Young Canadian wins prestigious viola competition

Emad Zolfaghari has been crowned the winner of the 2024 Primrose International Viola Competition.

The 19-year-old from Oakville, Ont. studies at the Curtis Institute of Music where he is the co-principal viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.

The prize includes $15,000 as well as invitations to perform at the 2026 American Viola Society Festival and to participate in the semi-finals of the Concert Artists Guild Competition.

Intermezzo at 1 p.m.: The Symphonies of Leopold Koželuch

Tune in at 1:00p.m. all this week as we celebrate the 277th birthday of the pianist, teacher, and composer Leopold Koželuch. 

Koželuch was born in Velvary in the central part of the Czech Republic in 1747. Bohemia at that time was known as having some of the finest musicians in Europe. One of the reasons for this was the high quality of early childhood music education. Boys and girls were educated in music, and this served Koželuch well, as a young boy he was already becoming noticed as an exceptionally fine pianist. 

Jazz, jams, and Juilliard: bassist Ilya Osachuk on Morning Light

Winnipeg-born, New York-based musician Ilya Osachuk returns home to lead a series of late-night jazz jams as part of the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival.  

“It’s amazing to be able to come back and play what it is I’ve been working on the last year or two,” says Osachuk, a bassist, composer and arranger.  

 

Dreaming in the Ruins: Shakespeare in the Ruins invites audiences to bask in the bard

Since June 6th Winnipeg audiences have had the opportunity to see the best in live theatre out at the Trappist Monastery ruins in St. Norbert. 

A perennial, favorite, Shakespeare in the Ruins (S.I.R.) has been a mainstay of early Winnipeg summers for 30 years. It has been entertaining audiences in Shakespeare and adjacent Shakespeare plays, allowing audiences to rejoice in the bard amid the fantastic surroundings of the ruins. 

Toasting the high notes: 'Opera by the Pint' returns

One of life’s simple pleasures is sitting on a patio, feeling the sun shining while sipping on a crisp, cool beverage.  

Add to that live music and you’re in for a real treat.  

The folks over at Flipside Opera and Art Song Collective have embraced that winning combination with their seasonal hit, “Opera by the Pint” at Little Brown Jug Brewing Co.   

Intermezzo at 1p.m.: jazzy classical selections in honour of the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival

The 35th TD Winnipeg International Jazz festival kicked off on Friday, June 14th. Featuring some of the best local and international jazz musicians performing over nine nights, this year's festival features a killer line up of talent. 

In celebration of this beloved Winnipeg summer tradition, Classic 107 will feature jazz-inspired compositions every day this week during the 1 p.m. hour:

'Playing' to the social aspect of kids' lives through music at Sistema Winnipeg

It isn't an overstatement to say that Sistema Winnipeg changes lives. 

In partnership with the Seven Oaks and Winnipeg School Divisions, the afterschool initiative aims to help youth make a difference in their world and communities through the skills and connections developed through music.