No fine-tuning needed: National Arts Centre orchestra kicks off Canada 150 tour in St. John's

An Ottawa-based orchestra will begin the first leg of its Canada-wide tour at the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John's on Thursday night.

The National Arts Centre Orchestra is making the most of its visit to the province by teaming up with the Newfoundland Symphony Youth Orchestra, Shalloway Choir and world touring violinist James Ehnesfor multiple shows.

"We are on tour right nowin celebration of Canada's 150th birthday," said Sean Rice a clarinet playerand the orchestra's only member from Newfoundland and Labrador.

"The first stop is here in St. John's. It's fitting that the last province to join [Confederation]is the first that gets to start the tour."

Ehneshas played to audiences in more than 35 countries throughout his career, including multiple stops in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past two decades.

On Wednesday at Holy Heart Theatre he took the stage for a matinee performance as part of the RotaryMusic Festival.

"It's a nice chance to interact with the young people," Ehnes said. "Hopefully they can learn something from us and we'll probably learn something from them."

Ehnes and Rice joined musical forces with local composer Duane Andrews for a song.

"This is actually really challenging because I am not a fiddle player," Rice told CBC.

"He's written a fiddle part for the clarinet. So I have nowhere to breathe and I have to move my fingers like a fiddle playerwould."

On top of his clarinet duties, Rice is has also become the unofficial tour guide for the orchestra's trip to his hometown.

"I feel like I should be charging a commission for all the recommendations," he said. "Downtownis going to be filled with a bunch of musicians over the next few nights, and they are all really excited to sample the local cuisine and check out the nightlife."

Ehnes, Rice and the NAC Orchestra's main event is a concert at the Arts and Culture Centre on Thursday at 8 p.m.

You can see highlights of the group performing below.

Orchestra's Canada 150 tour kicks off in N.L.

7 years ago

Duration 2:05

St. John's is the first stop for the National Arts Centre orchestra's cross-Canada tour