CELEBRITY TRAVEL CORNER

A conversation with classical pianist, Angela Hewitt.

OTTAWA’S ANGELA HEWITT is arguably Canada’s best-known classical pianist. Her award-winning cycle of all the major keyboard works of Bach for Hyperion Records was described as being “one of the record glories of our age,” by the Sunday Times. She has recorded over 200 albums for Hyperion and has won four Juno awards. She has received an OBE from the Queen and in 2015 was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada status. Her discography is massive and includes Scarlatti, Schumann, Debussy and Messiaen. Her current concert project, The Bach Odyssey, has her performing all the keyboard works of J.S. Bach in a series of 12 concerts between 2016 and 2020, presenting the entire cycle in London, New York, Ottawa, Tokyo and Florence.

Angela Hewitt was born into a musical family in Ottawa. Her father was a cathedral organist, choir master and music teacher. She was, however, encouraged to have a well-rounded childhood and studied ballet, violin and recorder and was involved in many activities that most youngsters do. Her performance at the 1985 Toronto International Bach Piano competition, held in memory of Glenn Gould, launched her into the international spotlight. It allowed her to record Bach solo keyboard music, leading critics to anoint her as one of the great Bach interpreters.

In 2005, she launched the annual Trasimeno Musical Festival in Umbria, in which she is featured in seven concerts over seven days, as a recitalist, chamber musician, song accompanist and conductor. She often plays in her hometown of Ottawa and is an ambassador for Orkidstra, a program in Ottawa’s inner city where commitment, teamwork and tolerance are taught while learning music!