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10 classical pieces to celebrate Manitoba Day in style.
Cue the fanfare (maybe with a fiddle flourish or a bit of bassoon drama): it’s Manitoba Day! Every May 12, we mark the day in 1870 when the Manitoba Act received royal assent, paving the way for the province to join Confederation. That makes us the keystone province in more ways than one—geographically central, culturally rich, and musically vibrant.
Manitoba Day isn’t just about historical milestones and government acts, though. It’s a chance to celebrate all the things that make this prairie province special—from wide-open skies and wild northern beauty to multicultural vibrancy and world-class artistry. And what better way to honour that spirit than with music from composers who call (or once called) Manitoba home?
Here are ten homegrown classical works that echo with the sounds, stories, and soul of Manitoba.
🎶 Manitoba Memoir — Robert Turner
An undisputed titan of the Canadian classical scene, Robert Turner composed Manitoba Memoir in honour of his adopted home. It’s a reflective orchestral piece that feels like a love letter to the province—nostalgic, sweeping, and grounded in prairie light. Turner was a long-time professor at the University of Manitoba and helped shape generations of composers.
🎻 Caprices for Solo Violin — Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté
One of the fiercest violin virtuosos you’ve probably never heard of, E-Gramatté (as she's often known) brought fire and fury to everything she touched. Her Caprices are wildly inventive solo works that combine European technique with raw energy. Though born in Russia, she lived her later years in Winnipeg and is buried here—truly an adopted Manitoban with global flair.
🕍 Klezmer Suite — Sid Robinovitch
If you’ve ever found yourself dancing in your seat during a klezmer concert, thank composers like Sid Robinovitch. His Klezmer Suite for clarinet and ensemble brims with Yiddish spirit—playful, soulful, and rhythmically alive. Based in Winnipeg, Robinovitch has long explored the intersection of Jewish musical traditions and contemporary classical music.
🪶 Ispiciwin — Andrew Balfour
Andrew Balfour is a musical visionary whose Cree heritage guides his powerful storytelling. Ispiciwin (Cree for “journey”) blends classical, choral, and Indigenous traditions into a haunting meditation on identity, displacement, and reconnection. Balfour’s work is deeply Manitoban, rooted in the land and the truths it holds.
💙 Solace — Jocelyn Morlock
Although Jocelyn Morlock hailed from BC, her ties to Manitoba run deep—she studied here and shaped her early voice in the prairies. Solace, a piece for violin, cello, and orchestra, balances lyricism with emotional intensity. It’s a poignant work that feels especially resonant on a day of reflection and celebration.
🌌 Akasha — Glenn Buhr
Glenn Buhr’s Akasha (a Sanskrit word meaning "ether" or "sky") is a shimmering, textural piece that seems to float above the prairies. Buhr co-founded the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's New Music Festival and has spent his life championing fresh sounds. This work captures his spiritual and sonic curiosity.
🎻 Cello Concerto — Jim Hiscott
Composer, accordionist, and sonic adventurer, Jim Hiscott’s Cello Concerto is a dynamic, emotionally rich work that blends Western and non-Western influences. Based in Winnipeg, Hiscott’s music is full of rhythmic vitality and bold colours—a fitting soundtrack for a province known for its cultural mosaics.
🧊 Inuit Games — T. Patrick Carrabré
Playful, percussive, and delightfully unpredictable, Carrabré’s Inuit Games evokes traditional Arctic throat singing through the medium of two classically trained sopranos. It’s a piece that challenges and delights in equal measure. Carrabré, former WSO composer-in-residence, is a pillar of Manitoba’s musical landscape.
💃 Reel Waltz — Karen Sunabacka
Blending the elegance of a waltz with the toe-tapping energy of a fiddle reel, this piece reflects Sunabacka’s Métis and Mennonite heritage. Lighthearted yet thoughtful, Reel Waltz is a celebration of Manitoba’s dance traditions and cultural intersections. Sunabacka teaches at Laurier now, but her roots trace back to the Red River Valley.
🌀 Aiby Aicy Aidyai — Diana McIntosh
Diana McIntosh was a boundary-pusher of the highest order. Her delightfully titled Aiby Aicy Aidyai is pure sonic experimentation—text, electronics, extended vocal techniques, the works. One of Manitoba’s great new music champions, McIntosh dared audiences to listen differently, and this piece is a fitting reminder of her trailblazing legacy.
So this May 12, crank up the volume, cue up a playlist of prairie-born brilliance, and let the music carry you from tundra to tallgrass. Happy Manitoba Day—now pass the perogies and plug in the speakers.