Audience members await the start of the Grand Opening Concert at the new Desautels Concert Hall on Sept. 5.
Experience the new Desautels Concert Hall
Plan to attend the exciting fall concert series!
Immerse yourself in captivating performances at the Desautels Concert Hall Grand Opening Concert Series this fall and experience Winnipeg’s newest, state-of-the-art performance venue at the heart of Fort Garry campus!
The new venue is being christened with this seven-concert series showcasing diverse musical styles that highlight the versatility of the acoustically designed space.
The concert series
After the success of the Grand Opening Concert on Sept. 5 and the Homecoming Concert on Sept. 18 (both sold out), look for the season opener of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra on Sept. 25, taking place in the new venue. Entitled Lament, the program features renowned and visionary Cree-Metis baritone Jonathan Adams, singing baroque and urgent new musical lamentations, joined by Cree flutist-composer Jessica Sparvier-Wells and Cree filmmaker Tyson Houseman. Past, present and future are woven together in a call to reflect on the responsibilities of living on and from Indigenous land. Houseman’s extraordinary projections will fill the newly opened Desautels Concert Hall as we witness a moving Cree takeover of the historical Lam ent form through story, song, light and shadow. Guiding you through stirring discoveries, disruptions, and landscapes, this concert will leave you changed.
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra plays the new hall on Oct. 19, featuring iconic Cree playwright and musician Tomson Highway, who brings his talent, wit, charm and boundless enthusiasm back home to Winnipeg as the WJO, with acclaimed Cree vocalist Patricia Cano, reimagines music from his award-winning plays “The Post Mistress,” “Cree County,” “The Rez Sisters,” and others.
On Oct. 20, the Dead of Winter choral ensemble presents Nestaweya, celebrating the award-winning poetry of Katherena Vermette. In choral settings by leading Indigenous composers, this Dead of Winter program is curated by Andrew Balfour and UM’s Mel Braun and is sponsored by City of Song.
Nestaweya means “three points” in Cree. Locally, it represents The Forks and the great rivers that brought the Cree, Ojibwe and Dakota peoples together. Dead of Winter celebrates water and the pre-settler roots of Winnipeg with a concert featuring the music of Indigenous composers Melody McKiver, Ian Cusson and Andrew Balfour set to the words of Metis poet/author Katharena Vermette, and will include Indigenous Songkeepers.
UM orchestra, opera and ensembles concerts
UM orchestra, opera and ensembles are featured as part of the Grand Opening Concert Series in late October and early November.
The UM Symphony Orchestra‘s opening concert of the year takes place in the new Desautels Concert Hall on Oct. 24. The program explores the rich tapestry of Northern and Central European string orchestra music, opening with Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite,” a charming nod to Baroque dance forms infused with Norwegian elegance. Béla Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances” follows, capturing the lively and vibrant rhythms of Hungarian folk traditions. Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Divertimento” offers a serene and modern reflection of Finnish musical beauty.
The second half features Antonín Dvořák’s “Serenade for Strings,” a masterpiece brimming with Czech folk-inspired melodies and warm, lyrical themes. Dvořák’s work encapsulates the spirit of the Czech Republic, offering a joyful and uplifting finale to our European exploration.
On Oct. 25, the UM Concert Band and Wind Ensemble present “Sea to Sky” in the new venue, featuring a collection of works inspired by nature, landscape and the elements. Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Cait Nishimura, Viet Cuong, Kevin Lau, and the Canadian premiere of “Rivers” by Isabella Morrill.
Next to be presented are two performances by UM Opera Theatre, on Nov. 6 and 7, of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) — the first opera to grace the stage of the new Desautels Concert Hall. Sung by students from the Graduate and Undergraduate voice program and accompanied by UMSO under the direction of Monica Chen, this Singspiel is sure to thrill. A Singspiel combines singing and spoken dialogue, a bit like a musical. This production is staged by Tracy Dahl, and will be sung in German with English dialogue. Come celebrate the talent of our wonderful DFOM students as they bring this classic tale to life.
Learn more about the Desautels Concert Hall and the Grand Opening Concert Series
WATCH: A new stage for creativity and UM students
WATCH: The magic of the first note (UM faculty)
Concert series schedule
All concerts take place in the new Desautels Concert Hall.
Information on parking and getting to the hall
Sept. 25, 7:30 PM: Manitoba Chamber Orchestra presents “Lament” with Cree-Metis baritone Jonathan Adams
Oct. 19, 7:30 PM: Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra with Tomson Highway
Oct. 20, 3 PM: Dead of Winter choral ensemble presents Nestaweya
Oct. 24, 7:30 PM: UM Symphony Orchestra presents Northern and Central European string orchestra music
Oct. 25, 7:30 PM: UM Concert Band and Wind Ensemble presents “Sea to Sky”
Nov. 6, 7 PM: UM Opera Theatre presents Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”
Nov. 7, 7 PM: UM Opera Theatre presents Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”