There’s nothing like the buzz of a concert hall or theatre’s backstage, filled with anticipation and the electrifying energy of artists about to take the limelight. The stage door has always been a portal to this magical world, through which artists literally pass, from pedestrian realities to realms of imagination and wonder created for your enjoyment.
As a new season begins, so does this new column. Enter Stage Door, a space for celebrating classical music, opera, ballet, contemporary dance, jazz and theatre artists eager to share their gifts with another season of chock full of world-class productions.
Here are 10 top picks that have caught my eye, from now until the snow flies (listed in chronological order):
1. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra launches its 76th season — and newly minted weeknight series — with tonight’s inaugural Thursday Classics program led by maestro Daniel Raiskin. Opening Night with Gluzman and Dvorák features Ukrainian-born Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman performing Bruch’s Concerto No. 1 and Bloch’s Baal Shem (Three Pictures of Chassidic Life), with the evening also including works by Smetana and Dvorák. For more details: wso.ca
2. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet performs the Canadian première of Snow White Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. It’s long been on the bucket list of retiring artistic director/CEO André Lewis, who steps down after 50 years with the company next spring. The mature twist on the original Brothers’ Grimm tale of ingénue Snow White features Mahler’s soaring symphonies as well as eye-popping costumes by haute-couture French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Visit www.rwb.org.
DEN SWEENEY PHOTO Violinist Timothy Chooi will perform with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra Oct. 4.
3. One of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra’s best-loved guest artists has always been Canadian-American violinist Timothy Chooi, who has frequently performed here with his equally enthralling brother, Nikki Chooi. The dynamo returns to the MCO Crescent Arts Centre stage on Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m., with an eclectic program including works by Tchaikovsky and Kreisler, among others. See themco.ca/concerts
4. The Winnipeg Singers presents the next installment in its ongoing series, Icons and Incense, with Choral Concertos of the Orthodox Tradition led by Yuri Klaz. It promises to immerse listeners in “divine harmonies and sacred melodies.” The soulful program takes place at Crescent Arts Centre on Oct. 29, 3 p.m. For more info: winnipegsingers.com.
5. One of my all-time favourite plays — no bias here — has always been the insightful, award-winning musical comedy 2 Pianos 4 Hands, written in 1994 by Richard Greenblatt and Ted Dykstra, and performed in more than 150 cities worldwide including the ’Peg. Winnipeg Jewish Theatre opens its season with the world première of Greenblatt’s latest two-hander, Pals, or Scenes from a Friendship, penned with playwright/performer Diane Flacks, Nov. 9-19 (check wjt.ca for varying curtain times) at the Asper Jewish Community Centre’s Berney Theatre.
6. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is gearing up to raise the roof with Kwassa Kwassa: Music and Dance of the Congo. The rafter-shaking program guaranteed to get audiences on their feet features eight-piece Congolese band True Generation, led by the charismatic Enee Nyelel, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Centre culturel franco-manitobain. For more particulars, see winnipegjazzorchestra.com.
7. Manitoba Opera makes history this year with the world première of Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North, inspired by the personal diaries of Louis Riel, that runs Nov. 18, 22 and 24. Composed by Winnipeg’s Neil Weisensel and based on a libretto by Métis poet and storyteller Suzanne Steele, the groundbreaking work has garnered national attention as Canada’s first full-scale, Indigenous-led opera. It will performed by a local and national cast of Métis and First Nations artists, including eight vocal soloists, two Michif choirs, a narrator and real-life fiddlers. Further details here at mbopera.ca.
8. The halls will be alive with The Sound of Music when the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, in partnership with Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre, presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s immortal classic, featuring a cast teeming with local thespians. The show runs Nov. 28-Dec. 23 at RMTC’s John Hirsch Mainstage. See royalmtc.ca for ticket info.
9. For those who like their theatre a little edgier, RMTC also presents Edmonton-based, Indigenous-led Punctuate! Theatre’s touring production of First Métis Man of Odesa, written by Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova. The poignant drama, which runs Nov. 1-18 at the Tom Hendry Warehouse, chronicles the long-distance love story between a Ukrainian woman, Masha, and Matt, who is of Métis heritage. Note: Strong language and content warning, including discussions of violence and war-related trauma.
10. Hallelujah! It wouldn’t be the festive season without an early Christmas treat. Mathieu Lussier of French-Canadian chamber ensemble Violons de Roy leads the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, plus four guest soloists joined by the CMU Festival Chorus, through Handel’s iconic Messiah, with two performances offered at Knox United Church, Dec. 15 and 16, at 7:30 p.m. See wso.ca for details.
There you have it — a front row seat to what our wonderful arts community has in store for you this fall. Enjoy!
Spotlight
The Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg is marking its auspicious 130th anniversary this year. It’s the city’s longest running arts organization, with such luminaries as pianists Glenn Gould and Sergei Rachmaninoff having once graced its stage.
Its 2023/24 season kicks off with Slavic Soul, featuring works by Ukrainian composers performed by Canadian cellist Paul Marleyn and pianist Madeline Hildebrand on Sunday, Oct. 22 at, 2 p.m., and continues with Dazzling Dexterity, showcasing violinist Kerson Leong and pianist Lisa Rumpel, Friday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Also don’t miss its annual Scholarship Winners Concert, featuring six Manitoba artists who will be awarded prizes totalling $11,500 on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
The biennial WMC McLellan Competition for Solo Performance with Orchestra also returns this year, with cash prizes totalling $20,000 presented to three rising stars of the classical music world. Stay tuned for the competition semi-finals being held 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 24, at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church, followed by the finals featuring the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. at Jubilee Place Auditorium.
However the icing on the (birthday) cake promises to be a special guest appearance by internationally renowned Canadian playwright, novelist, pianist and songwriter Tomson Highway, who first rocketed to fame with his plays,The Rez Sisters (1986) and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989).
SUPPLIED Tomson Highway
The Manitoba-raised artist, who was born to a Cree family of caribou hunters, received a WMC Scholarship nearly 50 years ago, in 1974, before going on to earn a music degree in piano performance from the University of Western Ontario.
“I’ve had this extraordinary life. I have very vivid memories of extraordinary adventures that I would never forget,” Highway has said, also sharing this sentiment in a recent National Film Board presentation: “If you count playing piano as a language, then I speak five.”
Highway will treat local audiences to an intimate piano recital interlaced with his own personal stories and reminisces next spring. The WMC 130th Anniversary Gala Champagne Brunch takes place at Assiniboine Park’s The Leaf on Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m., with tickets expected to sell like hotcakes.
“We often hear the line, ‘You don’t want to miss this.’ Well, you really don’t want to miss this!” WMC’s Millie Hildebrand enthuses via email. “We can’t wait to present Tomson in a celebration of songs and stories, as only he knows how to tell, and a celebration of the WMC.”
For more information, visit wmcwpg.ca.
— Holly Harris
