Zukerman, NACO to raise funds for WSO

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This article was published 06/11/2008 (6538 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Classical music aficionados around the world know the name Pinchas Zukerman. The Israeli-born violinist/violist/conductor broke onto the international music scene as a teenager in the ’60s and his ensuing contributions to the music world have been extraordinary.

Zukerman, music director of the Ottawa-based National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), will be onstage at Centennial Concert Hall with the ensemble on Monday at 8 p.m. The concert, which also features piano soloist Jon Kimura Parker, is a fundraising event for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO).

“It’s part of our mandate to support other orchestras,” Zukerman said from his room at the Empress Hotel in Victoria. NACO is on a 20-day Western Canada Tour, with Winnipeg being the final stop. “We raise funds for the tour and we’re happy to support the WSO.”

The orchestra and Zukerman are donating their services.

The scheduled program is one of five NACO has taken on the road —- each including the work Infinite Sky with Birds by Canadian composer and two-time Juno Award-winner Alexina Louie.

“It’s a very good, forward piece,” said Zukerman. “It’s 14-15 minutes long and depicts colour, using vibraphone and other percussion instruments.”

The rest of the evening is devoted to Tchaikovsky, with Parker, a Winnipeg audience favourite, at the keyboard for Concerto for Piano #1, another crowd pleaser. Symphony #5 rounds out the program.

“This is one of the greatest symphonies Tchaikovsky wrote,” Zukerman said. “And it’s so beautifully played by this orchestra.”

But don’t expect to hear Zukerman play.

“You’ll have to come to Ottawa for that,” he said when asked if he would grace us with even a few notes of his eloquent violin playing.

Since he began as music director in 1998, Zukerman has been a frequent soloist with the orchestra, thrilling audiences who like the one-two punch of a conductor who can fill dual roles.

He has no plans to speak to the audience either.

“I don’t believe in talking onstage,” he explained.

“That practice has developed over the last decade or so,” he said, referring to the inclination of some conductors to chat a bit before a work, reaching out to the audience or introducing a piece. While NACO has a concert series that includes pre- and post-concert chats, Zukerman believes that onstage, it is all about the music.

40th Season

Zukerman is obviously proud of NACO, which is celebrating its 40th season in 2009. It is a classical-sized orchestra of about 50 musicians, smaller than the WSO, which has 70 players. The ensemble also includes five young artists who are participating in this year’s National Arts Centre Institute of Orchestral Studies, a program close to Zukerman’s heart.

Graduate and undergraduate string players are selected by audition to rehearse, perform and be mentored by NACO musicians during five separate weeks throughout the season.

“We’d eventually like to extend this to 18-20 weeks,” said Zukerman. “There are programs like this in cities like Berlin and Munich. We are the first one in North America to offer it.”

Participants are chosen from all over the world. This year there are three Canadians, one American and one Israeli.

“There’s nothing quite like it,” Zukerman said proudly. “They really get thrown into the lines. What they accomplish in five weeks they could never get in a school situation.”

And be sure to look for principal French horn player Lawrence Vine, who played with the WSO for many years.

Zukerman might be a big name in the music world, but his focus is not only on his own career. He loves Ottawa and looks forward to the construction of a new concert hall. He doesn’t seem to be looking for any greener pastures. And his commitment to investing in the future of classical music is passionately alive.

Great Canadian Evening

Now there is a way to speak with the maestro and soloist at a backstage after-party if you opt for the Great Canadian Evening package, which includes a reception (the menu looks sumptuous) at 6 p.m. followed by a performance by WSO musicians Gwen Hoebig, Karl Stobbe, Dan Scholz and Yuri Hooker. Hors d’oeuvres follow at 7 p.m. with music by Richard Turner on harp.

If you can still squeeze into your seats after all this feasting, the concert itself begins at 8 p.m. Wine and cheese are served during intermission and desserts follow after the concert. You can chat with Zukerman over a maple sugar cookie. The entire evening will set you back $125 ($45 tax receipt provided), while tickets for the concert alone range from $25 to $65.

Tickets are available by calling the WSO box office at 949-3999 or order online at wso.mb.ca.

gwenda.nemerofsky@shaw.ca