lsmX-1 ml1 - La Scena Musicale

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Crystal Chan, Hannah Rahimi
MUSIC EDUCATION REVOLUTIONARY
BEHIND EL SISTEMA WINS GLENN GOULD PRIZE
On October 28, Venezuelan Dr. José Antonio
Abreu received the international Glenn Gould
Prize at the Royal Conservatory of Music for his
visionary work in music education, putting him
among high company. Past winners of the triennially
awarded prize include Pierre Boulez, Yo-Yo
Ma and Oscar Peterson.
Abreu received the prize at the end of his daylong
workshop titled “The Promise of Music:
Transforming Young Minds and Lives,” which culminated
in a concert featuring his 250-member
Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, and included
other musicians and speakers such as Linda
Ronstadt and Pinchas Zukerman, the Artistic
Director of The National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Founded by Abreu in 1975, El Sistema is a free
music outreach program that has targeted millions
of lower- and middle-class youth. With currently
over 300,000 participants all across
Venezuela, the program has inspired others and
spread to the States and Europe. Noted alumni of
the program include Gustavo Dudamel, the new
music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
and the bassist Edicson Ruiz, who at 17 became
the youngest musician ever to join the Berlin
Philharmonic. The program was featured in El
Sistema, Paul Smaczny’s 2009 award-winning
documentary.
Abreu’s prize includes $50,000 and the honour
of naming Dudamel as the winner of the City of
Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize. Protégés
receive $15,000.
www.elsistema.org
CC
ROBERT AITKEN NAMED WINNER OF THE
WALTER CARSEN PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE
PERFORMING ARTS
The Canada Council for the Arts has awarded
Toronto native Robert Aitken the 2009 Walter
Carsen Prize. Previous Walter Carsen prizewinners
include R. Murray Schafer.
A flautist, composer and conductor, the new
$50,000-prize winner is already an Order of
Canada honouree and a Chevalier de l’Ordre des
Arts et des Lettres
(France), as well as a
recipient of a Lifetime
Achievement Award
from the National
Flute Association
(USA).
Illustrious composers
including R.
Murray Schafer, John
Cage, George Crumb, Elliott Carter, Toru
Takemitsu, Gilles Tremblay, John Beckwith and
Bruce Mather have written pieces for him, and his
own compositions and recordings have gathered
international acclaim. Aitken has also taught at
the Banff Centre, the Johannesen International
School of the Arts, and most recently the
Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Germany for
16 years. His conducting experience includes the
Canadian Opera Company, NMC Ensemble, and
Victoria Symphony.
www.canadacouncil.ca
CC
JACQUES LACOMBE APPOINTED TO NEW JERSEY
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Quebecois conductor Jacques Lacombe has been
appointed to the New Jersey Symphony
Orchestra for a three-year contract beginning in
September 2010. The 46-year-old Lacombe was
one of 19 guest conductors to appear with the
orchestra during their search over the last two
years for a replacement for conductor Neeme
Järvi. Lacombe made only one appearance with
the orchestra for a performance of Carmina
Burana, impressing audiences, critics and, evidently,
the search committee. Lacombe is currently
Artistic Director and principal conductor of
the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières, a
position he will maintain. He also appears regularly
in European opera houses.
www.jacqueslacombe.com
HR
NYOC ANNOUNCES A $1000 HONORARIUM FOR
2010 ORCHESTRA MEMBERS
The National Youth Orchestra of Canada marks
its 50 th anniversary with the launching of an honorarium
program for all members of the 2010
orchestra, in addition to six Leadership
Scholarships of $4,000 each. Since 2006, the
NYOC has been tuition-free, but the new honorarium
will provide extra incentive for Canada’s
most talented young musicians to audition for
the orchestra and make up for travel costs and
forfeited summer employment.
www.nyoc.org
HR
TEDTALKS WITH ITAY TALGAM ON CONDUCTING
Readers may be familiar with TEDtalks, inspired
speeches on a variety of topics that can be viewed
at the award-winning TED.com, a site devoted to
“Ideas Worth Spreading.” One of the latest
TEDTalks presents the charming Itay Talgam lecturing
on orchestral conducting as he explores the
styles of six of the great 20 th century conductors.
Informative, perceptive and highly entertaining,
this is a fascinating look into the world of the
orchestra and the nuances of conducting.
www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_
great_conductors.html
HR
18 Novembre 2009 November