Arts & Culture

The Izzy Asper Jazz Performances takes the stage at the Desautels Concert Hall this weekend to present an ensemble with a wide-ranging musical language. 

At a press conference outside the Royal Winnipeg Ballet headquarters in downtown Winnipeg on Friday, the federal government announced new funding for performing arts organizations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. 

How does an orchestra become an orchestra in the first place? 

That’s the question that the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra will be answering this weekend with the help of guest artists. Together, they will trace the history of the orchestra’s development and growth over the centuries in a concert called How to Grow an Orchestra with a healthy dose of comedy to boot. 

It’s a Canadian moment that many people will remember: Princess Diana visiting AIDS patients at the Casey House in Toronto in 1991. 

Thirty years later, that visit has been given a theatrical treatment in the form of Casey and Diana. The play debuted back in 2023 at the Stratford Festival in 2023, and now, it will grace the John Hirsch Mainstage at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre starting this week.  

Given the wide range of musicals featured in the annual spring showcase being presented by the University of Manitoba Musical Theatre Ensemble, the title Anything Goes! feels like an appropriate one.  

This Sunday, March 23 at 7 pm, jazz pianist Carter Graham will take the stage at the Fort Garry Hotel for Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn and Joe Henderson. The performance promises an evening of rich harmonies and musical storytelling, as Graham explores the legacies of two jazz icons. 

Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) is inviting audiences on a magical journey through the deep, dark woods as it presents The Gruffalo’s Child from March 21 to 30. In collaboration with London-based Tall Stories Theatre, this heartwarming adaptation of Julia Donaldson’

Renowned concert pianist András Schiff, known for his opposition to authoritarian rule in Russia and his native Hungary, has announced he will no longer perform in the United States. Citing concerns over President Donald Trump’s "unbelievable bullying" on the world stage, Schiff said he could not, in good conscience, continue to play in a country whose leadership he finds troubling.

Theatre Projects Manitoba’s latest production slides between the mythic past and the looming future, the perspectives of the oppressor and the oppressed, and the distinction between revenge and righteousness. 

Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan has been named one of the three recipients of the 2025 Polar Music Prize, one of the most prestigious honours in the music world. Hannigan, celebrated for her groundbreaking interpretations of contemporary classical music, joins legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and iconic British rock band Queen as this year’s laureates.