Orchestras Canada

October 11 to 14, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra presents its third annual Indigenous Festival, exploring new and old music traditions from China, Mexico and North America.

The festival includes a free performance at the Forks, a wonderfully diverse youth night at the Pantages Playhouse Theatre, and A Night of Song and Dance at the Centennial Concert Hall, presented as part of the orchestra’s Masterworks series. Guests at this latter event include Camerata Nova, vocalist Cory Campbell, pipa player Wu Man, Odette Heyn-Projects and Bolero Dance Theatre – and the program will be conducted by WSO music director Alexander Mickelthwate. For more information about the festival, please visit www.wso.ca.

The Winnipeg Symphony presents its 2nd annual Indigenous Festival in a range of venues from June 21 to 24. “This year’s Indigenous Festival celebrates music from across the four directions, creating new traditions, new friendships and new music,” says Festival Manager Vince Fontaine, also a member of Juno Award-winning group Eagle & Hawk. “We’re merging Western, First Nation and World cultures and instruments to create something new, something bigger,” says WSO Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate. “To have a new piece of art that comes out of the marriage of those different soundscapes is what I’m most excited about.”

Each concert night is specially themed (1. Ritual; 2. Friendship; 3. Songs; and 4. Celebration) and features such artists as Eagle & Hawk, Cree composer Andrew Balfour, erhu master George Gao, Don Amero, Viva Brasil, Shy-Anne Hovorka, Pura Fe and Jennifer Kreisberg from Ulali, Licanantay, and Juno Award-winning Digging Roots. The festival’s opening night also includes a very special performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, featuring an original dance performance by the Contemporary School of Dance and the Manitoba Aboriginal School of Dance choreographed by Odette Heyn-Penner and Buffy Handel, respectively. The festival also includes free outdoor performances on June 21, 22 and 23. For more information, please visit here.