In a press release, Virtuosi Concerts Inc. announced Jennifer Thiessen as their new Artistic Director succeeding Dr. Harry Strub who led the organization for 30 years. 

[Full press release]

Following a comprehensive selection process, the Board of Directors and the Artistic Director Search Committee of Virtuosi Concerts Inc. (VCI) is proud to announce that Jennifer Thiessen has been selected as their new Artistic Director.

Dr. Harry Strub, who founded Virtuosi Concerts in 1990, retired from the position of Artistic Director in 2020. Interim Artistic Advisor Madeline Hildebrand curated online concerts in 2020 and a live concert series for the current 2021-2022 season.

Newly selected Artistic Director Jennifer Thiessen is a classically trained violist and chamber musician with a vibrant career in both modern and historical performance practice and in multi-instrumental songwriting, improvisation and experimental music. Thiessen is originally from Austin, Manitoba and studied music at the University of Manitoba, the University of Ottawa and l’Université de Montréal. Based in Montreal for the past twenty years, she returned to Winnipeg in July 2021. With the support of Executive Director Andrew Thomson and the VCI Board, she will lead the performing arts organization into its fourth decade.

“True virtuosity contains both skill and wisdom. My vision for Virtuosi Concerts is of an arts space that celebrates emotional depth, social responsibility and instrumental excellence through the intimate conversation of chamber music—the music of friends.”

Virtuosi Concerts presents an exceptional classical chamber music series performed by internationally acclaimed artists from Manitoba, Canada and around the world for a discerning audience in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their primary goal has been to present programming that nourishes the soul, offering cathartic experiences that heal and virtuosity that excites. Alongside the pillars of the classical canon, they are committed to presenting new works and commissions, unheard voices past and present, and artists who challenge the status quo. Virtuosi Concerts values music as a universal form of human communication, believing that the transformative power of live performance can embrace and unite individuals, communities, and cultures, thereby strengthening art and enriching society.