By Poppy Philbrook
Expo Reporter
OSAKA, Japan – It was a night of legends honouring one of their own for Canada here at Expo 2025. The National Arts Centre Orchestra joined forces with the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet (OPCQ), Canadian pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, OrKidstra, Sistema New Brunswick, and the Tokyo Children’s Ensemble from El Sistema Japan, in a tribute to Oscar Peterson before a capacity crowd at Expo.
The June 6 event marked a celebration during the 100th anniversary of the birth of Montreal-born jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, who also had a deep connection to Japan over the decades.
The concert was held in the so-called Shining Hat, the primary event venue at the heart of the sprawling Expo site. The venue is called the Shining Hat because its design features a brilliant golden disk sitting atop a sturdy cylindrical base.
The NAC orchestra conductor Alexander Shelley reminded the crowd of how fitting it was to be celebrating Peterson’s musical genius as part of a Canadian showcase at Expo in Japan.
“This concert isn’t just a celebration of Oscar’s 100th birthday — it’s a musical homecoming,” Shelley told audience members in the packed venue. Some had lined up two hours before doors opened.
As the Shining Hat’s lights came up, in the crowd there were murmurs of “sugoi” ( amazing), and ”subarashī, ( wonderful).
Peterson took the first step in cementing his legacy among Japanese jazz enthusiasts some 72 years ago during his first tour of Japan in 1953. Peterson would return regularly to the island nation, “…cultivating deep, meaningful relationships with audiences and musicians alike,” Shelley said.
Oscar Peterson would go on to become both the first Canadian and first jazz pianist to be awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale Award from the Japan Art Association in 1999.
Beyond Japan, Peterson worked regularly with fellow jazz icons throughout his career, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.
Despite all the international acclaim and accolades, Peterson never forgot his Canadian roots, according to Jim Doxas, Juno-award-winning and Grammy-nominated drummer of the OPCQ. Indeed, a key attraction outside the NAC in downtown Ottawa is a striking bronze sculpture of Peterson at the piano.
“One of the things that I like about Oscar’s career is that he focused on Canada and the identity,” Doxas, who shares Montreal with Peterson as his hometown, said in an interview before the Quartet’s June 8 performance at the Canada Pavilion, following up on the orchestra’s performance the night before.
“It’s beautiful how he tied everything in with different parts of the country,” Doxas said.
The June 6 program took audiences through the world premiere of a newly commissioned arrangement of Peterson’s “Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite,” a collection of songs dedicated to the pianist’s home country. Shelley, alongside the NAC-O and the OPCQ, expertly guided the audience through the body of work’s highs with “Dancerton” to its lullaby-esque lows like “Lonesome Prairie.”
The night ended with a string performance of “Hymn to Freedom,” arranged by Mike Downes and orchestrated by Chris LaRosa. They were joined by the powerful voices of OrKidstra, Sistema New Brunswick, and Friends of El Sistema Japan, cementing Peterson’s legacy in the next generation of musicians, and reflecting the Canada Pavilion’s theme of regeneration.
Some 28 million visitors are expected at Expo before the event closes Oct. 13, creating a unique opportunity for Canadian performing artists to showcase Canada to Japanese and international audiences.
Expo attendee Mutsumi Muro sat front row at the June 6 tribute concert, waving a small Canadian flag that was given out earlier in the day by pavilion staff to those who lined up early.
“I didn’t know about Oscar Peterson before, but I was really moved,” Muro said, speaking in Japanese. “It was wonderful! This performance has changed the image of Canada we had in our minds,” Muro said.
Visiting the Expo from Osaka’s neighbouring prefecture, Kyoto, jazz enthusiast Kania Tanito said she knew of Oscar Peterson before, having attended one of Peterson’s concerts decades ago.
“I like Oscar Peterson quite a bit. When I first heard Oscar Peterson, I thought, ‘Oh! I heard Oscar Peterson is coming! What the heck?” Tanito said, admitting she’d been confused by the event’s advertising and thought it was the late artist himself who was taking the stage.
“I don’t know what kind of players those four are,” she said, referring to the quartet. But they have amazing technique. Also, they have a great groove and are really into it. It was just the best,”She said she was glad that Peterson’s legacy lived on through the quartet.
“I didn’t know about Oscar Peterson before, but I was really moved. It was wonderful! This performance has changed the image of Canada we had in our minds.”
— Mutsumi Muro, Expo attendee
Doxas considers Peterson’s music timeless, having rediscovered Peterson’s work from varying perspectives since first discovering the pianist’s work in his parents’ CD collection at age 12. “Going back and listening to some of the music we were referencing last evening, it’s still like, ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. You’ve got to be kidding!”
Doxas said he hopes audiences go on a similar journey of discovery.
“I hope audiences are introduced, or reintroduced, to Oscar Peterson and go back and listen to some of his recordings.” Doxas continued. “There’s no end to it (Peterson’s music), just a pathway.”
