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This week, Classic 107 in partnership with Quadrant Private Wealth announced that it is starting a brand-new show dedicated to one of the most celebrated genres in classical music.
Weekend at the Opera will be a weekly deep dive into the world of opera, sharing works by some of the most beloved composers in history as well as some lesser-known gems from the genre’s five-century history.
The show will be co-hosted by Classic 107’s Nolan Kehler and Paul Bruch-Wiens, an opera aficionado and a Private Wealth Manager and Associate Portfolio Manager with Quadrant Private Wealth based in Winnipeg. A fixture in the city’s music scene for many years as a performer and an arts administrator, Bruch Wiens’ love affair with opera began many years ago in his hometown of Morden.
“When I was a kid, we would go to a Mennonite church in Morden,” says Bruch-Wiens. “And of course, in the Mennonite churches back in the 80’s, they were still singing four-part harmony, and that really had a lot to do with me being raised with harmonies that I had to fit into, melodies that you could sing."
That singing passion led Bruch-Wiens to pursue opera as a vocation for many years. Even as he transitioned away from being a full-time performer into a career in finance, he couldn’t quite shake the opera bug. “Opera and music [were] ingrained in my life, and why would I give it up,” Bruch-Wiens recalls of that time. “Rather, I should let it stay ingrained and continue to pursue it in a different light than making it a full-time vocation.”
The skills that Bruch-Wiens picked up on the opera stage have gone on to serve him well in his role at Quadrant Private Wealth. “There is a process that you go through as a singer,” he explains. “How you learn a score is very particular to everyone, but you have to learn it to an -nth degree. You have to learn not just the music, but you have to learn the language... you have to know what’s actually happening in the opera. There is such a good link to what it’s like to be a private wealth manager and associate portfolio manager at Quadrant Private Wealth, and to do that work for whoever needs me to do the work and whoever needs me to help them.”
For Bruch-Wiens, it all comes down to situating the story of the characters on the stage and the clients in his office in context. “Everyone’s life is a bit different than everyone else’s,” says Bruch-Wiens, “and it can get a bit messy at times, and they need help, just like on the opera stage.”
Paul Bruch-Wiens and Nolan Kehler will guide listeners through the varied (and sometimes messy) world of opera music every week on Weekend at the Opera. The program will air on Friday nights at 7 p.m. with an encore presentation on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m.
For more information on Quadrant Private Wealth’s services, visit their website or contact Paul Bruch-Wiens for your wealth management needs.
