Arts & Culture

🎶 Saturday Morning Almanac – May 17 Edition!
Your 9 a.m. Hour of Musical Milestones on Classic 107 🎶

Happy Saturday, classical friends! Pour yourself a second cup of coffee and settle in for a time-travelling tour through music history — because May 17 is packed with juicy anniversaries, legendary debuts, and birthday shoutouts. Whether you’re tuning in from the kitchen, garden, or couch, this hour is all about celebrating the moments that made music history sing. Let’s dive in!

Two organs, two churches, one unforgettable night of music. 

New concert series gives emerging Manitoba composers a platform.

Being a young composer is no easy path. Getting music heard and performed at a high level can feel like an uphill battle. A university degree in composition is often just the beginning, and stepping beyond the academic world into the broader musical community can be a daunting leap. 

Alexander Shelley will bid farewell to the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2026, ending an era that saw the British conductor invigorate the ensemble with international flair, innovative programming and a strong commitment to Canadian voices.

Shelley, who took the reins of the Ottawa-based orchestra in 2015 at the age of 35, announced he will step down as music director at the close of the 2025–26 season. His final concert is scheduled for July 2026, with his contract officially ending Aug. 31.

New Abraham Anghik Ruben exhibit at WAG–Qaumajuq explores Inuit and Norse mythology and daily life through sculpture and painting. 

For Julie Walsh, it all began on a walk through the Exchange District in 1998 when she stumbled upon an art studio, where a painter was working on a massive canvas. 

“I immediately felt this rush of energy of when something’s really true and really resonates with my soul,” she recounts. “I was quite moved by it.” 

With temperatures picking up across the province, Classic 107 is matching the heat with our Album of the Month for May: Denis Plante and Stéphane Tétreault’s Stradivatango. The project pairs two exceptional players on two unique instruments: one, a Stradivarius cello; the other, a bandoneon. Together, Plante and Tétreault set out to explore the rich history of Argentinian tango music, as well as sharing original compositions that respond to a musical tradition that stretches back decades. 

One would be hard-pressed to consider a place in Winnipeg that is more suited to a sunset concert than the Garden of Contemplation at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Sound Lounge Events is adding to the ambience this weekend by placing electronic and looping artists in the garden to soundtrack a spring sunset. 

Séan McCann brings heartfelt stories and singalongs to Winnipeg stop on Great Canadian Road Trip. 

The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra’s final concert of the 2024-2025 season transports listeners to the sidewalk patios of Italy, a sunrise over Grenada, and to North Africa and the Middle East with familiar and innovative music.  

The program for Dawn and Dusk features a program comprised of Baroque works by Giovanni Sollima and J.S. Bach while also featuring musical responses by longtime MCO collaborators David Braid and Larry Strachan.