FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Sea to Sea”, the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra’s Canada 150
Celebration song to be released on iTunes December 8
OSCAR®-winning composer Howard Shore collaborates with the NBYO.
Nov 23, 2017 (Halifax, NS) – The New Brunswick Youth Orchestra (NBYO) has something extra special to celebrate this December with the release on iTunes of “Sea to Sea”, the song it commissioned by OSCAR®-winning Canadian composer Howard Shore.
“Howard Shore is one of the most celebrated composers in the world,” says Ken MacLeod, CEO of the NBYO. “We are thrilled that he created this special celebration music for the talented young musicians of the NBYO. Written for orchestra, soloist and choir, the music and lyrics celebrate our Canadian landscape and diverse culture. We are excited to share it with audiences around the world.”
Shore’s music is heard in dozens of top Hollywood films including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gangs of New York, Silence of the Lambs and the recent Academy Award-winner Spotlight. It is unprecedented for a Canadian youth orchestra to work directly with a living composer of this calibre.
“Sea to Sea” premiered in Moncton on Canada Day weekend and featured internationally renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman along with a 120-voice choir. The outdoor event, which took place along the shores of the scenic Petitcodiac River, attracted more than 7,500 people, the largest audience ever for an NBYO performance.
In continuing its Canada 150 celebrations, the NBYO performed ‘Sea to Sea’ during its eastern Canadian tour this summer, receiving standing ovations at Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts in St. Andrews, NB, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and at the prestigious Maison symphonique de Montréal.
During the 2017-2018 concert season, ‘Sea to Sea’ is being performed in communities across New Brunswick, including Woodstock, Caraquet, Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton. In total, the NBYO performances of “Sea to Sea” will engage more than 500 local musicians and singers and more than 20,000 audience members.
The recording ‘Sea to Sea’ will be the orchestra’s sixth release, produced by Atlantic Canadian classical label Leaf Music and distributed by Naxos of Canada.
About the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra
The mission of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra is to inspire children and youth to achieve their full potential through learning and performing orchestral music. The NBYO is one of the most innovative and distinguished youth orchestras in Canada, and features some of the province’s most talented young musicians. The NBYO has performed in some of the world’s great concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, The Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, China and the Musikverein, the home stage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in Vienna, Austria. In 2011, the Orchestra was awarded first place in the category of Symphony Orchestra at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. It has six CD recordings and has received an East Coast Music Award for best classical recording. In addition to performing with a high level of excellence, the Orchestra continues to commission original works, collaborate with guest conductors and performers, and tour both in New Brunswick, Canada and internationally. The NBYO’s key goals are to develop an outstanding provincial youth orchestra, expand the participation of young people, and create greater awareness and appreciation for orchestral music in New Brunswick. For more information about the orchestra, members and upcoming events across the province, visit www.nbyo-ojnb.com
Producer: Jeremy VanSlyke
Engineer: Rod Sneddon
Assistant Engineer: Ben B. Creelman
About Leaf Music
Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that specializes in classical music recordings by artists and composers from Atlantic Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral and chamber music is distributed worldwide.
For more information, please contact:
Mariam Mesbah
New Brunswick Youth Orchestra
L’Orchestre des jeunes du Nouveau-Brunswick
506.875.3611
mmesbah@nbyo-ojnb.com
Jeremy VanSlyke
Leaf Music
902.802.1526
jeremy@leaf-music.ca
With the participation of the Government of Canada