All this week one of the real highlights of the early summer has been happening here in Winnipeg. The Agassiz Chamber Music Festival is now on. It has been offering the best chamber music performed by some of the best musicians on the scene today. 

With 2024 being Winnipeg’s 150th birthday, the Agassiz Festival is presenting a concert called Winnipeg 150-City of Song. This is a tip of the cap to an initiative started by the Winnipeg Arts Council and the Manitoba Choral Association. The concert will take place at Canadian Mennonite University’s Laudamus Auditorium on Friday, June 7th at 7pm. 

Featuring one of the most lyrical instruments around, the cello, this concert will feature music for no less than seven cellos in collaboration with pianist Laura Loewen, double Bass virtuoso Joel Quarrington and soprano Ellen Wieser. The concert will feature music of Joplin, Rossini, Amy Beach, Jesse Montgomery and many others. 

The vocalist for Winnipeg 150-City of Song is former Winnipegger, Soprano Ellen Wieser. A BMus graduate of the University of Manitoba's Desautel's Faculty of Music, Wieser also holds Master of Music and a Artist Diploma from the Cincinatti College-Conservatory of Music. Since completing her studies Wieser has traveled the world performing with some of the best Opera Companies and Orchestras. 

For Wieser the opportunity to return to Winnipeg and perform at Agassiz is a joy. “I’m always thrilled to come home to Winnipeg. My family is still here, and I have lots of friends...it is like a school reunion.” 

Wieser will be performing music by two groundbreaking composers, Amy Beach and Jesse Montgomery. Wieser will also be performing Heitor Villa Lobos’ hugely popular Bachianas Brasileiras no 5 in its original version, for soprano and cello ensemble. “I’ve performed this many times but never in its original formation with seven cellos and one double bass. I’m super excited to see what that will bring to it... I am excited to discover the depth of the low frequencies and how that is going to affect the quality of my voice.” 

This is going to be a fantastic concert displaying Wieser’s ethereal, silvery bright, gorgeous voice. The seven cellos will also bring a wonderfully expressive and beautiful element to Winnipeg 150-City of Song.  

The concert will take place at Canadian Mennonite University’s Laudamus Auditorium on Friday, June 7th at 7pm.  

For more detail and for a full line up of the Agassiz Festival’s concert visit their website