Kent Nagano and the OSM visit Nunavik in September 2008!

Press release
For immediate distribution

KENT NAGANO AND MUSICIANS FROM THE OSM ON TOUR IN
QUÉBEC¹S FAR NORTH

Montreal, Sunday, May 25, 2008 ­ The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
and Avataq Cultural Institute announce that a tour will take place from
September 11 to 15 in Nunavik, a vast territory located in the arctic
region of Québec. The project became official this evening at the McCord
Museum during a get-together of the two institutions. Members of the
Inuit community took advantage of the occasion to ³initiate² Maestro
Kent Nagano and several OSM musicians to some of the great Inuit
traditions. Mr. Charlie Arngak, president of Avataq, also attended, as
did a number of Inuit dignitaries, including Pita Aatami, president of
Makivik Corporation, Larry Watt, mayor of Kuujjuaq, Johnny Naktialuk,
mayor of Inukjuak and Mary A. Pilurtuut, mayor of Kangiqsujuaq.

In September, Maestro Kent Nagano together with seven OSM musicians will
visit three Nunavik villages: Inukjuak (1,600 inhabitants), Kangiqsujuaq
(600 inhabitants) and Kuujjuaq (2,100 inhabitants). ³Throughout the
world,² OSM music director Kent Nagano points out, ³people appreciate
and love Oclassical¹ orchestral music, even in societies where
indigenous cultural traditions are alive and nurtured. This illustrates
the fundamentally human character embodied by the culture of orchestral
playing and orchestral music in general. The OSM, which will celebrate
its 75th season in 2008-2009, is deeply committed to the humanistic
tradition of music making and regards the touring project in Nunavik as
a sign of its solidarity with the people of the North and their culture.²

The concerts will include Stravinsky¹s Soldier¹s Tale, the text for
which, originally written in French, will be recited in Inuktitut by an
Inuit actor to direction by Alexis Martin. Another work on the program
was commissioned for this tour from Canadian composer Alexina Louie.
This piece, inspired by Inuit culture, is scored for seven musicians and
two throat singers. Also to be performed is a monumental work of Western
music, Mozart¹s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, arranged for the seven-musician
ensemble by Gilles Bellemare.

During their stay in Nunavik the musicians will also take part, in each
community, in various educational activities at elementary and high
schools. Workshops will touch on a variety of topics ranging from an
introduction to orchestral instruments to a presentation of the works
and composers that will be heard in the evening.

The Nunavik tour comprises an encounter between a great musical
tradition and culture much older still. For the OSM and the directors of
Avataq Institute, such an exchange between the Orchestra and the Inuit
community can only lead to a deeper understanding of classical music on
one side and Inuit culture on the other. The Canadian and international
public will be able to follow this musical adventure in the Arctic
courtesy of a travel journal updated daily on the Avataq and OSM
websites. Information is already available on http://nunavik.osm.ca. A
documentary will also be produced.

In the words of Avataq president Charlie Arngak, ³The OSM Nunavik Tour
is an unusual and exciting event for Nunavik. This is a great chance for
Nunavimmiut to experience music that we have only heard in movies and on
television. We are very proud to have our Inuit artists collaborating
with such a distinctive company of musicians, and we are honoured to
host Maestro Nagano and the OSM. This gift of music and the shared
cultural experience between Nunavik and the orchestra members will be
remembered for many years to come.²

Nunavik extends to the extreme north of Québec. Its population of about
10,000 people, the great majority of them Inuit, is spread out over 15
coastal communities that are accessible only by airplane or, in summer,
by boat. Kuujjuaq, the closest to Montreal, is 1,400 kilometres away;
the most distant, Kangiqsujuaq, is 1,800 kilometres.

A non-profit charitable organization, Avataq Cultural Institute was
founded in 1980 by the Elders of Nunavik with the aim of protecting and
promoting the language and culture of Inuit in Northern Québec. During
its more than 25 years of existence, it has carried out several projects
having to do with language, ancestral culture, art, archaeology and
genealogy. The Institute is also the custodian of the Collection of
Inuit Art of Nunavik.

Makivik is the development corporation mandated to manage the heritage
funds of the Inuit of Nunavik provided for in the James Bay and Northern
Quebec Agreement. Makivik Corporation promotes the preservation of Inuit
language and culture as well as the health, social and economic
well-being and education of the Inuit in the communities.

This tour by the OSM has been made possible thanks to the support of
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (Inuit Secretariat), Conseil des Arts
et des Lettres du Québec, Air Inuit, the regional government of Kativik,
Makivik Corporation, Canadian Royalties and the J. Armand Bombardier
Foundation. It is being conducted in partnership with the villages of
Inukjuak, Kangiqsujuaq and Kuujjuaq, and in association with the Kativik
School Board, the McCord Museum and Northern Delight Herbal Teas.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is presented by Hydro-Québec

Source: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Avataq

Information:
Lucie Paquin, Head of Media Relations, OSM
514-840-7414

Taqralik Partridge, Media Relations, Avataq
514-989-9031, ext. 242

http://nunavik.osm.ca