OTTAWA – Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE) and the National Arts Centre teamed up on Tuesday for a demonstration of how technology is transforming education and the arts.
As part of the NAC’s Manhattan on the Rideau masterclass series, acclaimed jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon instructed three jazz students in Ottawa from his location at Manhattan School of Music in New York for two hours via the CANARIE network and its broadband videoconference technology.
“It’s incredible what happens when you combine artistic inspiration with CANARIE’s high-bandwidth network,” said Jim Roche, CANARIE interim president and CEO, in the announcement. “This kind of program just isn’t possible over the commercial Internet. The data streams need an ultra high-speed, high-capacity network to deliver such superior quality audio and video.”
The Manhattan on the Rideau program, now in its seventh season, is one of several NAC programs that use the CANARIE network.
“Using the CANARIE Network, the NAC has become a real pioneer in using distance learning in the performing arts,” said NAC president and CEO, Peter Herrndorf. “These kinds of programs continue to be an extraordinarily valuable experience for young artists, allowing them to grow by learning from some of the world’s best musicians and teachers.”
Other arts institutions connected to the CANARIE network include the Emily Carr Institute of Art, the Ontario College of Art and Design, the Banff Centre, the Canadian Film Centre and the National Film Board. More than 40,000 researchers at over 225 Canadian universities and colleges also use the network, as do researchers at numerous institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories across the country.
