Arts & Culture

This Sunday, October 6 at 3 p.m. at the Wag-Qaumajug's Muriel Richardson Auditorium, The Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg in Collaboration with Jazz Winnipeg with partial sponsorship provided by Asdel Structural Engineers will be presenting a concert that features one of Canada's bright lights of composition and cross-cultural musical melding. 

Polymath, educator, philosopher, composer, conductor, and pianist Dinuk Wijeratne has been entertaining and enlightening audiences from Coast to Coast to Coast.  

On Friday, September 20th the Halifax based Leaf Music Label released a fabulous recording that features two grand works for cello and piano. Called Dialogues the recording features Rachmaninov’s lyrical and monumental cello sonata, and Rebecca Clarke’s impressionistic and gorgeous viola sonata which she herself arranged for cello. 

On September 24 Prairie Theatre Exchange kicked off its 2024-25 season with a situation comedy called Bed and Breakfast. This is a true farce that is sure to leave audiences rolling in the aisles.  

Here's a look at this week's top arts and culture stories on Classic 107.

Dame Maggie Smith dies at 89

Legendary British actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series, has passed away at the age of 89. Her career spanned seven decades, earning her multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards. Fans around the world mourn the loss of a true icon in theatre and film.
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Benoit Pinette, known by his stage name Tire le coyote, was set to perform his upcoming album at Montreal's La Tulipe concert hall next year. But after the Quebec Court of Appeal recently ordered the venue to stop making noise that is audible inside an adjacent building, the historic venue temporarily closed its doors.

This weekend, choristers converge on Assiniboine Park in a free outdoor festival celebrating the joys of group singing.  

First presented by the Manitoba Choral Association in 2022, “Gather” was originally thought to be a one-off opportunity for choirs and audiences to come together safely outdoors as society emerged cautiously from the pandemic.  

That is until the Winnipeg 150: City of Song initiative came calling.  

Dame Maggie Smith, the legendary British actress known for her iconic roles in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series, has passed away at the age of 89.

Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, confirmed that she died peacefully in hospital on Friday, September 27, 2024, surrounded by close friends and family.

"An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end," the statement said. "She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

On October 4th, a recording project will be released will serve as a profound tribute to the resiliency and spirit the Ukrainian people. 

Coming up this Sunday, September 29th at 7:00pm at the Fort Garry Hotel, Jazz Winnipeg will be presenting their third installment of How to Listen to Jazz Series.  

This Sunday, September 29 at 2:30 pm at Westworth United Church, Virtuosi Concerts kicks off their 2024-25 season with a concert called Everything is Green.