Arts & Culture

The Desautels Faculty of Music and the Department of Icelandic Language and Literature at the University of Manitoba have partnered together to present two concerts celebrating Icelandic music and culture.  

Von um vorið – Hope for Spring – came together, as things often do, through a mutual friend and a suggestion.

This week there are two recitals that feature a phenomenal father and son cello-piano duo. Today, February 27th at The Rady JCC at 2:00pm, the Music and Mavens concert series presents Rapt in Rachmaninov.  This concert will feature Yuri and Ari Hooker. Yuri Hooker is the Principal cellist with The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and his son Ari recently won the $2500.00 prize from the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg, and is currently studying at the University of Manitoba’s Desaultels Faculty of Music.

Earlier today Chris Wolf and his colleague Tanya Blatz, stopped by Lord Nelson School to read to the delightful Grade four class and their teacher Fernando Dalayoan. This was the cherry on top of what has been a phenomenal I Love to Read Month of February.

Fernando entered his class in to the I Love to Read Contest with McNally and Classic 107 and consequently his class ended up being  gifted a whole pile of brand new books compliments of McNally Robinson.

Explore the music of Adolphus Hailstork every day this week at 1:00pm as we wrap up our celebration of Black composers in this final week of Black History Month.

Monday, February 26: Symphony no. 3 (2003)

Tuesday, February 27: Piano Concerto no. 1 (1992)

Wednesday, February 28:Symphony no.1 (1988)

Thursday, February 29: Sonata da Chiesa for String Orchestra (1992)

Friday, March1: Epitaph for a Man who Dreamed (1979)  and 3 Spirituals for Orchestra (2005)

One hundred years ago, George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue was premiered. Audiences sat down on a snowy Tuesday afternoon on February 12th 1924 at Aeolian Hall in Manhattan, and saw a performance of a new masterpiece that would fuse both jazz and classical music. This work would ultimately become one of the hallmarks of American music.

Dead of Winter continues their Truth and Reconciliation concert series this weekend presenting Andrew Balfour’s “Transformation.” 

“Reconciliation is not a destination, it is an ongoing ispiciwin – ongoing journey,” says composer and Dead of Winter Artistic Director Andrew Balfour. “That to, me, is the vital part of our understanding about truth – tapwe, the Cree word for truth – and ispiciwin, journey, and reconciliation.”  

After five seasons as Principal Conductor of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, maestro Julian Pellicano has been announced as Staff Conductor of the National Ballet of Canada. 

Beginning with the 2024/25 season, Pellicano will work alongside the National Ballet's current Music Director and Principal Conductor David Briskin. 

According to the announcement, Pellicano will continue to serve as Music Director of the RWB though will step down as Associate Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2013, in May 2024. 

Right now and running until April 28, the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq is presenting a marvellous retrospective exhibition of the work of American-born Canadian artist Tim Gardner called Tim Gardner: The Full Story.

Working primarily in watercolors, oils and pastels, Tim Gardner draws inspiration from various sources; nature, urban scenery, the mundaneness of everyday life, masculinity and the idea of being alone in vast spaces. These are just some of the subject matter that Gardner takes creative energy from.

A multi-day event explores the idea of building community through musical collaboration.  

Drawing musicians from around the world, Dream Big Collaborative Piano Conference runs from Thursday, February 22 through Saturday, February 24 at the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.  

“Our specialty is playing with other people,” says Dr. Laura Loewen, collaborative piano professor and Associate Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Music who co-founded the conference. 

Music ‘N’ Mavens has returned to the Rady JCC’s Berney Theatre after a short hiatus and the first musical selection features an album synonymous with Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles work.  

Released in 1973, “Band on the Run” is the third album by Paul McCartney and Wings and is considered to be their greatest critical and commercial success.