Cello Festival makes its long-awaited return
Renowned cellists take to the stage of the Desautels Concert Hall
The International Cello Festival of Canada returns to Winnipeg for its third time from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, with multiple concerts a day throughout the city.
International Cello Festival of Canada
Artistic Director Paul Marleyn and the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival are bringing the International Cello Festival of Canada to Winnipeg once more. This five-day long festival is set to highlight cello music in a plethora of styles and musical genres including baroque, jazz, classical, and contemporary.
The festival also celebrates many of Winnipeg’s finest musicians through partnerships with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and Dead of Winter.
The spotlight will also be on young artists with the Zara Nelsova National Cello Competition Finals, various masterclasses, and concerts showcasing the Desautels Faculty of Music’s (DFOM) very own cello students.
The Desautels Concert Hall welcome cellists
Many of the festival’s events will take place in the Desautels Concert Hall, showcasing the hall as Winnipeg’s premiere chamber music venue, with multiple concerts scheduled in the hall each day.
Minna Chung, Professor of Cello at the DFOM, shares how important this festival is for the DFOM community:
“Having many concerts performed on our campus makes it especially meaningful for both our students and the community as we celebrate the acoustical gem of the Desautels Concert Hall. It’s a thrill to welcome the world’s most dynamic and engaging cellists, innovators, and educators to our vibrant city in the heart of the prairies. I’m incredibly grateful to Artistic Director Paul Marleyn and the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival whose collective vision and generosity reflect the spirit of the prairies: vast, welcoming, and alive with music!”
The festival boasts many free events happening on campus and throughout the city. All events in Eva Clare Hall are free for current DFOM students, alongside offering reduced student rates that ensure the concerts are as accessible as possible for students.
Events taking place on campus
October 28, 2025 | 1:30 p.m, | Desautels Concert Hall
Zara Nelsova National Cello Competition: Finals
$20 General | $15 Under 30 | FREE for DFOM students*
October 28, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
Two Cellos, Two Worlds: Beyond the Classics
$20 General
October 29, 2025 | 9:15 a.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
The Bach Café: Suite No. 1 & 2**
$20 General | $15 Under 30 | $10 DFOM students*
October 29, 2025 | 10:30 a.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Masterclass with Santiago Cañón Valencia
$10 General | FREE for DFOM students*
October 29, 2025 | 12:30 p.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Cellists of the Future: Featuring the C-String Collective, Juliana Moroz, and Jacob MacDonald
FREE
October 29, 2025 | 2:00 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
Force of Nature: The Beethoven Cello Sonatas
$30 General | $20 Under 30 | $5 DFOM students*
October 29, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
The Ocean in a Drop: Dead of Winter, choral ensemble, under the direction of Mel Braun and Andrew Balfour,
Conductors with three festival cellists
$35 General
October 30, 2025 | 9:15 a.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
The Bach Café: Suite No. 3 & 4**
$20 General | $15 Under 30 | $10 DFOM students*
October 30, 2025 | 10:30 a.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Masterclass with Alban Gerhardt
$10 General | FREE for DFOM students*
October 30, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
Cello Chat: A Conversation with A Festival Artist | I’ve Got the World on a String
$45 General | $22 Under 30
October 30, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | Desautels Choral Arts Room
Cello Chat: A Conversation with Richard Gillis WJO AD and festival cellist Zander Howard-Scott
FREE
October 30, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
I’ve Got the World on a String: The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and four festival cellists
$45 General | $22 Under 30
October 31, 2025 | 9:15 a.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
The Bach Café: Suite No. 5** | Cello Chat: with Matthias Bartolomey
$20 General | $15 Under 30 | $10 DFOM students*
October 31, 2025 | 10:30 a.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Masterclass with Bryan Cheng
$10 General | FREE for DFOM students*
October 31, 2025 | 12:30 p.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Zara Nelsova National Cello Competition Winner in Recital
FREE
November 1, 2025 | 9:15 a.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
The Bach Café: Suite No. 6** | Cello Chat: with Alban Gerhardt
$20 General | $15 Under 30 | $10 DFOM students*
November 1, 2025 | 10:30 a.m. | Eva Clare Hall
Masterclass with Colin Carr
$10 General | FREE for DFOM students*
November 1, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. | Desautels Concert Hall
No Muse Required
$20 General
Festival Pass ($200) Grants full access to the entire festival, including concerts that have already sold out.
Single tickets and full events list available on the Agassiz Music website.
*With valid student ID at the doors or contact event staff directly
**Complimentary pastries, coffee, tea from local vendors La Belle Baguette, The Empty Cup and the Bakery at Safeway Saint-Boniface.