Thirteen Strings: 50 Years in the Community

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Founded in 1976 by conductor Brian Law and string players from the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra celebrates 50 years of music-making this year. The 13 string players, accompanied by highly-acclaimed guests, present an innovative anniversary season, featuring new commissions and collaborations with friends of the orchestra. A proud member of the Ottawa community, Thirteen Strings keeps its local impact—and plans to build even stronger connections—the focus of its 2025-26 anniversary season.

Guylaine Lemaire

Last season, the orchestra moved to a more democratic leadership model with a committee of principal players, some board members, and Executive and Artistic Director Guylaine Lemaire planning the concerts together. Lemaire says that this new approach—and the choice to have no resident conductor—has had a considerable impact on programming the anniversary season. “It allows us to see a lot of different conductors. And we even went back, last season, to a previous music director. …So, we’re reconnecting.”

In fact, the orchestra has invited back numerous past collaborators to pay homage to their half-century history. In mid-December 2025, their featured guest soloist was Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley. “He had his beginnings in Ottawa,” says Lemaire. “And he sang with Thirteen Strings in 1991.” Still an active musician at the time, this concert also marked Lemaire’s first time performing with the orchestra, as well as founding conductor Brian Law’s last. To honour this history, this past December, the orchestra performed in the same church as it did 34 years ago.

Finley is just one of many artists that the orchestra reunites with this season. For its April 3 program, they will invite back 10 musicians who played with them in the past to perform Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen. As well, internationally-renowned violinist Kerson Leong returns to the orchestra for the season’s final concert on May 13. “I remember him as a little kid!” says Lemaire.

Thirteen Strings has also made an effort to reconnect with those who have supported them from behind the scenes. “We’ve been reaching out to past board members and audience members to get their comments and stories of Thirteen Strings, when they first heard the orchestra,” says Lemaire. With 50 years in the community, there are many special moments shared between the orchestra and its listeners. “Every concert has an interesting story,” adds Lemaire, smiling.

“Fanfare for Strings”

Aside from the new leadership model, another key feature of Thirteen Strings’ anniversary season are newly commissioned works. Since its beginning, the orchestra has championed Canadian composers, having commissioned more than 100 works. To celebrate this milestone year, the artistic committee wanted to pay tribute to this legacy.

The orchestra quickly faced an obstacle. Due to time constraints, many composers were not available to create a longer work for the season. “We [then]thought, ‘Okay, what about instead of commissioning one composer with a 15- or 20-minute work, we commissioned something shorter,’” says Lemaire. “Then this way we can get more composers.”

With this plan, Thirteen Strings was able to commission six two-minute works by a variety of composers such as Marie-Claire Saindon, Hooshyar Khayam, David Marks and John Geggie. This season, each concert begins with a new “Fanfare for Strings” which, by its end, will make up a 50th Anniversary Suite that can be performed together or as separate pieces.

For the Longtime Fans and New Listeners

Through the years, Thirteen Strings has built a dedicated fanbase. “We hope that people who have been with us for a long time will feel a sense of ownership and pride,” says Lemaire. At the same time, the orchestra aims to make space for those who are just now discovering it. “They, too, have a place. It’s never too late!”

With less support from traditional media, Thirteen Strings has become more creative about how it gets attention. “We’re trying to really go into the community and not just target music groups,” says Lemaire. The orchestra has reached out to schools, choirs, book clubs, and seniors’ residences to spark interesting collaborations. It is also a member of University of Ottawa’s Music and Health Research Institute, and participates in research about how music can benefit health.

“Usually, [when]people come to our concerts, they’re really happy, they love it,” Lemaire notes. “For others, sometimes they say, ‘Oh, I wish I had known.’ We’re trying to reach those ‘I wish I had known’ people.”

The orchestra engages new audience members by welcoming sign-ups to their newsletter, greeting people at the door, and even by trying to remember names. In the future, they aim to have more events that encourage interactions between audiences and musicians. “They see the musicians on stage, and it’s great, but [when]they talk, that’s where the links are really built.”

Throughout its 50 years, Thirteen Strings has uplifted its community, delivering thoughtful and experimental programming. With roots firmly planted in Ottawa, the orchestra continues to celebrate loyal supporters and welcome new audiences as it looks to the future.