The Canadian Tulip Festival is usually the unofficial kick off to spring in the nation’s capital. This year the festival marks the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands.

Commissioner’s Park is currently closed to the public due to the health crisis, so the Festival has gone online. if you’re missing your tulip fix, you can now watch TULIP TV! Catch the performances, watch Tulip Toons, find out everything you never knew about the historical significance of the event, get a behind-the-scenes insider view of the Festival and much more on their website, www.tulipfestival.ca

MUSIC AND TULIPS CONCERT SERIES

Hosted by Ottawa impresario (and CAMMAC teacher) Julian Armour, Music & Tulips will release a music video each day during the Festival. Julian introduces each concert, providing context that ties each performance in with the Festival’s Liberation75 theme.

NOT TO BE MISSED: Glebe North – Leaving Home

Julian Armour performs Glebe North – Leaving Home on cello, accompanied by his son Francis Armour at the piano.

Julian talks about former Festival director David O’Malley’s project of mapping out the homes in his own Ottawa neighbourhood that had lost a soldier in one of the two world wars. This map inspired Julian to write out some notes. He showed the notes and map to Ottawa composer Gilles Leclerc, who was inspired to compose the deeply moving piece played by Julian and Francis in this video. They end their performance with a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria.

OF SPECIAL NOTE:  

The Festival’s Grand Finale: watch CAMMAC favourites, Holland’s Utrecht String Quartet, perform a very special “Canadian” arrangement of the wartime classic, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, at the spectacular Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This is followed by a beautiful rendition of Glen Stewart Morley’s Prelude No. 1, performed by Julian Armour on cello and Frédéric Lacroix on piano.

A Tribute to the Jewish Experience, introduced by Julian Armour who also performs on cello, accompanied by Frédéric Lacroix on piano.

Traditional Fiddle; An Ode to French Canada & Rural Canada, with Alexis Marchand.