The National Arts Centre Orchestra, founded in 1969 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is a symphonic orchestra that has been an integral part of the country's musical landscape. Initially led by Jean-Marie Beaudet and Mario Bernardi, the orchestra began its international tours in 1973, visiting cities as far as Leningrad. Under the direction of Pinchas Zukerman from 1999 to 2015, the ensemble expanded to 61 musicians. Alexander Shelley took over as director musical in 2015, leading notable releases such as The Bounds of Our Dreams (2018), which was nominated for a JUNO Award, and Clara, Robert, Johannes: Darlings of the Muses (2020). The orchestra has commissioned over 90 new works, primarily from Canadian composers, and has performed in more than 130 cities worldwide, including major European tours in 1999, 2017, and 2019.
