NACOcast: Classical music podcast with Sean Rice

By Canada's National Arts Centre

What's NACOcast: Classical music podcast with Sean Rice about?

Join host Sean Rice (Second Clarinet, NAC Orchestra) as he explores the world of classical music and its great composers. In this series of audio programmes you can look forward to hearing insightful commentary about upcoming NAC Orchestra programmes as well as musical excerpts and interviews with NACO musicians and guest artists.

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NACOcast: Classical music podcast with Sean Rice episodes:

05.05.2020
A musical love triangle: Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
NAC Orchestra Music Director Alexander Shelley talks with uOttawa Professor and Clara Schumann expert Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers about the Orchestra's recording project focusing on Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms. The first release, recorded live in Southam Hall at the...
03.03.2020
Celebrating the NAC Orchestra’s 50th anniversary season
In this episode of the NACOcast NAC Orchestra violinist Carissa Klopoushak interviews two founding violinists, Karoly Sziladi and Elaine Klimasko. They are joined by long time orchestra champion Evelyn Greenberg who was also the original harpsichordist and pianist of the...
02.06.2020
Rachel Mercer: NAC Orchestra Principal Cellist
An advocate for Canadian music, Principal Cellist Rachel Mercer speaks with Sean Rice about her activities in and beyond the National Arts Centre Orchestra, including recording, commissioning and playing world premieres. Recorded prior to Rachel's Casual Friday debut with NACO...
01.10.2020
Peter Oundjian on his career in music
In this archival episode of the NACOcast host Sean Rice, NAC Orchestra’s 2nd clarinetist, speaks with conductor Peter Oundjian weeks before his retirement as Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 2018. They discuss Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony and...
12.05.2019
Carrefour Composer Remy Siu
In this episode of the NACOcast host Sean Rice (Second clarinet, NAC Orchestra) speaks with Remy Siu Carrefour Composer (2017-2019) about his early interest in film as well as his multi-disciplinary studies at Simon Fraser Univeristy that sparked his love...
12.03.2019
Carrefour Composer Ian Cusson
Sean Rice, NAC Orchestra 2nd clarinet, talks with Toronto-based Carrefour* Composer Ian Cusson. They talk about R. Murray Schaffer, Bulgarian women’s choirs, and unrelated studies at the University of Toronto before delving into his chosen career. During Ian’s two year...
11.15.2019
Paul Wells interviews Howard Shore
Journalist and author Paul Wells has a fascinating conversation with composer Howard Shore about his passion for music making and acclaimed career as a composer for film, television and opera. Mr. Shore was at the National Arts Centre for the...
08.02.2019
Timo Andres
In this archival episode from 2016, NACOcast host Sean Rice connects with composer and pianist Timo Andres whose works were performed by members of the NAC Orchestra as part the WolfGANG Sessions. During their conversation Andres discusses the inspiration and structure...
07.25.2019
Elim Chan
Host Sean Rice speaks with conductor Elim Chan who made her NAC main series debut in the 18-19 season. A past fellow in the NAC Orchestra’s Conductor’s Program, the Hong Kong-born musician has made her mark on the classical music...
07.05.2019
Blake Pouliot
Sean Rice, NAC Orchestra’s 2nd clarinetist, chats with Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot. At age fourteen Blake attended the NAC’s Young Artist Program and credits that experience for inspiring him to pursue a career in music. Sean and Blake discuss the pressures...
05.10.2019
NAC Orchestra 50th Anniversary European Tour
In this episode of the NACOcast Sean Rice speaks with NAC Music Director Alexander Shelley. On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will embark on a European tour in May 2019. CROSSINGS: the NAC...
05.10.2019
NAC Orchestra 50th Anniversary European Tour
In this episode of the NACOcast Sean Rice speaks with NAC Music Director Alexander Shelley. On the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will embark on a European tour in May 2019. CROSSINGS: the NAC...
02.05.2019
Vivian Fung
Sean Rice, NAC Orchestra’s 2nd clarinetist, chats with JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung on the occasion of NACO’s performance of her composition, Earworms. Discover when Sean and Vivian first met, what Vivian has been up to in her career and...
01.07.2019
Yosuke Kawasaki and Jessica Linnebach
The NAC Orchestra’s Concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki and Associate Concertmaster Jessica Linnebach speak with second clarinetist Sean Rice about their lives together, and their collaboration in the NACO’s February 2019 performance of Jocelyn Morlock’s Cobalt which just happens to be taking...
12.05.2018
Charles Hamann speaks with the students of the 2018 Young Artists Program
December marks the start of the application process for the NAC’s annual Young Artist Program (Y.A.P). To highlight this wonderful training program, Charles ‘Chip’ Hamann, Principal Oboe, NAC Orchestra and YAP faculty member guest hosts this episode of the NACOcast....
11.16.2018
Shostakovich’s Violin Concert No1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No3
