Arts & Culture

Winnipeg’s vibrant arts and culture scene shone this week

Winnipeg’s arts and culture scene continues to dazzle with a rich tapestry of events that highlight the city’s creative spirit. From the youthful energy of the Winnipeg Youth Orchestras to the poignant storytelling of local authors, and from stirring musical premieres to innovative dance tributes, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

This week’s highlights include sing-alongs, theatrical debuts, and performances that inspire curiosity, showcase local talent, and bring the community together.

This weekend marks World AIDS Day all over the world, a day that mourns those who have lost their lives to the disease while also raising awareness and decreasing stigma for those living with HIV and AIDS.  

For 101 Years, the Winnipeg Youth Orchestras have been educating and inspiring music students to achieve musical greatness, while allowing them to have a lot of fun playing music with others. 

This Monday, December 2nd at the Desautels Concert Hall at 7pm, all three orchestras that make up the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra program will be performing in a concert that they are calling Fall Fantasia. 

Tonight at 7pm, McNally Robinson Booksellers is holding a fantastic event that features 3 Winnipeg authors, reading and talking about their new books written for middle School aged children. 

When you step inside the Rachel Browne Theatre at the corner of Main Street and Bannantyne Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, you can feel the reverence that the space holds for the woman who brought contemporary dance to western Canada. 

That innovating spirit and vision will be celebrated this weekend by the ensemble that Browne founded, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, who will open their 60th season with a tribute to Rachel Browne. 

Coming up this Saturday, November 30th at 7pm, Westminster United Church will be holding their first ever Sing-Along Messiah. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who loves to sing, to take part in a completely free event while at the same time reveling in Handel’s masterful music that has become such a staple of the holidays. 

This Sunday afternoon, December 1st at 3pm at Westworth United Church, Manitoba’s premiere women’s choir, the Esprit Singers will be putting on a concert called Magnificat.  

At face value, Under the Linden Trees is a gripping enough story to take in at Théâtre Cercle Molière: a daughter on a mission to recover the body of her brother who died while carrying out a terrorist attack. Some fifteen years earlier, her parents also were the perpetrators of a failed coup d’etat, and even though she abhors her family’s violent causes, she still sets out to retrieve her brother’s remains. 

Winnipeg’s arts and culture scene showcased a dynamic range this week, from drag star Thorgy Thor blending classical music and fashion with the WSO to a local church choir addressing the climate crisis through music.

Highlights also included a Canadian concerto premiere by the MCO, an AI-focused art exhibit, and the announcement of Ruby Award honourees.

Coming up this Sunday night, November 24th at 7pm at the Fort Garry Hotel, Jazz Winnipeg is inviting audiences to get their Groove on with the Very Groovy Things.