The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. stirred up a ruckus earlier this year when it announced that it would disband its CBC Radio Orchestra. But now, thanks in part to the efforts of an avid supporter, the orchestra will spin off from the CBC and continue to perform throughout Canada.
[Music Director Alain] Trudel said he expects to perform six to 10 programs a year, with 35 to 50 players — a busier schedule than the old orchestra had last season, when it played five concerts at Vancouver’s Chan Centre. But some of the NBO’s performances will be studio recordings, with only a small audience present to give the show some “edge,” he said. That kind of studio work was the norm for much of the radio orchestra’s life.