2021 season of l’Orchestre
de la francophonie

Over 100 free online activities from July 6 to August 15 under the sign of accessibility and exchange

July 5, 2021

The Orchestre de la francophonie (OF) is opening its borders wide and pushing its educational mission further on the occasion of its 20th edition. OF Academy has chosen to share its passion with 37 young musicians, from all over the world (including, for the first time, a student from Iran), but also with the general public.

From July 6th to August 15th, music lovers are invited to follow the recitals and digital projects of the selected young musicians online, but they will exceptionally be able to discover the master classes, the presentations with distinguished guests and the conversations with experts, all for free.

Jean-Philippe Tremblay

“Despite the pandemic, it is important to continue to provide educational experience to talented young musicians. In digital form, once again this year, our program focused on real orchestral life allowing trainees to rub shoulders with experienced teachers from prestigious orchestras.

By participating in the Orchestre de la francophonie, students are encouraged to prepare for the competitive world that awaits them by developing the best technical and musical tools,” confirms Jean-Philippe Tremblay, artistic and educational director of the OF since its creation.

Let’s remember that l’Orchestre de la francophonie was the first of the orchestral academies last year to offer the digital option in the midst of the first pandemic wave. Through the creation of a digital platform and an interactive interface designed for musicians, faculty and guests, OF provides students with a sustained experience where the educational quality has not lost any of its dynamism.

L’Orchestre de la francophonie was the first of the orchestral academies last year to offer the digital option in the midst of the first pandemic wave.

Classical music and activities

For 45 days, OF academy offers compulsory activities under five different streams, three of which will be broadcast live. On the program, individual instrument classes, a large repertoire of orchestral traits and audition rehearsals. In short, everything a musician needs to prepare adequately, technically, psychologically and mentally, for auditions.

Each musician must present a 30-minute recital, for a total of 35 recitals. The schedule will be posted on OF’s website.

Students benefit from high-quality masterclasses from industry leaders: Kerson Leong, Joanna G’froerer, Joel Quarrington, Kimball Sykes, Douglas Payson, Sturdevant and Jean-Philippe Tremblay.

Conversation with Jean-Philippe Tremblay (live)

This 90-minute series of conversations, moderated by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, welcomes major players from the classical music scene, offering fascinating discussions about essential subjects. Among the topics covered: the mental health of musicians, music as a tool for social development, questions of identity and genres in classical music, professional approaches, as well as the musical world of Mahler and Bruckner. The public is invited to interact and ask questions during the event.

For this portion, students and the general public have access to various experts’ knowledge on unusual questions. A world of wisdom and expertise! Topics include: performance anxiety and mental preparation for auditions, technical performance without fear, MADNESS syndrome (M for muscle fatigue, A for anxiety, D for depression, NE for nerve entrapment and SS for stress), styles of composition and performances in several countries of Europe and the New World: what the recordings of the beginning of the 20th century reveal, etc.

Digital projects

Each musician must produce a digital project on the digital transformation of musical practices. The schedule will be posted on OF’s website.

In addition, during the summer, to educate musicians about the importance of sharing their knowledge, interns will act as mentors to young musicians from the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and Sistema New Brunswick.

A productive mission

Since its creation 20 years ago, the Orchestre de la francophonie has received no less than 1,600 musicians from all over the world. The majority holds or have held a position in a major orchestra in Canada, North America or elsewhere in the world.

These talented young adults have given a total of 352 concerts in Canada, 14 in China, 12 in the United States, 6 in South Korea. Twenty-one of them were recorded by Radio-Canada for broadcast here, or abroad, on its affiliated channels. Not to mention a total of 9 remarkable sound recordings whose critics have mostly received nothing but praise, sold in around thirty countries around the world under labels such as Analekta, Chandos or Studio OF.

Among these various learning situations, more than 165 composers from all eras have been performed by the OF and alongside more than a hundred renowned soloists, and 60 works by young Quebec and Canadian composers have been commissioned and premiered.

Three goals at the heart of the OF’s approach: learn, innovate and share

• Learn, by equipping the best young performers with the tools – musical and extramusical – necessary for the success of a high-level professional orchestral career.
• Innovate, by reinventing the concert, in particular by daring to adopt new approaches, by presenting concerts in unusual formats and in unusual places, and by juxtaposing artistic disciplines that can nourish each other.
• Share, by stimulating the social commitments and community involvement of the OF and its musicians, by creating mutually beneficial partnerships, by making and broadcasting recordings of the highest quality, and by encouraging sharing, openness and tolerance.

orchestrefranco.com/en 

Images courtesy of l’Orchestre de la francophonie

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