Made in Manitoba

A Manitoba composer has a project in-the-works to bring new hymns to local believers.

Pierre Desorcy says he is nearing completion on his first album, a faith-based collection of original hymns.

"Since I was a kid, I always wanted to write music that was faith-based and that could possibly be sung in churches so I decided it was time for me to start doing that," he says.

Desorcy began playing drums in his early teenage years but hasn't decided to conform to the stereotype that drummers can't read musical notes.

Made in Manitoba artist Bold As Lions has won a piece of a $100,000 prize after being selected as finalists in Canada's Walk of Fame.

The faith-based band, composed of husband and wife Sean and Karli Quigley, was selected as a third-place finalist in the emerging artist program.

More than 1,400 entries from across the country were submitted for the country. The winner and five finalists were chosen by a committee of music industry experts.

Bold as Lion was the only Manitoba group to be selected.

A Winnipeg woman is sharing miracles in the midst of a Christmas celebrated in Winnipeg during the pandemic. 

Jackie Vanderdonckt just released her latest eBook called A Night Before Christmas.  

"My book is about a young, childless couple who are struggling in their Christian faith and get an unexpected knock at their door."

A Manitoba pastor is releasing a new Christmas song to lift spirits that may have been dampened during 2020.

Jake Fretz, pastor of Prairie Alliance Church in Portage la Prairie, says his new song "Emmanuel God With Us" is about the call Christmas puts on the lives of Christians.

"Every year we celebrate how Jesus came to earth and shared God's power and love with us, but recently, I've been reminded that through God's spirit, Jesus is still and always will be Emmanuel God with us," Fretz says.

It was a very happy birthday weekend for Fresh IE as his latest project quickly shot up the music charts.

The Winnipeg rapper (AKA Robert Wilson) debuted Heart Breaks on Friday.

On Saturday he received one of the greatest birthday gifts possible as the album was quickly climbing on the Apple Music inspirational charts. It debuted at No. 21 on the charts. "Thank you all for the birthday love!!" he writes in an online post.

By Sunday it had reached No. 8, surrounded by the likes of Lauren Daigle at No. 4 and Chris Tomlin at No. 5.

Mattmac may be blind, but that is not stopping him from creating moving music.

He is debuting his first single, 'Paradise', that will be part of an upcoming album being released within the next month or two.

Mattmac's new music is meant to convey inspiration to young people facing hardships in their life. 

Mattmac knows a thing or two about hardships. He was born blind, yet he continues to live life with a bright disposition.

Fresh IE takes listeners from the valley low up to the mountaintop with his brand-new album, pointing to the Lord's hope in dark times.

"It's an interesting project that God has placed on my heart," says Robert Wilson, stage name Fresh IE, about this new album. 

The name of the album is Heart Breaks and it has 17 fresh songs on it. Each one is a mix of funk, hip-hop, R&B, and soul. 

An award-winning folk singer is releasing a new album that is part of a dialogue about Jesus, Indigenous people, and history.

William Prince is releasing Gospel First Nation on October 23, 2020.

Prince grew up in Peguis First Nation, just north of Fisher Branch, and now he lives in Winnipeg.

"My musical foundation is rooted in country-folk gospel songs and traditional hymns, emulated from the greats like Hank Williams, Charley Pride, and Johnny Cash," he says.

While the term 'haunted' doesn't sound like a Christian term, one songwriter is sharing a deeper meaning for her latest video and song.

Heidi Korte teaches singers and songwriters across Canada. She also teaches young worship leaders and Christian musicians up in the Interlake in person once a week. 

She's originally from Northeastern Ontario but has lived in Winnipeg for the past 15 years. She goes to her home in Ontario every summer. It was there that the inspiration for her latest song came to her.

From bake sales to races, one courageous teenager has raised $75,000 for Cancer Care after beating brain tumours herself as a child.

Abigail Stewart is a 14-year-old survivor, having gone through Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, a cancer-like condition, as a young child. She is being honoured with the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy Award at the Manitoba Philanthropy Awards celebration on November 13.