OTTAWA (Canada) – Like a breath of spring air, on Wednesday April 12th and Thursday April 13th, Jan Lisiecki returns to the National Arts Centre Orchestra to perform, for the first time at the NAC, Chopin’s sweeping Piano Concerto No. 1.

“The mighty, improvisatory First Piano Concerto of 20-year-old virtuoso, Frédéric Chopin, performed by a 22-year-old shooting star. It is a joy to have this great young Canadian, Jan Lisiecki, return to the NAC.” – Alexander Shelley

Jan Lisiecki built his international acclaim on his incredible mastery of Fédéric Chopin, so it is with great anticipation that Ottawa receives this youthful and poetic master in performance with the NAC Orchestra as part of the Mark Motors Audi Signature series.

One of Canada’s foremost pianists, Lisiecki garnered attention from an early age, making his orchestral debut at age 9. The Calgary native has gone on to perform with orchestras worldwide including the New York Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre de Paris to name but a few. Having played in the great concert halls of North America, Europe and the Far East, Lisiecki has been showered with awards in seven international competitions. In 2013, he received both the Leonard Bernstein Award at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and became the youngest recipient of the Gramophone Young Artist of the Year.

“From Jan Lisiecki, Chopin’s poetic essence… emerges with an inimitable subtlety and elegance.” - Gramophone.co.uk

Lisiecki is a frequent guest with the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and recent highlights include his BBC Proms debut with Sir Antonio Pappano at Royal Albert Hall, and his 2016 debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall with the Philadelphia Orchestra. This season he will tour with the London Philharmonic and perform in the opening festival of the new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Lisiecki is an exclusive recording artist with Deutsche Grammophon, and his fourth album for the label presents Chopin’s seldom performed works for piano and orchestra with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester.

Jan Lisiecki has fostered a wonderful on-going relationship with the NAC Orchestra since his debut in 2006, both in Southam Hall and on the Orchestra’s 2011 Atlantic Tour. Beyond his musical contributions Lisiecki was named UNICEF Ambassador to Canada in 2012 having been a representative since 2008 and he donates his time and performances to charitable organisations including the Wish Upon a Star Foundation and the David Foster Foundation.

Conductor Alexander Shelley introduces the Lisiecki Plays Chopin evening with Antonio Salieri’s Cublai gran kan de’ Tartari Overture. This brief Overture, one of Salieri’s eminently satirical works, was so controversial that it did not see its premiere until 1998, over 200 years after the composer’s death.  Concluding the program, Shelley conducts the NAC Orchestra in a sweeping performance of Mozart’s instantly recognizable Symphony No. 40.

On Wednesday April 12th there will be a pre-concert talk in the NAC Main Lobby at 7PM followed by the concert at 8PM.

On Thursday April 13th the NAC hosts the Casual Fridays event for this program which kicks off with live music from the Bank St Bonbons in the NAC Lobby from 5PM.  The concert will begin at the earlier time of 7PM and is hosted by Brittany LeBorgne, star of the award-winning dramatic comedy series “Mohawk Girls”. The concert will be followed by an after-party for guest in the lobby with DJ Trevor Walker on hand to keep the crowd moving.

Tickets start at $25 and are available at the NAC Box Office or online at NAC-CNA.ca.

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jennifer Cavanagh
Communications Officer
National Arts Centre Orchestra
613 915-0402
Jennifer.Cavanagh@nac-cna.ca