Arts & Culture

Celebrating the women who composed history—one note at a time. #InternationalWomensDay

This International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting the voices and compositions of women who shaped classical music across the centuries. From medieval mysticism to Romantic-era brilliance and modern innovation, this playlist showcases the depth and beauty of music written and performed by women.

For up-and-coming musicians in the city, the Winnipeg Music Festival has long been a place to test the waters with their skills. That remains true in 2025 as the festival has gotten underway with performances and adjudications across the city.  

“They’ve been really fun so far,” says executive director Dawn Bruch-Wiens on the first couple of days. 

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, was opened in 1971 and is located on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It was named in honor of President John F. Kennedy, who had championed the idea of a national cultural center before his assassination in 1963. The center was established as a living memorial to Kennedy’s commitment to the arts and culture, and it has since become one of the premier cultural institutions in the United States.

While March might have come in like a lion, the weather in the next little while is promising to be a lot more lamb-like. If your spring reading list isn’t quite where you’d like it to be, our friends at McNally Robinson Booksellers have you covered with the latest edition of 'What to Read'! 

As we celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2025, with the theme "Accelerate Action," we are reminded of the ongoing fight for gender equality in all fields—including music composition. This day serves as a global call to recognize women's achievements and push for further progress.

It all began in 2000 as a choir for recent high school graduates looking for a place to sing. 

Fast forward 25 years, and that choir has blossomed into three choirs, and a beloved part of Winnipeg’s choral landscape that shares everything from music of the great masters to new and innovative arrangements.  

Renowned French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras has pledged to donate all proceeds from his upcoming U.S. performances to President Volodymyr Zelensky's United24 Foundation, reaffirming his commitment to Ukraine amid ongoing conflicts. 

Although his new book is an autobiography, Devon Clunis is quick to point out that the story in his new book isn’t merely his own. 

“It really is our story,” he says. 

The former chief of the Winnipeg Police Service recently shared ONE: A Story of Hope in Our Time, his first autobiography amongst his literary output over the course of his career. 

What starts out as a shared love for one of the greatest basketball players to ever live transforms into an enduring friendship on the stage at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre's Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre this week.

King James tells the story of two men, Matt and Shawn, who bond over the sale of tickets to see their beloved Cleveland Cavaliers and their then-emerging superstar LeBron James. The play traces the relationship of the two men through the lens of the basketball icon’s career.

In a tragic turn of events, the world of music has lost two influential French saxophonists, Jean-Marie Londeix and Éric Barret, within hours of each other. Both musicians were icons in their respective fields, contributing to the legacy of saxophone music in their own unique ways. 

Jean-Marie Londeix (1932–2025)