Brott Music Festival

Last updated
Brott Music Festival
GenreClassical, Opera, Broadway, Pops, Jazz,
DatesJune, July, August
Location(s) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Years active1988–present
Founded by Boris Brott
Website brottmusic.com

Brott Music Festival (formerly Boris Brott Summer Music Festival), presents annual classical, opera, jazz, pops, and children's education concerts in Hamilton, Halton and Niagara regions in Ontario, Canada as well as touring to other music festivals in southern Ontario. The festival was founded by late conductor Boris Brott and has grown into Ontario's only and Canada's largest orchestral music festival. [1] The orchestra in residence is the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Canada's only professional orchestral training program. It is also home to BrottOpera, a training program for Canadian emerging opera singers. Its current artistic director is Tania Miller. [2]

Contents

History

The festival began as a way to provide cultural activity during the summer months in Hamilton, Ontario, and was founded as a two-week summer music festival in 1988 by conductor Boris Brott. Its budget has increased from $50,000 to under $1.5 million, and it has become Canada's largest orchestral music festival. It is praised in music circles for emphasizing nontraditional and multidisciplinary performances. [3] Brott draws musicians from across Canada. The orchestra in residence is the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, which is a training program for aspiring professional musicians. The NAO is the only program of its kind in Canada and is similar to the Orchestra of the New World in Florida. [4] [5]

BMF's main activities take place in June, July, and August annually, but the festival also presents educational concerts for elementary students at Hamilton Place every autumn and three performances of Handel's Messiah every December. [6] [7]

BMF performs in concert hall settings such as Hamilton Place, Dofasco Centre for the Performing Arts, Mohawk College's McIntyre Theatre and the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. It also performs in churches, including Christ's Church Cathedral, Melrose United, St. Christopher's Anglican in Burlington, West Highland Baptist, and St. John's Anglican in Ancaster. Other venues include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Dundurn Castle, Whitehern Museum, and the Art Gallery of Hamilton. [8] [9]

Festival highlights

Boris Brott and educational programs

The festival re-introduced music education performances to Hamilton in 1999. Since then, the NAO has performed for over 144,000 schoolchildren from across southern Ontario. It is estimated that Boris Brott introduced classical music to one million children during his career. He has written over 300 scripted children's concerts, such as Welcome Bach, Meet Mr. Beethoven; Trick or Treat to a Wicked Beat; There's an Animal in My Orchestra; Boris the Explorer: So You Want to Sing?; and J.S. Bach Meets Glenn Gould. Brott Music Education Concert highlights over the past nine years have included:

Awards and honours

BMF received the Tourism Ambassador Award from Tourism Hamilton and Tourism Business of the Year (under 50,000). Boris Brott was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2006, Lifetime Achievement Awards from Tourism Hamilton and the City of Hamilton Arts Awards in 2007, and the National Child Day Award from the Canadian Institute for Child Health in Ottawa in November 2007. In May 2006, he was voted one of the top five Greatest Hamiltonians of all time by readers of The Hamilton Spectator. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian classical music</span>

In Canada, classical music includes a range of musical styles rooted in the traditions of Western or European classical music that European settlers brought to the country from the 17th century and onwards. As well, it includes musical styles brought by other ethnic communities from the 19th century and onwards, such as Indian classical music and Chinese classical music. Since Canada's emergence as a nation in 1867, the country has produced its own composers, musicians and ensembles. As well, it has developed a music infrastructure that includes training institutions, conservatories, performance halls, and a public radio broadcaster, CBC, which programs a moderate amount of Classical music. There is a high level of public interest in classical music and education.

Alexander Brott,, born Joël Brod, was a Canadian conductor, composer, violinist and music teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boris Brott</span> Canadian conductor and motivational speaker (1944–2022)

Boris Brott, was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall, La Scala,and Covent Garden. He was known for his innovative methods of introducing classical music to new audiences. Over his career, he commissioned, performed, and recorded a wide variety of Canadian works for orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra</span> Canadian symphony orchestra

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Hamilton, Ontario. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the FirstOntario Concert Hall.

Alain Trudel is a Canadian conductor, trombonist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony Nova Scotia</span> Canadian orchestra

Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Its primary recital venue is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schulich School of Music</span>

The Schulich School of Music is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 555, Rue Sherbrooke Ouest. The faculty was named after the benefactor Seymour Schulich.

Festival of the Sound is an annual classical music festival that occurs from July to August in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

The National Academy Orchestra of Canada (NAO) is a professional training orchestra primarily based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1989 by late conductor Boris Brott, it is currently helmed by Artistic Director and Conductor Tania Miller. The NAO is recognized as a Canadian National School for professional training. Each year, hundreds of Canadian musicians audition for a spot in the orchestra.

