We're Off To See The Wizard: with a Live Orchestra

I often catch myself humming, “We’re off to see the Wizard…” and now I can hum it along with hundreds of others at the NAC this March! Celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning classic, the Wizard of Oz, by setting out on an adventure with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man as they dance down the Yellow Brick Road to the magical land of Oz. This NAC Orchestra Pops presentation lets you experience this brilliant technicolour movie classic on the big screen live with the NAC Orchestra, conducted by Jack Everly. 

The brilliant music of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg combined with Judy Garland’s iconic Dorothy will have everyone in your family singing along to favourites like We’re off to see the Wizard and Over the Rainbow. Marvel at the whimsically colourful world: from the ghoulishly green Wicked Witch of the West to the glittering Glinda the Good Witch and resplendent ruby red slippers. 

Whether you’re introducing your kids to this beloved classic or reliving your own childhood memories, this production of the Wizard of Oz is not to be missed!

The Wizard of Oz with Live Orchestra is only playing March 28 to 30th, 2019 at the National Arts Centre. Tickets start at $29 - making it affordable fun for the whole family!

For more information or to purchase tickets visit the NAC website.

Warm up with the NAC Orchestra Family Adventures Series!

Looking for some entertaining (and educational) activities to enjoy with your child this March? Check out the remaining two performances in the Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra series. Geared to kids aged 5 and over, this fun and interactive series introduces children to the joy of orchestral music.  Each performance is accessible in either English or French,  lasts approximately one hour and features the NAC Orchestra with special guests who bring the music to life! Be sure to arrive 45 minutes early to participate in hands on pre-concert activities. Tickets start at $15 for kids and $20 for adults.

Upcoming Family Adventures events include: 

Freestylin’ Like Mozart
March 2 - 3, 2019 at 2:30 PM
Did you know that musical geniuses like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven freestyled on the keyboard in improv competitions against other composers, fueled by suggestions from the audience?  Join us for an exciting and interactive concert experience that puts together comedy theatre Second City and the NAC Orchestra to demo musical improv and hear some of the classical masterpieces that came out of it! For more information or to purchase tickets for Freestylin’ Like Mozart visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/18699

Orchestra From Planet X
March 30 - 31, 2019 at 2:30 PM
An unwitting conductor only wants to trace the influences of the New World on European orchestral tradition when two aliens descend on Southam Hall with ideas of their own! With ideas and inventions for influencing "Earth Music" these mischievous extraterrestrials turn what should have been a straight forward orchestra program into a sci-fi musical thriller. For more information or to purchase tickets for Orchestra from Planet X visit https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/18700

**GIVEAWAY! We’re giving away four tickets to the March 30th performance of Orchestra From Planet X! To enter, simply leave a comment on this Facebook Post letting us know who you will take with you to this sci-fi musical! Draw will take place Friday, March 15th.

This blog post has been sponsored by the National Arts Centre Orchestra. All opinions are our own.

Trick or Treat to a Wicked Beat!

Looking for something fun and different to do this Halloween season? On October 27th and 28th at 2:30pm the National Arts Centre will be hosting a fun bilingual family event called Trick or Treat to a Wicked Beat! A great way for the entire family to sing and dance in the Halloween season!

Dress up and join Samara the Witch, dancers and the NAC Orchestra as they perform spooky classics like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Danse Macabre, The Witch’s Dance and many more. 

Trick or Treat to a Wicked Beat is part of the Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra series. Geared to kids aged 5+ this fun and interactive series introduces children to the wonders of orchestral music. Each bilingual performance lasts one hour and features the NAC Orchestra and special guests! Be sure to arrive 45 minutes early to participate in hands on pre-concert activities!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the NAC official website. And be sure to learn more about the Family Adventures series and upcoming performances.

Kids Rock Broadway at the NAC!

Sometimes, being a kid can be tough. Between balancing school and home life and trying to navigate their way through childhood into adolescence, there isn’t much time to just sit and enjoy being a kid.

Now imagine on top of all those things; having to learn a script, memorize a song list, and play a set in front of a live audience night after night….

