Made in Manitoba

Fresh IE is back with a new single, and it's quickly making an impact on both the music charts and for those who listen to it.

'The Wind And The Waves' dropped at midnight, and by 7 a.m. it was already at No. 11 on the iTunes Christian charts. Fresh says the song was a breakthrough for him and hopes it ministers to others. He says the song "comes from a season that God has brought me to, just learning how to be a son (of God) again."

For more than a century the Manitoba Registered Music Association has been providing the best in quality music education to music students across the Province of Manitoba.

Despite the challenges that the pandemic has created, students of MRTMA teachers are still enjoying the process of learning music, and are performing. Remote learning over Zoom and social distancing measures have clearly not smothered the fire and desire for students to study music.

He hasn't even put out an album yet, but a Canadian worship leader is already attracting thousands of followers thanks to performing with Mac Powell, Cade Thompson and others. There's a catch, though.

A local singer is returning to the stage to honour the birth of Jesus.

Chad Celaire runs a tandem bicycle rental in Winnipeg called Bee2gether Bikes. However, when December hits, he is also known as The Christmas Singer. 

"It's like it's a five-year anniversary show," says Celaire. "Five years ago I got permission from a company in France to use their backing tracks to do a Christmas concert."

Celaire has performed roughly 70 shows in his five-year Christmas singing career. This includes playing at concert venues, senior care homes, and private home shows. 

On Wednesday, December 29th the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg will presenting their annual scholarship winner's recital. The concert takes place at Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church at 7:30pm.

There are six wonderful young scholarship winners who will be performing on Wednesday the 29th. The recital will be continuing the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg’s long legacy of promoting young up-an-coming Manitoba musicians through both financial support and performance opportunities.

A ministry leader from Winnipeg is releasing an updated version of his children's Christmas song. 

The Christmas single from singer/songwriter Kelly Wiens is called 'It's Time to Sing.' It was produced in collaboration with Winnipeg's Christian rapper, Fresh IE.

"He is a wise man," says Wiens when it comes to working with Fresh IE. "He's a great guy. I really loved working with him yesterday. Fellowship together was awesome."

Wiens originally wrote the song 18 years ago.

On Wednesday, December 29th the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg will presenting their annual scholarship winners recital. The concert takes place at Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church at 7:30pm.

This year’s six winners consist of two singers, one violinist, one violist, a cellist and a clarinetist. These six young Manitoba musicians will present a recital that will showcase the best in up-and-coming Manitoba talent. Something the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg had been specializing in for more than 125 years.

A demographic that has long eschewed the spotlight, who knew the daily goings-on of Mennonites would draw such a massive audience?

Andrew Unger of Steinbach, author and founder of the popular news website The Daily Bonnet, has written more than 1,800 articles about Mennonite life – from a satirical point of view.

The online publication has attracted more than 10 million visitors since its launch in 2016.

This holiday season, a local singer is encouraging people to focus on the Christ in Christmas. 

Nasah Vie is one of the worship leaders at Christ Embassy Christian Centre, a church in downtown Winnipeg. She has also released a Christmas single called 'Real Christmas Season.' 

"When I grew up celebrating Christmas, I grew up in Nigeria, we never celebrated Christmas with the intent of leaving Christ out it," says Vie. "So my parents, both Christians, told us that when we got gifts, baby Jesus gave you that gift."

A Manitoba musician is disappointed to cancel his 12-concert Christmas tour in Germany.

Danny Plett says the country is seeing a drastic increase in COVID-19 cases and that’s what stopped his shows from going forward as planned.

“We got to the place where we just had to pull the plug and say we can’t do it,” Plett says. The Steinbach singer is a well-beloved performer not only here in Canada but in Germany.

He adds it was a heartbreaking decision but they feel it was the right decision.