Let The Music Begin!
The Ottawa Chamber Music Society presents the 17th annual Ottawa International
Chamber Music Festival – Chamberfest 2010. From July 24 to August 7, you can
experience world-class chamber music, performed by over 250
internationally renowned artists, in some of the city’s most beautiful churches
and heritage sites. Headliners include Frederica von Stade, the Tokyo String
Quartet, Angèle Dubeau & La Pièta, George Gao, the Pacifica Quartet, Isabelle
Faust, Gene DiNovi, Stewart Goodyear and the Gryphon Trio.
For more information, call 613-234-6306 or visit: www.chamberfest.com.
Festivals & Events Ontario Welcomes Two New Festivals into the Level of Distinction
Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) was honoured to induct Rogers Bayfest and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival into the prestigious Festivals and Events of Distinction in Ontario. The 2010 recipients were announced last Thursday, during the FEO Annual Conference. The Honourable Mr. Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture, was onsite to welcome delegates and recognize all members of the FEO Level of Distinction.
The Festivals and Events of Distinction in Ontario represent a select group of 20 of the most well-known and respected celebrations in the province. Recipients are selected by FEO on the basis of their ability to generate significant international, trans-border, domestic or intra-provincial tourism travel, while commanding top-of-mind levels of consumer awareness and levels of respect from peers within the genre in which they operate.
“FEO feels privileged to welcome Rogers Bayfest and the Ottawa International Chamber Festival into our Level of Distinction. The economic impact these festivals have on their respective communities is undeniable,” states Gary Masters, Executive Direct for FEO.
From their small beginnings in 1999, Rogers Bayfest has grown to be a multi-stage, several day festival featuring world-renowned musical artists. In 2009 they attracted over 75,000 people from across Canada and the United States. With a similar start, the Ottawa International Chamber Festival now hosts almost 100 concerts and attracts 800,000 visitors annually.
A full list of the Festivals and Events of Distinction in Ontario can be found online at www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca.
2010 Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario Revealed During Annual Conference
This year’s Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario list was released this weekend at the Festivals & Events Ontario Conference held this year in Ottawa and eight Ottawa Festivals made the annual list.
Congratulations to Canadian Tulip Festival, TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, Canada Day Celebrations, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Rideau Canal Festival, Ottawa Folk Festival and Winterlude.
Below is the announcement released at the conference by FEO:
Festivals & Events Ontario (FEO) announced the Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario last night as part of the Association’s President’s Gala, a celebratory conclusion to its annual conference.
Sponsored by VIA Rail Canada, The Top 100 Festivals and Events in Ontario designation is presented to a select few of more than 2,000 that occur annually within the province. Among the winners were household names like the Scotiabank Caribana Festival, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest. It also featured many smaller, festivals such as the Lanark Highlands Art of Being Green Festival, the Cobourg Sandcastle Festival and the Rideau Canal Festival. In conjunction with the Top 100, FEO also announced its 2010 Achievement Award winners. Achievement Awards acknowledge individual festival and event excellence and best practices across a broad range of categories.
The President’’s Gala is a follow up to a Welcome Reception that was held on Wednesday night. The Honourable Mr. Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture was in attendance to welcome guests and announce the 2010 Festivals and Events of Distinction. This year’’s inductees were Rogers Bayfest and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.
“Solicitations for submissions were issued towards the end of the previous calendar year, and an independent jury of industry peers conducted the selection process just prior to the Conference,” explains the Association’s Executive Director, Gary Masters.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, 93% of recreational travelers are seeking cultural and entertainment experiences, such as festivals and events, when they plan a vacation. Over the past two years, approximately 2,000,000 people who visited a festival or event say it was the primary reason for their vacation.
“With so many options for the festival-goers here in Ontario, it can be hard to know which festivals and events offer the most rewarding experiences. As the provincial Association for this industry, we believe it is our responsibility to set these standards and present the results to our consumers in an easily accessible and recognizable brand,” states FEO’s President, Sarah Wood.
The winners of this year’s Top 100 will be highlighted in the annual Festivals and Events in Ontario Guide distributed in both a printed and online format. A list of the 2010 winners can be found on the Association’s website, www.festivalsandeventsontario.ca.
Ottawa Chamber Music Society’s Vintage Wine Auction
The OCMS Wine Auction is one of the major fundraising events for the Ottawa Chamber Music Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting chamber music of the highest calibre. Fund-raising events such as the Wine Auction enable the Ottawa Chamber Music Society to present the highly acclaimed Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, one of the largest chamber music festivals in the world, as well as our fall/winter Concert Series, and the Family Music Fair.This year’s auction ~ our 10th! ~ will be outstanding, featuring donations of fine and vintage wines, including many exceptional wines. There will be almost 500 bottles divided in over 130 lots up for bid in the live auction alone. Many other lots will be available through a silent auction.
Admittance is $50, which can be applied as a credit towards any wine purchase. Registration for the event commences at 6 pm, providing an opportunity to enjoy a reception where one can mingle and peruse the live auction lots and participate in the silent auction. The live auction begins at 7 pm. This year’s event will be held on March 10, 2010, at Christ Church Cathedral, 420 Sparks Street in Ottawa. Tickets may be purchased through the OCMS office at 613-234-8008.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Silent Auction at 6 pm
Live Auction at 7 pm
Christ Church Cathedral, 420 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON
Further information and the auction catalogue will soon be available at www.chamberfest.com.
Music festival artistic success: Director
TIM WIECLAWSKI | METRO OTTAWA
The 16th annual Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival has hit all the right notes so far, said executive director Glen Hodgins, and they are expecting it will close with a flourish this weekend.
