Celebrating Canadian Composers: The Canadian Music Centre's 50th Anniversary

The Canadian Music Centre is 50 years old this year and will be celebrating the event in style at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on November 9. Here is the complete CMC press release:

October 22, 2009, TORONTO, ON – The Canadian Music Centre is proud to celebrate its 50th Anniversary this year. In honour of this milestone year, the National Arts Centre and its Orchestra are partnering with the CMC to present a special all Canadian concert and birthday celebration on Monday, November 9th 2009 in the NAC’s Southam Hall.

In appreciation of this historic event, the CMC is recognizing 50 outstanding Canadian performers and conductors who have played exceptional roles in shaping the Canadian music scene and raising the profile of Canadian music. The CMC will honour these individuals, who will come from all across Canada to attend the special 50th Anniversary concert and celebration, at the NAC in Ottawa.

Congratulations to the following CMC Ambassadors:

Lydia Adams – Robert Aitken – Colleen Athparia – Karin Aurell – Mario Bernardi – Louise Bessette – Walter Boudreau – Isabelle Bozzini – Jeremy Brown – Kathryn Cernauskas – Lawrence Cherney – Robert Cram – Lise Daoust – Julie-Anne Derome – Eve Egoyan – Victor Feldbrill – Salvador Ferreras – Judith Forst – Peter Gardner – Rivka Golani – Janet Hammock – Ian Hampton – John Hess – Gwen Hoebig – Beverley Johnston – David Kaplan – Elaine Keillor – Gary Kulesha – Veronique Lacroix – Marie-Chantal Leclair – Robert Leroux – Bill Linwood – Eduard Minevich – Mary Morrison – Marie-Danielle Parent – Alex Pauk – Heather Pawsey – Joseph Petric – Christina Petrowska Quilico – Barbara Pritchard – Olga Ranzenhofer – Shauna Rolston – Jacqueline Sorensen – Wayne Strongman – Sylvia Shadick-Taylor – Bramwell Tovey – Alain Trudel – Owen Underhill – Lorraine Vaillancourt – Pauline Vaillancourt – Jon Washburn

The evening’s all-Canadian program will feature the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the direction of maestro Jean-Philippe Tremblay, theGryphon Trio, flautist Robert Cram and pianist Andrew Tunis, clarinetist Kymball Sykes and pianist Jamie Parker performing works by Canadian composers who span the history of the CMC. These composers include Louis Applebaum, Steven Gellman, Denis Gougeon, Christos Hatzis, Alexina Louie, Phil Nimmons, Abigail Richardson, and Harry Somers.

The Canadian Music Centre and its Board of Directors gratefully acknowledge the tremendous dedication from its supporters both nationally and globally. We are truly humbled by their commitment to the CMC and Canadian new music. We are privileged to celebrate this milestone year with them, and we now enthusiastically look forward to what the next 50 years will bring.

Tickets to Celebrating Canadian Composers: The Canadian Music Centre’s 50th Anniversary are available in person at the NAC Box Office or by calling 613.947.7000 ext. 343

Congratulations to all 50 CMC Ambassadors and I'm proud to have worked with many of them over the years!

(Thanks, Heather!)