Hey Winnipeg! The new year is upon us! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with the ones you love. I also hope you got a lot of rest because Winnipeg’s cultural scene is hopping! Check out the Classic 107 Arts & Entertainment Calendar for your guide to what's happening!

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra presents its next pops concert this weekend. This time around it’s all about Oscar Award winning film music. The program is called Hollywood: The Epics and it’ll feature Hollywood soundtrack scores for orchestra and chorus. Audiences will be treated to everything from Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur, Gone with the Wind, Star Wars, Titanic and more. Conductor Jack Everly returns to the WSO from last season’s Sci-Fi Spectacular Show along with choral ensemble Prairie Voices. There are 3 performances – Friday night (Jan 09) and Saturday night (Jan 10) at 8:00 PM at the Centennial Concert Hall and then a Sunday (Jan 11) afternoon matinee at 2:00 PM. For tickets go HERE.

Watch this great video the WSO did that features resident music expert, Artistic Operations Associate, James Manishen and Director of Marketing & Communications Neil Middleton talking about this weekend's concert.

 

 

Here's a taste of some of the music you'll hear. From Gone With the Wind, this is Max Steiner's film suite.

 

 

Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) is set to grace the theatre screen at SilverCity Polo Park this Saturday morning (Jan 10). This is an encore presentation of the Live at the Met performance back in November. Rossini’s classic comedy features some of the most instantly recognizable melodies in all of opera. This production features Isabel Leonard as the feisty Rosina, Lawrence Brownlee as her conspiring flame and Christopher Maltman as the endlessly resourceful and charming barber, himself. Michele Mariotti conducts the vivid and tuneful score. Showtime is 11:00 AM at Silver City Polo Park.

Here is a back stage peak at Isabel Leonard and Christopher Maltman rehearsing for Il Barbiere back in November. At this point they had only been rehearsing for 3 days! The segment is hosted by Mezzo Soprano Joyce DiDonato.

 

 

To all our Orthodox friends a very Merry Christmas. Hope you all had some wonderful celebrations this past week! On Sunday (Jan 11) the Oseredok Ukrainian Cultural & Educational Centre presents Festival of Carols. Five Ukrainian community choirs will be performing traditional Ukrainian Christmas carols at Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathedral on McGregor St. The concert begins at 2:30 PM and admission is by donation.

Bet you didn't know that Carol of the Bells is actually a Ukrainian Christmas Carol. It's called Shchedryk. Watch the Bel Canto Choir Vilnius perform below.

 

 

And finally looking ahead to Tuesday (Jan 13), the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra presents its first concert of 2015 where two Winnipeg music icons will meet. MCO Music director Ann Manson tell us more.

 

 

The MCO concert is Tuesday night 7:30 PM at Westminster United Church. Tickets are $30 for adults, $28 for seniors and $10 for students. You can get them at McNally Robinson Booksellers, the West End Cultural Centre or Organic Planet.

Those are just some of the things happening in Winnipeg this weekend and beyond.

Tune in to hear the Classic 107 Arts & Entertainment Calendar every Thursday and Friday at 7:45 AM and 4:30 PM and Saturdays at 11:15 AM with Claudia Garcia de la Huerta.