Kelly Rice, Director of Development and Lars Lih, Musicologist from McGill’s Schulich School of Music visited the NAC in January 2018 to hear John Storgårds conduct the NAC Orchestra and violinist Guy Braunstein perform two iconic works: Shostakovich’s 1st Violin...
10.31.2018
Jessica Holmes
Sean Rice, second clarinetist of the NAC Orchestra, and Jessica Holmes, Postdoctoral Scholar of Musicology, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) met in September 2018, in the middle of the 2018 Festival Focus which saw the NAC Orchestra perform...
10.15.2018
Doo Wop Project and Jack Everly
Sean Rice talks with NACO Principal Pops conductor Jack Everly about his perspectives on music and upcoming NAC Orchestra Pops concerts. Find out some interesting details about Maestro Everly’s career path (“one thing leads to the next”) and discover some...
10.02.2018
Beethoven's Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies
Sean Rice, NAC Orchestra’s 2nd clarinetist, and NAC Music Director Alexander Shelley complete their three-episode series on Beethoven’s nine symphonies for the 2018 Beethoven Focus Festival. The seventh symphony’s funeral march starts off the conversation. The 1813 premiere of the...
09.19.2018
Beethoven's Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Symphonies
Sean Rice and Alexander Shelley continue their three-episode series about the Beethoven Symphonies on the occasion of the NAC Orchestra’s Festival Focus 2018. Symphonies 4, 5 and 6 were running in Beethoven’s head concurrently. He was a master of making...
09.11.2018
Beethoven's First Three Symphonies
Sean Rice, 2nd clarinetist of the NAC Orchestra, and Alexander Shelley, NAC Music Director, discuss Ludwig van Beethoven’s first three symphonies, putting them in context with Mozart’s and Haydn’s large volume of works. Why are Beethoven’s symphonies so significant and...
08.31.2018
Summer Special Episode 9 - The 2009 NAC Award Winners: Up Close and Personal
Meet the second group of three Canadian composers given the prestigious NAC Awards: Peter Paul Kaprowski, Anna Sokolovic and John Estacio. Two are immigrants to Canada from Eastern Europe and the third a first generation Portuguese Canadian. They have just...
08.24.2018
Summer Special Episode 8 - The Post War Years: Canadian Composers Come of Age
This is the story of the composers from the last two decades of the 20th century. These are men and women who are confident of their place in Canadian culture and yet looked out to the world and embraced minimalism,...
08.17.2018
Summer Special Episode 7 - The Post War Years: Canadian Composers Come of Age
As World War 2 ended, there was a great flowering in contemporary music making in Canada. For the first time, men and women declared themselves professional composers. Listen to the stories, the voices and the music of these magnificent pioneers:...
08.10.2018
Summer Special Episode 6 - Beyond Ottawa: NACO and the World!
The NAC Orchestra has from its very early years been known outside the boundaries of Canada. In its third year of life, it made a triumphant debut in New York City. From there touring to Asia, Europe, the rest...
08.03.2018
Summer Special Episode 5 - Beyond Ottawa: The National Mandate of NACO
The National Arts Centre Orchestra has, from its conception, had a mandate beyond Ottawa, a mandate to serve all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. The key national stages for the NAC Orchestra have been broadcasting, recording and touring,...
07.27.2018
Summer Special Episode 4 - The Golden Years with Pinchas Zukerman
The return of the NAC Orchestra to stability and health coincides with the arrival of a superstar violinist/conductor, and a man with a huge vision for expansion and education. Pinchas Zukerman pushes the organization to a larger greatness and...
07.20.2018
Summer Special Episode 3 - The Pinnock Years and a Memorable Principal Guest Conductor
Through much of the 1990’s, the NAC Orchestra was led by the baroque and classical specialist from England, Trevor Pinnock. This was a time of continued financial challenges for the NAC, but Trevor Pinnock was not only a superb...
07.13.2018
Summer Special Episode 2 - The Eighties: Mannino and Chmura
After 13 years under Bernardi, the NAC Orchestra’s new leader was another Italian: Franco Mannino. Where Bernardi had been all northern Italy - cold blue light, Mannino was all southern Italy - red hot light. Listen to the...
07.06.2018
Summer Special Episode 1 - An Orchestra is born: The Bernardi Years
The National Arts Centre Orchestra was born in the cultural euphoria of the 1960’s, an off shoot of a bold Centennial Year project for our nation’s capital. Not only did Ottawa get its first arts centre complex, it acquired a...
07.04.2018
Karina Canellakis
Karina Canellakis is the newly appointed Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam, beginning in the 19/20 season. Winner of the 2016 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Karina is internationally acclaimed for her emotionally charged performances, technical command and interpretive...
05.04.2018
The Man with the Violin
“Every time a child passed through the station, the child wanted to stop, and every time, the adult with them pulled them along on their way.” Sean Rice interviews author Kathy Stinson, illustrator Dušan Petričić and composer Anne Dudley who...
04.10.2018
Natasha Gauthier with Alice Sara Ott and Eivind Gullberg Jensen
