It's a busy weekend as musical groups start back up for another spectacular arts season in Winnipeg! But you don't have to wait until the weekend to see that!

She's best known for the singing styles she brings to Trio Bembe and Papa Mambo, but Steinbach vocalist Amber Epp is pairing things down to a jazz duo Thursday night (Sept 17) with guitarist Guillermo Ocejo at Sam's Place on Henderson Hwy. The intimate evening of jazz standards starts 8:00 PM and tickets are $15 at the door. A portion of ticket sales will go the Mennonite Central Committee. Get a taste of what you'll hear below!

 

 

The Graffiti Gallery opens a new solo exhibit Thursday night (Sept 17) by Winnipeg artist Dany Reede called 'Past Conduits'. Dany uses different eccentric characters as non-traditional self-portraits, which are frequently the centre of his illustrations and paintings. In conjunction with the Graffiti Gallery exhibit, Danny will be creating a mural at Hunter & Gunn on Broadway for the Wall-to-Wall Mural & Culture Festival. The project is a mentorship opportunity for youth artists from Graffiti Art Programs. Danny will work with these young artists to bring the mural to completion. The unveiling happens next Friday. Thursday night's opening reception starts at 7:00 PM and the exhibit will run until November 20th. The Graffiti Gallery is located at 109 Higgins Avenue.

 

If you're a lover of modern dance, Mouvement, Winnipeg Dance Projects presents Gaile Petursson-Hiley's newest creation, 'Eclipse' Friday night (Sept 18) at the Gas Station Arts Center. Petursson-Hiley places the spotlight on six dancers who bare their souls in a series of eclectic solo, duet and quartet tableaus as the ghostly light of an eclipse steals over the skies, darkness falls in a magical transformation from human to creature. There are two performances—Friday night and Saturday night at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $20 and available for online purchase atkathleenhiley.org and at the door . The Gas Station Arts Center is located at 445 River Avenue.

 

                                                                      

 

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra launches the new season Friday night (Sept 18) with top selling Naxos artist Tianwa Yang. The violin prodigy, has been called "One of the best new violinists of the new century" by MusicWeb International. She'll be performing Paganini's Violin Concerto No 1, Also in the debut program: Rossini's Overture to Semiramide, Ravel's Mother Goose Suite and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnole. There are two
concerts—Friday night & Saturday night (Sept 19) at 8:00 PM at the Centennial Concert Hall. On Sunday (Sept 20) the WSO goes on the road with Tianwa to Brandon, where they will perform at 3:00 PM at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.

Below you can watch Tianwa perform the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Allegro Vivacissimo

 

 

And finally, we'd be remised if we didn't mention a particular non classical music concert happening Thursday night (Sept 17) out at Investors Group Field. Aussie rockers AC/DC are in town for a concert that will delight all you classic hard-rock fans. And judging from the amount of classical music covers done of AC/DC music, I know there are many of you out there. Rock on my friends, rock on! One of the most famous covers with more than a million views on Youtube has to be from the Croatian cellists 2Cellos. Here they are with 'Thunderstruck',

 

 

The 19th Annual Winnipeg International Writers Festival begins Friday night (Sept 18)! 9 days, 55 events, 59 writers, 49 Books and 21 Venues. With programs for adults and children, in English and French. There will be readings, lectures, conversations, book launches and more with writers from Canada and around the world. Tonight's opening event is at the Franco Manitoba Cultural Centre in St. Boniface. It'll feature three writers from very different backgrounds. Ulrikka S. Gernes is one of Denmark's most widely-published and accomplished poets. Her long-tim collaborators are equally accomplished writers: Per Brask, Winnipeg poet, playwright and translator and former Winnipegger Patrick Friesen, poet and playwright. All three will read from their work and then join festival Director Charlene Diehl in an onstage conversation about writing, translating and the synergy of collaboration. The event starts at 7:00 PM on the second floor of the CCFM. Admission is $10.

 

                                        

 

 

Saturday night (Sept 19) the University of Winnipeg's premier recital and chamber music series – Virtuosi – launches its 25th season. And they're doing it with the Hermitage Piano Trio. Comprised of three of Russia's leading soloists, they are Misha Keylin on violin, Sergey Antonov on cello and Ilya Kazantsev on piano. Saturday night's program will include music by Beethoven, Arensky, Rachmaninoff and Brahms. The first note will be played at 8:00 PM in in Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall Saturday night. For tickets call the box office at 204.786.9000.

Tune in Saturday morning on The Morning Blend when guest host Andrea Ratuski will be talking with violinist Misha Keylin live in studio between 11:00 AM and Noon.

 

 

Tune in to the Classic 107 Arts & Entertainment Calendar with Claudia Garcia de la Huerta every Thursday and Friday at 7:45 AM and 4:45 PM and Saturday mornings at 11:15 AM on The Morning Blend.