support from our corporate sponsor, TD Bank Group makes our goal of excellence in music much more attainable,” Smith continued.

Called the “best youth orchestra in the world” at the World Youth Orchestra Conferences in Tokyo and Edinburgh, more than 40 per cent of today’s Canadian orchestral musicians are NYOC alumni. Many more enjoy music careers abroad in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia.

“We are proud to support the NYOC’s career building program as they develop the next generation of Canadian orchestral talent,” said Alan Convery, National Manager Community Relations, TD Bank Group. “It is our hope that this program will provide Canada’s top youth orchestral musicians with the opportunity to build their skills with this world-renowned orchestra for a rewarding career in the arts.”

In 2009, the NYOC was nominated for Classical Album of the Year at the Juno Awards. The 2011 tour and CD of classical repertoire will include Der Rosenkavalier by Strauss, Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky’s Francesca di Rimini, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 15, as well as Goddard’s I Send Only Angels and a commissioned piece by Canadian composer Brian Current.

About the National Youth Orchestra of Canada:

Over the past 50 years, NYOC has grown from a student orchestra completing an annual cross-Canada tour to a professional training ground for Canada’s next elite orchestral musicians. NYOC has developed and expanded a leading edge one-of-a-kind instructional program dedicated to perfecting the talents of Canada’s best young musicians for careers in Canada’s acclaimed classical music industry. Following gruelling auditions in January, students become part of an intensive summer training program that is followed by extensive touring and recording – integral parts of preparation for professional careers in the classical music business. NYOC is generously funded by TD Bank Group, The Ontario Arts Council and Canadian Heritage. For further information, please visit our website at www.nyoc.org.