Arts & Culture

Praised for their “effortlessly rich, enveloping, and lyrical baritone voice,” Two-Spirit, Cree-Metis singer Jonathon Adams is a voice that needs to be listened to and heard.  

It is a voice informed by historical practice, and one that gives voice to those historically silenced. One that mediates between cultures and locales, fostering connections and encouraging conversation.  

This Sunday, March 3rd at 7:00pm, The Fort Garry Hotel in collaboration with Jazz Winnipeg will be presenting the fabulous Icelandic vocalist, pianist and composer Sigurdís.

Sigurdís grew up in northern Iceland and in 2013 she moved to Reykjavik to pursue jazz studies. Eventually she relocated to Denmark where she completed a Master’s in Composition and Jazz Performance, from the Danish Academy of Music.

This Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30 at the Winnipeg Arts Gallery’s Main Hall, the Virtuosi Concert Series is putting on a concert called With Sick and Famished Eyes. Featuring the otherworldly, gorgeous voice of Canadian baritone Jonathan Adams, this is going to be fantastic concert that features 17th century song, traditional Indigenous music, and their own poetry.

Opening up the concert will be a string trio that consists of three of the finest young string players in Winnipeg today.

The Desautels Faculty of Music and the Department of Icelandic Language and Literature at the University of Manitoba have partnered together to present two concerts celebrating Icelandic music and culture.  

Von um vorið – Hope for Spring – came together, as things often do, through a mutual friend and a suggestion.

This week there are two recitals that feature a phenomenal father and son cello-piano duo. Today, February 27th at The Rady JCC at 2:00pm, the Music and Mavens concert series presents Rapt in Rachmaninov.  This concert will feature Yuri and Ari Hooker. Yuri Hooker is the Principal cellist with The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and his son Ari recently won the $2500.00 prize from the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg, and is currently studying at the University of Manitoba’s Desaultels Faculty of Music.

Earlier today Chris Wolf and his colleague Tanya Blatz, stopped by Lord Nelson School to read to the delightful Grade four class and their teacher Fernando Dalayoan. This was the cherry on top of what has been a phenomenal I Love to Read Month of February.

Fernando entered his class in to the I Love to Read Contest with McNally and Classic 107 and consequently his class ended up being  gifted a whole pile of brand new books compliments of McNally Robinson.

Explore the music of Adolphus Hailstork every day this week at 1:00pm as we wrap up our celebration of Black composers in this final week of Black History Month.

Monday, February 26: Symphony no. 3 (2003)

Tuesday, February 27: Piano Concerto no. 1 (1992)

Wednesday, February 28:Symphony no.1 (1988)

Thursday, February 29: Sonata da Chiesa for String Orchestra (1992)

Friday, March1: Epitaph for a Man who Dreamed (1979)  and 3 Spirituals for Orchestra (2005)

One hundred years ago, George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue was premiered. Audiences sat down on a snowy Tuesday afternoon on February 12th 1924 at Aeolian Hall in Manhattan, and saw a performance of a new masterpiece that would fuse both jazz and classical music. This work would ultimately become one of the hallmarks of American music.

Dead of Winter continues their Truth and Reconciliation concert series this weekend presenting Andrew Balfour’s “Transformation.” 

“Reconciliation is not a destination, it is an ongoing ispiciwin – ongoing journey,” says composer and Dead of Winter Artistic Director Andrew Balfour. “That to, me, is the vital part of our understanding about truth – tapwe, the Cree word for truth – and ispiciwin, journey, and reconciliation.”  

After five seasons as Principal Conductor of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, maestro Julian Pellicano has been announced as Staff Conductor of the National Ballet of Canada. 

Beginning with the 2024/25 season, Pellicano will work alongside the National Ballet's current Music Director and Principal Conductor David Briskin. 

According to the announcement, Pellicano will continue to serve as Music Director of the RWB though will step down as Associate Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2013, in May 2024.