Hey Winnipeg! What are you doing this weekend? Check out some of the great events happening in Winnipeg and beyond!

Tried and true, you can never go wrong with the largest and longest running multicultural festival of its kind in the world---Folklorama. In its 45th year, this year’s festival features 43 pavilions celebrating the incredible cultural diversity that exists in Manitoba. The week one pavilions wrap up Saturday night (Aug 09) and week two commences on Sunday (Aug 10)with a whole new array of countries, cultures and our favourite--- FOOD!!!

 

Let’s cross over the borders of our beautiful city now, to another beautiful city – Brandon. Augustfest V, founded an directed by David Charles Wilson,  kicks off Friday night (Aug 08) at Brandon University with Anything Goes: The Cole Porter Songbook arranged for string quartet, tenor, and mezzo- soprano. 

Augustfest is a yearly concert series that Brandon University’s School of Music put’s on to celebrate alumni and faculty members. For five days audiences will be treated to music from Schubert, Zelenski, Scarlatti, Brahms, Shostakovich and much more.

A few weeks ago Classic 107 host Terry Klippenstein spoke with the featured artists at this year's festival, cellist Laura Jones. He reached Laura over the phone in Toronto. A Brandon native, Laura has had a superlative career, and is currently becoming well-known as an arranger. She arranged the The Cole Porter Songbook which received excellent reviews in Toronto earlier this year.

Terry started off by asking Laura how her role a the festival has changed from prior years.

As Laura mentioned while talking to Terry, she is also arranging material for an ensemble of six cellos for Sunday afternoon Augustfest gala concert. She is also involved in the festival's  piano quartet which this year becomes a piano quintet in order to present a whole evening of music created for piano/violin/viola/cello/string bass - including the first major work written for that combination of instruments, Johann Dussek’s Quintet in F minor, contemporary British composer Judith Weir’s “I broke off a golden branch”, as well as Schubert’s immortal Trout Quintet.

The Cole Porter songbook starts at 7:30 Friday night (Aug 08) in the Lorne Watson hall at Brandon University. Augustfest V is on until Tuesday (Aug 12).

 

Back in the city now and over to Assiniboine Park. Saturday night (Aug 09) it’s Movies in the Park.

Did you go last Saturday? As always, there are two features you can take in. The evening starts off with The Lego Movie at 7:00 PM followed by The Amazing Spiderman 2 at 9:15 PM. So grab a blanket and a lawn chair, maybe some popcorn and head down to the Lyric Lawn for some great free family entertainment.

 

This weekend, Assiniboine Park also continues to be your number one destination for smooth jazz.

Sunday afternoon (Aug 10) at 2:30  PM it's Jazz in the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden. This weekend you'll see the Klowak-Cummings group made up of saxaphonist Brian Klowak and jazz guitarist Tim Cummings. Showtime is 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM.

Later on in the evening it’s Sunday Night Smooth Jazz at the Lyric with electro-jazz collective Four80East. Mixing jazz with soul music and electronic production, the Canadian producer duo of Rob DeBoer and Tony Grace have created a signature bass-propelled sound that entrances listeners with their recordings and enthralls audiences at their live shows.

 

Showtime is 7:00 PM at the Lyric in Assiniboine Park. It’s free and the host of the evening’s activities is Classic 107 host Roxane Gagne.

And don’t forget to tune in to Jazz After 9 Friday night (Aug 08) when Host Neil Coligan will have Sunday Night Smooth Jazz Artistic Director Walle Larsson in studio to tell you more about this ecclectic group.

 

Those are just some of the events happening in Winnipeg and abroad this weekend. Tune in to the Classic 107 Arts & Entertainment Calendar every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, twice a day with Claudia Garcia de la Huerta.