The Canadian National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra is to set up an online archive featuring 150 performances to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

NAC performances will be available at the NAC Musicbox on the organisation's award-winning website ArtsAlive.ca.

The online music collection, which has been compiled to celebrate Canada Day, features a selection of recorded performances from the last 40 years.

There is also a virtual music exhibit on the site, providing listeners with photos, essays and historical background for the orchestra.

Key highlights in the collection include a six-part podcast series on the history of the orchestra by classical music broadcasting expert Eric Friesen.

There will also be some French-speaking content provided by musicologist Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer of the LeDroit newspaper.

Special guests for these online broadcasts include Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Angela Hewitt and Anton Kuerti.

The NAC Orchestra was joined by the 400-member Unisong Choir to celebrate Canada Day (July 1st) in Ottowa, where they performed live.

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