The National Youth Orchestra of Canada is in the midst of a cross-country tour, introducing some of the best up and coming musicians to audiences across the nation.
Following performances in Kingston, Toronto, and Parry Sound, the 2024 Horizons Tour has arrived in Winnipeg to perform at the Centennial Concert Hall before stops in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
“These young musicians are absolutely fabulous,” says NYO Music Director Naomi Woo. “They give so much energy each show.”
The substantial 90-member orchestra – “two tour buses full of musicians and a big truck of instruments,” says Woo with a laugh – is made up of musicians ages 16-28 from across the nation, handpicked to hone their skills through performance, workshops and training.
No stranger to Winnipeg, Woo was appointed NYO Music Director following her tenure as RBC Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (2019-23).
Returning to the city really does feel like a “homecoming,” she says.
“I really believe that I wouldn’t be a conductor if it weren’t for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra taking a chance on me.”
The carefully curated program, which exists in several iterations, consists of works by Bartok, Ravel, Rautavaara, Boulanger, Wallen and Tower and will be presented through a “pay what you can” ticket model.
“I think this is a really inspiring initiative from the team at the National Youth Orchestra,” says Woo. “I hope that breaking down barriers in this way... helps audiences see that this is something they’d like to do more often.”
For more details on the NYO’s concert in Winnipeg, visit: https://nyoc.org/tickets/horizons-tour/
