Canada Day concert returns to the NAC this July 1
Free tickets for the NAC Orchestra's Canada Day tradition at Southam Hall; grab yours starting Friday at noon.
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The National Arts Centre Orchestra returns with its Canada Day Concert on Wednesday, July 1, at 2:30 p.m. in Southam Hall, celebrating the nation's birthday with conductor Alexander Shelley leading the ensemble.
Admission is free, but tickets are required and will be available starting Friday, June 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET — online, by phone, or in person. There is a limit of four tickets per account; accounts exceeding this limit will have their tickets cancelled without notice. Tickets will appear in patron accounts 48 hours before the concert.
The concert marks the 11th and final season for Shelley as Music Director of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra. Shelley, described by The Telegraph as "a natural communicator, both on and off the podium," has led over 50 major world premieres and conducted acclaimed cycles of Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms symphonies across six continents. After this season, he becomes Music Director-Designate of the Pacific Symphony in Orange County, California, beginning in 2026-27.
Southam Hall is located at 1 Elgin Street in the heart of downtown Ottawa. This is a beloved Canada Day tradition in the nation's capital.