The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) is a Canadian professional orchestra based in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Brott</span>

Denis Brott, SMOM is a Canadian cellist, music teacher, conductor, and founder and artistic director of the Montreal Chamber Music Festival.

The Bach-Elgar Choir is a community chorus of long standing in Hamilton, Ontario, currently directed by Alexander Cann. The Choir is composed of accomplished amateur singers from Hamilton and the neighbouring cities of Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Simcoe. Notable performances by the ensemble include the North American première of Verdi's Requiem and the Canadian premieres of Górecki's Miserere and Mahler's Symphony No. 2. The choir has performed at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, The Sanderson Centre in Brantford, and at the Brott Music Festival in Hamilton. The choir makes frequent guest appearances with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonid Skirko</span> Canadian opera singer

Leonid SkirkoUkr. Леонід Миколайович Скірко was a Canadian bass-baritone opera singer of Ukrainian origin.

Musikay is a professional choir and orchestra based in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Musikay was founded in 2005 under the name Oakville Chamber Choir by Artistic Director Stephane Potvin, a Quebec born conductor who also served as Resident Conductor and Artistic Administrator to the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.

Tania Miller is a Canadian conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beijing Music Festival</span> Festival in Beijing, China (est. 1998)

The Beijing Music Festival (BMF) is an annual music festival held in Beijing which according to the Chinese Ministry of Culture has become one of the most well-known musical events in the world, drawing international attention. According to Chinaculture.org the festival presents about 30 concerts in October every year offering a wide variety of classical and jazz music including opera, orchestral, chamber, solo, and choral concerts. BMF also gives prominence to music education and community engagement offering free children's concerts and students' concerts, as well as master classes which draw about 6,000 music students, teachers, and spectators. It prides itself in presenting both Western and Chinese music alike.

Marta Iren Hidy was a Hungarian Canadian violinist, conductor and music teacher. In addition to being an accomplished musician, she was a founding member of the music program at McMaster University.

Charles Cozens is involved in the music industry in Canada as an arranger for solo artists; a composer writing in multiple genres for diverse organizations including chamber ensembles, musical theatre, and television; a conductor and producer of crossover orchestral shows; a performer on piano and accordion in jazz, classical, and pop styles; and as a recording artist and producer.

BrottOpera is a Canadian national training program designed for emerging opera singers and serves as a producer and presenter of various opera forms in the southern Ontario region. Operating under the umbrella of the Brott Music Festival, it showcases staged opera performances and opera recitals annually in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardyth Webster Brott</span> Canadian arts adminstrator and author

Ardyth Webster Brott, CM is a Canadian arts administrator, author and lawyer. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Brott Music Festival, National Academy Orchestra of Canada and BrottOpera, based in Hamilton Ontario.

References

  1. ↑ "Festivals: Brott Summer Music Festival", Toronto Life, Rick MacMillan, June 2005, p. 98
  2. ↑ https://www.thespec.com/entertainment/music/tania-miller-to-lead-the-brott-music-festival/article_8c39588f-2c83-5231-8958-b7f3fed2b7c1.html
  3. ↑ "Boris Brott leads the way in having fun with music", The Toronto Star, Geoff Chapman, July 15, 2002
  4. ↑ "Boris Brott: Of Music Note", Phyllis Feldman, Lifestyle magazine, July 2005 p. 21
  5. ↑ "National Academy Orchestra", The Music Scene, Summer 2005, Danielle Dubois p. 11
  6. ↑ "Four area innovators", The Hamilton Spectator, June 1999
  7. ↑ "Moving finale to Pathetique left audience spellbound", Hugh Fraser, The Hamilton Spectator, July 1, 2002.
  8. ↑ "Brott to you: Boris's summer festival blooms in 10 venues" Leonard Turnevicius, The Hamilton Spectator Sat. July 2, 2005, p. Go 9
  9. ↑ https://hamiltonmusician.com/from-hamilton-to-anywhere-boris-brotts-take-on-making-it-in-the-music-industry/
  10. ↑ https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/boundary-waters-clinton-joins-treaty-celebration-at-the-rainbow-bridge/article_19716b84-c024-5162-b863-8fac0b1aba2f.html
  11. ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/headlines/arkells-win-twice-at-2015-junos-in-hamilton-1.2996306
  12. ↑ https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2020/04/30/whos-who-brott-music-launches-new-classical-music-variety-show-online/
  13. ↑ https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/hamilton-s-brott-music-festival-proves-even-in-crisis-innovation-makes-the-show-go-on/article_85debb36-3d34-5be2-a535-603cd3914f66.html
  14. ↑ https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2023/10/24/scoop-brott-festival-names-conductor-tania-miller-artistic-director/
  15. ↑ https://www.thespec.com/opinion/boris-brought-music-to-the-people-hamiltonians-pay-tribute-to-classical-virtuoso/article_a686d054-4439-5d5d-8054-6a9414917e8e.html
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.