Natasha Gauthier of Artsfile.ca interviews pianist Alice Sara Ott and conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen who performed the Grieg Piano Concerto together with the NAC Orchestra, at the NAC, in January 2018. Join them as they talk about personal firsts, world...
03.06.2018
Institute for Orchestral Studies
Sean Rice, second clarinetist of the NAC Orchestra, interviews the five apprentices who participated in the NAC's annual Institute for Orchestral Studies in the fall of 2017. They were: Alexander Volkov, violin Gabrielle Bouchard, violin Alisa Klebanov, viola Grace Sommer, cello Talia Hatcher, double bass The...
02.05.2018
Joana Carneiro, NACO and the Tanztheater Wuppertal – Pina Bausch dance company
Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro, a well-travelled artist, talks with Sean Rice about her first time with the Pina Bausch dance company and with the NAC Orchestra, all in the same week in September 2017.
12.06.2017
Chip Hamann's new CD, Canadian Works for Oboe & Piano
Sean Rice interviewed the NAC Orchestra’s principal oboe Chip Hamann about his new album, a two-disc album that was released in June 2017. It was the first classical recording at the Isabel Bader Centre in Kingston. What a fantastic and...
10.31.2017
Robert Chafe, lyricist for "Heirloom" co-produced with Larysa Kuzmenko
Robert Chafe is a 2010 Governor General Award recipient for his play, Afterimage. His extensive body of work also includes such plays as Place of First Light, Charismatic Death Scenes, Belly Up, Emptygirl, Oil and Water, Butler's Marsh, and...
09.20.2017
Joel Quarrington and his new album: Schubert "An Die Musik"
Principal Bassist, Joel Quarrington, joins us to talk about his brand new solo album, Schubert: An die Musik, that he recorded with Canadian pianist, David Jalbert. We discuss his love of the music that he recorded and his album...
08.31.2017
Ideas of North
Maestro Alexander Shelley shares his thoughts on the National Arts Centre Orchestra's 2017-18 opening festival of music, Ideas of North - featuring an array of Scandinavian composers and performers, including many of Sibelius' symphonies and tone poems. Principal Guest...
05.19.2017
ENCOUNT3RS - Creation and Colaboration
In this bilingual panel discussion on Creation and Collaboration that preceded the world premiere of ENCOUNT3RS (April 20-22, 2017), animator Catherine Clark speaks with the six Canadian artists involved in this historic NAC dance-music commission celebrating Canada 150. Following a...
03.15.2017
Soul Stirring Music
Sean Rice and Alexander Shelley talk about the "Soul Stirring Music" coming up in the 2017-2018 season of the NAC Orchestra. "I am full of anticipation for the NAC Orchestra season ahead and the glorious music that awaits us. We will...
12.12.2016
A Night of Classical Collisions #TheKiss
In celebration of Beethoven and Schumann – two highly expressive and innovative composers, the NAC Orchestra created an eclectic evening of music, dance and art called Classical Collisions. Fine art inspired graffiti artists while classical music mixed with DJ...
12.07.2016
Joel Quarrington and Peter Paul Koprowski's Concertante for Double Bass, Strings and Percussion
November 16 & 17 was the world-premiere of Peter Paul Koprowski's Concertante for Double Bass, Strings and Percussion, written for and performed by the NAC Orchestra’s own world-class, mega-talented principal double bass Joel Quarrington. Sean talks with Joel about his...
11.23.2016
Canadian Brass
Did you know the Canadian Brass shares founding members with the National Arts Centre Orchestra!? Join Sean Rice in a conversation about the history and future of Canadian Brass with founding member Chuck Daellenbach and newest member Caleb Hudson. Chuck...
05.17.2016
Is Classical Music Really Dead?
The death knell for classical music has been ringing for decades. Yet many say the music is not only alive, it’s kicking! Join us for a fascinating, up-close-and-personal conversation with two highly original voices – Alexander Shelley, Music Director of the...
04.27.2016
Sean Rice chats with Nadia Sirota before the Canadian premiere of Nico Muhly’s Electrifying Viola Concerto
Vanguards of the New York indie classical scene, composer Nico Muhly and violist Nadia Sirota embody the meaning of "classical reincarnated" in an electrifying concert. Nadia Sirota joins Alexander Shelley in the Canadian premiere of Nico Muhly’s Electrifying Viola Concerto. This...
03.23.2016
Exploring the works of Richard Strauss with Alexander Shelley
Nick talks to Alexander Shelley about his plan to perform, over the next several seasons, the works of one of his favourite composers, Richard Strauss. The orchestra begins next week with performances of Don Juan and Death and Transfiguration.
01.15.2016
Sean Rice takes you inside the music of the All-Canadian Wolfgang Session Number 5
What better way to celebrate Canadian music than in January? This Session features music by a stellar line-up of composers from the Great White North, including Andrew Staniland and Samy Moussa. You’ll be amazed by the talent in this country....
12.08.2015
Humour in Music
Looking at the lighter side of the classics, with selections from Mozart, Rossini and others. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf appears for the first time on the same playbill as Spike Jones.
11.19.2015
Special Edition: Sean Rice, 2nd clarinetist with the NAC orchestra, interviews Bryce Dessner
Tickets can be purchased online at the mercurylounge.com.