Well, the kids of SCHOOL OF ROCK’s North American touring cast make it look easy. The process of finding the perfect kids for the cast, on the other hand, is anything but. For the initial production of SCHOOL OF ROCK, which opened on Broadway in 2015, the casting team looked at a total of 22,000 kids around the US.

Challenge 1: Making sure the kids are between 9-12 years old; any younger and the physical demands of the show could be too much, any older and their bodies and voices are subject to the many changes of teenage development.

Challenge 2: Putting acting and singing on the back burner at first, and making sure the level of “musicianship” of the individual is strong. Can they carry a tune? Once that is established, the production team will help to work on the additional aspects.

More than anything, casting directors are looking at the personality of the child as that’s as important to them than being a “quadruple threat”. Do they love music? Are they enthusiastic and friendly with others? And more importantly, are they willing to work hard? In addition to regular rehearsals for the touring actors, cast members must also attend separate band rehearsals and tutoring lessons while on the road.

Making their way to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa from September 25-30th, the SCHOOL OF ROCK cast is arriving just as Ottawa students are beginning to settle back into the daily routine of classes and homework. Because of this, we have decided to celebrate the amazing kids in our lives by having Kids Rock Broadway night on Sunday, September 30th at 7 pm.

Tickets for the performance start at $40, and there will also be a number of fun props that kids can use to get that epic Rock 'N Roll photo with. Additionally, School of Rock Orleans will be hosting an instrument petting zoo. Drum kits, guitars, and basses OH MY! Kids will have a chance to check out the instruments up close, learn more about them, and get some totally jammin’ shots to add to the family photo album.

What’s special about SCHOOL OF ROCK is that children in the audience can see what others their age are capable of and therefore, what they are capable of. It’s a show about the pressures of achieving perfection and the power that music and pursuing your own passions can have. Finally, it’s an exuberant reminder to children and adults to take a second out of their busy lives to have fun and let loose once in a while.

For more information on show times, ticket prices and availability, check out BroadwayAcrossCanada.ca. We hope to see you there!

** If you're planning on attending as a family, make sure to check out this special offer for Kids Rock Broadway on Sunday, September 30th - Click here to purchase tickets and use offer code: FAMILY

Sing Along with Sharon & Bram (and Friends) at the NAC!

My daughter knows Sharon & Bram through me. She constantly hears me breaking out into “One elephant went out to play, upon a spider's web one day!” As well as singing the words (and doing the actions) to I Am Slowly Going Crazy and Skinnamarink. So, when I heard Sharon & Bram were coming to the NAC Southam Hall on Sunday, September 23, 2018 at 2 pm I got so excited!

These Canadian treasures will be celebrating their 40th anniversary with this special show and will be joined on stage by a full band! This show is a great opportunity for all fans of Sharon & Bram to see them live and celebrate their anniversary through the songs we all know and love.

If you are unfamiliar with Sharon & Bram, here’s a bit of background: Since 1978, Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison have been pre-eminent in all aspects of family entertainment across North America as members of the trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram”. Together, the threesome produced over twenty recordings, beginning with their iconic One Elephant, Deux Elephants. They have appeared in every major concert hall in Canada, and many United States including Carnegie Hall, The Lincoln Center and the White House in Washington. They have received countless awards, including Gold and Platinum Records and JUNO awards for Best Children’s Album. To date, they have sold over 3 Million Albums worldwide.

For their years of work providing the best in participatory music for children and their families, Sharon and Bram have been inducted into The Order of Canada, the highest honour in the country. 

You don’t want to miss out on this concert. Tickets start at a very affordable $29.50 and watching Sharon & Bram (and friends) with your kids is something the entire family will enjoy and will not soon forget!

For more information and to get your tickets, visit NAC Event Page - https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/18672

Make sure to follow Sharon & Bram online for the latest news and information about these beloved children’s entertainers:
Web - http://www.sharonandbram.com/
FB – https://www.facebook.com/sharonandbram   

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the National Arts Centre.