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Cheering on Artistic Creation
May 31, 2024As summer bursts into life, the Fund’s season also blooms with new artistic creations. Let’s cheer these artists on as they take big artistic leaps. Let’s be fans of each other and show up ready for delight and a challenge. Let's find our summer art crushes and fall into sweet summer…
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Kimiko’s Pearl: A ballet forged across generations
May 29, 2024A tribute to the strength and resilience of the Japanese Canadian community The internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II is the inspiration behind Kimiko’s Pearl, premiering at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on June 22. Supported by the National…
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Community at the Centre: Amelita Armit
May 22, 2024Amelita Armit has built a life dedicated to experiencing and supporting the community around her. A former Albertan, Amelita was first introduced to the NAC in the 1970s when she traveled to Ottawa for a conference. Her late husband, Robert, who was an enthusiast in the performing arts…
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Why I give to the performing arts: Dasha Shenkman
April 29, 2024I’m delighted to be supporting the NACO Mentorship Program, something that is very close to my heart. Although I have lived most of my life in England, I was born in Ottawa and have always felt Canadian, as opposed to British. So, there is a very strong connection for me to this city. My…
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The Spirit Horse Returns: A Fun Afternoon of Artmaking with Rhonda Snow
March 14, 2024The NAC’s Canal Lobby was a creative playground for audience members of all ages on February 11, preceding the NAC Orchestra and NAC Indigenous Theatre’s sold-out performance of The Spirit Horse Returns. Anishinaabe artist and Ojibwe horse breed expert Rhonda Snow delighted patrons with…
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Championing Francophone creativity
March 14, 2024In recent months, the National Creation Fund, fuelled by donors, has played a pivotal role in amplifying the voices of Quebec artists and propelling their creative endeavors to new heights. Projet Polytechnique Since November, the documentary theatre company Porte Parole has been touring…
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Investing in creativity and new beginnings
February 8, 2024Is there such a thing as a true beginning? Whether we’re talking about the start of a year, a new creation, or – in my case – a job, the word beginning can feel not quite right. For example, does creation begin with the spark of an idea, the first time you describe a concept to someone…
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From the ice to the stage: Sean St. John’s journey to empower...
January 23, 2024Question: What do sports, the performing arts and the National Bank of Canada have in common? Answer: Teamwork, community, the desire to empower youth, and Sean St. John. Sean is an Ottawa-born descendant of Irish, French, and Mohawk First Nations heritage. He is also an Executive Vice…
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Dance for Every Body
January 12, 2024Siôned Watkins, NAC Dance Education Associate and Teaching Artist, is making dance accessible for all. A former professional dancer, she is grateful to have made the leap from performing on the NAC stage to working for the NAC to promote, celebrate, and share the gifts of movement and…
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A Life-Changing Gift
January 12, 2024Devang Ghosh, a third-year Carleton University student, celebrated an important anniversary when he attended Handel’s Messiah at the NAC in December—it was the very first NAC performance he saw a little over a year ago. “That evening sparked a love for the performing arts within me,” he…
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99 and counting…
January 12, 2024Maryse Robillard has been a part of the fabric of the National Arts Centre for over 50 years! She turns 100 this February, so we thought it would be a good moment to celebrate her as a volunteer extraordinaire, a long-time loyal donor, and a member of the Emeritus Circle. Maryse knows…
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The gift of free performance
November 6, 2023The NAC’s summer series returned for its second year. In July and August, more than 5,500 audience members came to the NAC to enjoy over 200 free performances and activities. Performances featured a wide range of Canadian and international artists in and around the NAC, from the Thalea…
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A story that one learns over a lifetime: Mahabharata
November 6, 2023Your generous support of the NAC’s National Creation Fund recently helped a new production make waves across the pond. After having its world premiere at the Shaw Festival in March 2023, Mahabharata, written and adapted by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes of Why Not Theatre, had its…
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Creating a House of Dreams Together: A Q&A with Juniper Locilento
November 6, 2023Our new CEO, Juniper Locilento, joined the NAC Foundation on August 21. With 20 years of experience in philanthropy and non-profit leadership — and a background in Opera — she brings a unique perspective to her role. Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that inspired your…
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Creation: bringing new Canadian works to the stage
August 15, 2023Donor support of the National Creation Fund provide the time, space and resources for performing artists to bring new works to their full potential. I Forgive You was created in response to a violent homophobic attack that left choral director Scott Jones paralyzed from the waist down in…
