Canadian orchestras and musicians are becoming more recognized in Italy, despite the federal government cutting back support for Canadian artists touring abroad.
…But the symbolic apex of Canadianism was witnessed in Rome, where the Accademia Filarmonica Romana hosted a Canada Day celebration in July as part of its annual Festival of Nations.
Ann Summers Dossena of Toronto’s International Resource Centre for Performing Artists organized the festivities in the Accademia’s historic home and gardens in central Rome. It was only the latest of a series of projects through which the part-time Italian resident has fostered relations between the two countries, including a Canadian festival mounted in L’ Aquila several years ago.
For Canada Day, she brought together a number of classical musicians, including the Borealis String Quartet from Vancouver, violinist Guillaume Tardif from Edmonton, Toronto clarinetist Kornel Wolak and Montreal soprano Jana Miller with pianist Jordan de Souza. Several Canadian compositions were featured, most of them receiving first performances in Italy.