What's NACOcast: Classical music podcast with Sean Rice about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

NACOcast: Classical music podcast with Sean Rice episodes:

A musical love triangle: Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.

Celebrating the NAC Orchestra’s 50th anniversary season

Rachel Mercer: NAC Orchestra Principal Cellist

Peter Oundjian on his career in music

Carrefour Composer Remy Siu

Carrefour Composer Ian Cusson

Paul Wells interviews Howard Shore

Timo Andres

Elim Chan

Blake Pouliot

NAC Orchestra 50th Anniversary European Tour

NAC Orchestra 50th Anniversary European Tour

Vivian Fung

Yosuke Kawasaki and Jessica Linnebach

Charles Hamann speaks with the students of the 2018 Young Artists Program

Shostakovich’s Violin Concert No1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No3

Jessica Holmes

Doo Wop Project and Jack Everly

Beethoven's Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Symphonies

Beethoven's Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Symphonies

Beethoven's First Three Symphonies

Summer Special Episode 9 - The 2009 NAC Award Winners: Up Close and Personal

Summer Special Episode 8 - The Post War Years: Canadian Composers Come of Age

Summer Special Episode 7 - The Post War Years: Canadian Composers Come of Age

Summer Special Episode 6 - Beyond Ottawa: NACO and the World!

Summer Special Episode 5 - Beyond Ottawa: The National Mandate of NACO

Summer Special Episode 4 - The Golden Years with Pinchas Zukerman

Summer Special Episode 3 - The Pinnock Years and a Memorable Principal Guest Conductor

Summer Special Episode 2 - The Eighties: Mannino and Chmura

Summer Special Episode 1 - An Orchestra is born: The Bernardi Years

Karina Canellakis

The Man with the Violin

Natasha Gauthier with Alice Sara Ott and Eivind Gullberg Jensen

Institute for Orchestral Studies

Joana Carneiro, NACO and the Tanztheater Wuppertal – Pina Bausch dance company

Chip Hamann's new CD, Canadian Works for Oboe & Piano

Robert Chafe, lyricist for "Heirloom" co-produced with Larysa Kuzmenko

Joel Quarrington and his new album: Schubert "An Die Musik"

Ideas of North

ENCOUNT3RS - Creation and Colaboration

Soul Stirring Music

A Night of Classical Collisions #TheKiss

Joel Quarrington and Peter Paul Koprowski's Concertante for Double Bass, Strings and Percussion

Canadian Brass

Is Classical Music Really Dead?

Sean Rice chats with Nadia Sirota before the Canadian premiere of Nico Muhly’s Electrifying Viola Concerto

Exploring the works of Richard Strauss with Alexander Shelley

Sean Rice takes you inside the music of the All-Canadian Wolfgang Session Number 5

Humour in Music

Special Edition: Sean Rice, 2nd clarinetist with the NAC orchestra, interviews Bryce Dessner