This Saturday’s closing night benefit concert boasts a joint performance from The St. Lawrence and Ying quartets, arguably the two finest string quartets in the world, playing the “mighty and muscular Mendelssohn Octet,” said Hodgins.
Hodgins credited artistic directors The Gryphon Trio with pulling together an amazing program.
Full story on Metro Ottawa online: Music festival artistic success: Director
Ottawa Chamber Music Festival hits high notes
William Littler, Toronto Star
The world’s biggest chamber music festival may well reside on the banks of the Ottawa River.
Yes, as modest as our nation’s capitol may be in its claims to global distinction, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival probably has only one major rival for top status in its highly specialized business, and that is the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in faraway Finland.
Last year Ottawa crowded nearly 130 events into 16 days, and although this year’s program is more concentrated – 93 events between last Saturday and next – executive director Glenn Hodgins doesn’t shy away from characterizing the experience as a binge.
After years in Toronto working with Tafelmusik and the Ontario Arts Council, Hodgins arrived in Ottawa a couple of seasons ago to help fill the shoes of founding director Julian Armour, a cellist with a vision of filling Ottawa’s downtown churches with music.
It proved a cleverly economical way of securing a number of atmospheric, low-cost venues in a city outfitted with a generous supply of architecturally interesting places of worship within walking distance of each other.
The walking has come to be an integral part of the festival, since most patrons buy passes admitting them to any or all events, and if the line in front of one church looks dauntingly long, a pass holder can simply stroll over to one of its neighbours.
Full story on TheStar.com: Ottawa Chamber Music Festival hits high notes
Soloists bring magic to Stephan celebration
Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Destiny Denied was the title of the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival’s noon concert at the Church of St. John the Evangelist on Thursday. It was a celebration of the music of Rudi Stephan, a composer who committed suicide in the First World War by exposing himself to enemy fire. The music he had published has survived, but all of his manuscripts were lost when his family home was bombed during the next war.The program was conceived and assembled by pianist Hinrich Alpers, who is something of a Stephan specialist. It began with Groteske for Violin and Piano, possibly the least interesting of the five works on offer, but still worth hearing. Violinist Stephen Sitarski and Alpers brought it across nicely.
Read the rest on the Ottawa Citizen website: Soloists bring magic to Stephan celebration
Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival option available for Ottawa’s “Girlfriends Getaway”
Let’s face it – girls just want to have fun. And once in a while they need an escape from the guys but not from fun and excitement. Ottawa Tourism is serving up an eclectic menu of Girlfriends Getaway packages where the emphasis is on fun, arts, culture, shopping, and spas all at a very affordable price-from only $138 CAD per person for a two-night stay (based on double occupancy).
The basic Girlfriends Getaway package to Ottawa includes two nights’ accommodation for two people (additional guests can be added on for an extra charge) and a certificate for the Rideau Centre Savings Directory filled with many coupons to satisfy any shopaholic.
And those who purchase a package between September 1 and October 9, 2009 will also receive a complimentary copy of a new magazine-The Best Places to Go Shopping-published by Ottawa Magazine.
And to increase the fun, guests on a Girlfriends Getaway can choose to add on a number of optional activities, including visiting the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian War Museum, Canada Aviation Museum, and/or National Gallery of Canada, sitting back on the scenic Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train, catching a concert at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival (on until August 9, 2009), being pampered thanks to a $50 Holtz Spa Gift Card; or enjoying a performance of the blockbuster hit The Drowsy Chaperone at the National Arts Centre (October 14-31, 2009).
Given Ottawa’s abundance of attractions, the Girlfriends Getaway package provides a compelling reason to plan a weekend visit so gather up the girls and start having fun in Canada’s Capital Region. Guests who book accommodations at a participating hotel for a (consecutive) Friday and Saturday two-night stay have the option to reserve a third night at 50% off the listed room rate. The Girlfriends Getaway two-night package starts at $138 CAD per person based on double occupancy.
Those wanting information, tickets and lodging reservations for the Girlfriends Getaway can visit www.ottawatourism.ca, a powerful website operated by Ottawa Tourism. Visitors can also book by phone at
Big voice headed to Big Apple: Stittsville tenor off to Juilliard after winning partial scholarship
Steven Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen
You’d think that auditioning to study at one of the world’s best-known music schools would be a little intimidating. Not for Stittsville tenor Nathan Haller.
The 18-year-old doesn’t get nervous about singing, and he says he felt pretty confident when he performed in front of bigwigs at the Juilliard School in New York City last March.
Haller, who has what his teacher Judith Vachon describes as “a kick-ass voice,” with beautiful tone, sang arias by Mozart and Donizetti and the poignant British song Is My Team Ploughing. He says the feedback at Juilliard was encouraging.
Still, he was shocked when an e-mail arrived in April congratulating him on his acceptance.
Read full story on the Ottawa Citizen website: Stittsville tenor off to Juilliard after winning partial scholarship
Note: Nathan Haller performs at Chamberfest on Saturday, 3 p.m., Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Ave.
Fest milestone for city woman: Musician’s ‘made it’ by coming back, playing Chamberfest
MJ DESCHAMPS | METRO OTTAWA
In the summer of 1995, a 15-year-old trombonist sat quietly in the audience at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, taking in her first-ever live concert experience.
As a volunteer at the festival, Catherine Motuz got to meet many of the festival’s stars – professional musicians like Steven Sitarski, Julie Nesrallah and Andrew Dawes, who inspired her to start thinking seriously about playing her instrument beyond high school music class.
Fourteen years later, Motuz is gearing up to take the stage at the very festival that made her want to pursue music as a career in the first place.
“That first festival I volunteered at showed me that it wasn’t just child prodigies that could become professional musicians,” she said.
Full story on Ottawa Metro Online: Musician’s ‘made it’ by coming back, playing Chamberfest
