Made in Manitoba

The real meaning of Christmas comes through in a local artist's rendition of a classic hymn. 

Barbara Joy is a Winnipeg musician and worship leader, who released a version of a well-known Christmas hymn. 

"What could go wrong when you pick a famous song like 'Joy to the World' by Handel and Isaac Watts," says Joy. "Yet in a sense being very careful with what you do with a famous Christmas carol."

The chorus which Joy wrote is based on Luke 2:10.

Inspiration can strike anywhere, and that means even the idea for a new Christmas song while walking into a fast food joint.

"The truth is (the song) actually came out of a Wendy's burger," Made in Manitoba artist and worship pastor Jake Fretz says about his Christmas single "Emmanuel God With Us."

The worship pastor at Prairie Alliance Church in Portage la Prairie, Man., says he's been getting ready for Christmas at church pretty much since Easter.

Check out more about how the song came to be and watch a live performance here.

Local gospel singer Bunmi Praise dreamt about a new song, and it is now her latest single called 'Forever.'

Olubunmi Oduntan goes by her stage name Bunmi Praise when she's singing. Her latest single, 'Forever,' was released on November 7 and it already has over 10,000 YouTube views. 

"We serve a living God and He is forever. Before the earth was formed, He has been there. Even now He's still there. Even when there isn't anything called Earth, He will still be there. In all our troubles, in all our trials, everything we go through, God is there."

Modern missionaries from Manitoba are filled with gratitude because after a decade in Tanzania, they are opening a quality medical clinic for people who otherwise wouldn't get health care.

Having met at Providence College and Theological Seminary, Darryl and Shirley Peters raised their three children in Southern Manitoba before moving to Africa. 

"I've known since 12-years-old that Africa was in my heart," says Shirley. "We can't thank God enough for the honour and privilege to live in Tanzania, to be stewards of this land."

A local author is publishing her second novel this year, this one tackling faith even when things are puzzling. 

"This book is a little bit different in that it surrounds a jigsaw puzzle," says Terrie Todd about her new novel, The Last Piece. "It's a split-time fiction and starts way back during the Great Depression with a young artist who is trying to provide for his family by selling his art for jigsaw puzzles which were all the rage at the time."

Todd says the structure of the book is different than most novels. 

Tomorrow night Saturday, November 13th at 7:30pm at Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, there will be a really fascinating concert of music written for percussion ensemble.

The Fresh Blood Project is an innovative and exciting percussion group that was founded in 2019. The mandate of the group is to collaborate with young up and coming composers, with the idea being that the composers would write new music for the ensemble, and have the group perform these pieces.

Jordan St. Cyr has released Christmas music for the first time in his career, with not one but two singles, and now fans can enjoy the video for one of his songs.

'Rejoice' is an original Christmas song written by St. Cyr. He talks with Mike Thom about the meaning behind the song as well as the excitement of Advent & Christmas as a father, and as a follower of Jesus.

This Sunday night at 7:30pm at the Winnipeg Arts Gallery’s Muriel Richardson Auditorium, the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society makes its long awaited return to the live in person concert stage. And what better way to make a return to the stage with the exhilarating, heroic and perfectly crafted music of Beethoven.

They will perform two trios by Beethoven, his piano trio in C minor op.1 no 3, and one of his more iconic piano trios, the magnificent Archduke trio.

A cheery song released by a local singing coach is a great reminder that going to the dentist doesn't have to be scary. 

'God Loves to Go to the Dentist with Me' is the title of Heidi Korte's latest kids song. 

"This song was actually written for an adult who has severe dental anxiety," says Korte. "I was on the phone with this individual last month and they were struggling with anxiety a week before a simple cleaning, and I started singing to them. Even to help them realize that God doesn't leave us when we're at the dentist."

Whether you are planning on buying or selling your home, the prospect of starting the process can be really daunting; mortgage rates, down payments, staging and preparing your home for sale, the cost of moving, the flexibility and at time uncertainty of the housing market. There are just so many things to think about.