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National Youth Orchestra of Canada’s (NYOC) Canadiana 2026 tour is much more than just a series of performance opportunities. Through intensive rehearsals, immersion in the life of an ensemble, young musicians selected from among the best in the country are completely immersed in the realities of the profession—an artistic and human laboratory that can transform a life.
From July 18 to 31, NYOC will tour with stops in Toronto, Stratford, Ottawa and Saint-Irénée (Domaine Forget). Conducted by Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, the tour brings together young artists (ages 16 to 28) for an ambitious program combining Prokofiev, Strauss and Elgar along with contemporary Canadian works, including a world premiere by Toronto composer Liam Ritz. The tour is preceded by several weeks of intensive chamber music and orchestral workshops.
For cellist Félix Nunes, born in 2001 in the United States, the experience goes far beyond the concert hall. After studying at the Université de Montréal (UdeM) and then at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Lyon, where he co-founded the Métamorphoses collective, the musician is now pursuing a PhD in cello at UdeM. “I was part of last year’s tour with the NYOC under the baton of Naomi Woo,” he says. “It was an incredible experience working with this conductor who combines professionalism and humanity. Between the intensive chamber music workshops and the sectionals, every aspect of the work is fine-tuned so that we’re ready for concert day.”
It was at Camp musical des Laurentides, immersed in a classical environment, that Félix, then 15 years old, decided to dedicate himself to a career as a musician. Today, he sees NYOC as a unique place of learning. “We’re all together for five weeks. It’s a real immersion; we’re in a healthy bubble from which we emerge with a genuine perspective on different aspects of the musician’s craft.”
The same enthusiasm is shared by Montreal oboist Flavie Lacoste (born in 2006), who is taking part in her first tour with the orchestra. A first-year undergraduate student at Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, she has a particular passion for French music and opera. “My dream is to become an orchestral musician,” she says. “So this tour is a fantastic opportunity for me to develop my career.” When her selection was confirmed, she was so overcome with emotion that she ran to the common room to tell the news to her friends, leaving her precious oboe behind in the rehearsal room!
Beyond musical development, NYOC acts as a genuine national network for the next generation of Canadian classical musicians. Here, young people forge friendships, collaborations and lasting professional connections, while honing essential aspects of their art.
National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Canadiana Tour, July 18–31. www.nyoc.org
Translation: L. I. Liganor
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Français (French)
