| | | |
|---|
| | Kind Neighbours
July 20, 7:00 pm at Patio 340 (340 Provencher Boulevard) with leader Sean Irvine
“Where Folk Meets Jazz”…
Led by composer and woodwind specialist Sean Irvine, Irvine has been a regular composer and arranger for the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra over the past several years.
Kind Neighbours seeks to blend the storytelling essence of the singer-songwriter tradition with the intricate nuances of jazz. With these brilliant lyrics sung by vocalist Karly Epp, the ensemble reimagines works by iconic artists Joni Mitchell, Lisa Hannigan, Adele, and others, offering a captivating and colorful evening of music for listeners from all walks of life.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | Performance of New Compositions
August 12, 7:30 pm with David Braid and students from the composition Workshop and Seminar.
Come listen to New Compositions made at the WJO Composition Workshop and Seminar with David Braid!
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | Billie & Ella
August 17, 7:00 pm at Patio 340 (340 Provencher Boulevard) with leader Monica Jones
While often considered polar opposites, these two jazz vocalists were actually friends. Join us for an evening exploring the music and friendship of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, with long-time friends and collaborators Monica Jones and Grace Hrabi.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach
featuring vocalist Jennifer Hanson.
Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 2:00pm
Centre Cultural Franco-Manitobain
He wrote more than 500 songs, including hits for the Carpenters, Herb Alpert, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick and Christopher Cross, earning six Grammy awards, three Oscars and an Emmy along the way. This concert, concieved by vocalist and featured guest artist Jennifer Hanson, pay tribute to the prolific and endlessly talented songwriter Burt Bacharach as we kick off an exciting 2025-26 season.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | I've Got the World on a String
Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 7:30
at U of M Desautels Concert Hall
A collaboration with the Agassiz Cello Festival
Pairing the rich, sonorous and endlessly romantic sound of the cello with the majesty of the WJO is a match made in heaven. Strings meet swing in this must-see concert featuring the music of the American songbook legends like George Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue) and Duke Ellington. Cellists Matthias Bartolemy, Raphael Weinroth-Browne and Sam Nadurak take centre stage for a unique concert experience you need to hear live! | PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto
Featuring Amber Epp, Paul Balcain, Emmanuel Bach and Marco Castillo
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 7:30pm
West End Cultural Centre
In 1964 Stan Getz and vocalist Astrud Gliberto introduced American audiences to the Bossa Nova with their Grammy-winning record. The record was a commercial and artistic triumph and started a bonafide craze. Join the WJO with vocalist Amber Epp, saxophonist Paul Balcain and Brazilian guitarists Emmanuel Bach and Marco Castillo for the wild tale of Bossa Nova's arrival in North America.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | A Charlie Brown Christmas - 60th Anniversary Celebration
featuring Quinn Greene
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 2:00 & 7:30 pm
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain
Good Grief Charlie Brown! Charles Shultz's beloved animated feature turns 60 years old and, in the years since its 1965 release, Charlie Brown's search for 'the true meaning of Christmas' has delighted millions, becoming a Christmas classic along the way. Featuring Quinn Greene narrating, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra brings Vince Guaraldi's iconic soundtrack back to the stage. | PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | Women's Day Tribute to Joni Mitchell - Women's Day 5.0
featuring vocalists Heitha Forsyth & Carly Epp, Keynote speaker TBA
Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 7:30 pm (Symposium at 1:00 pm)
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain
Our Women's Day begins in the afternoon with the WJO Women-Led Symposium. The symposium is open to all! Students, teachers and jazz enthusiasts; are welcome to come, listen and learn from fantastic leaders. Sessions include in-person keynote; breakout instumental and vocal creaticity sessions called "You Can Do It', a "Living Giants" jazz history session, and an Intersectional Feminism in Music session. In the evening we are honoured to share our Women's Day Tribute to Joni Mitchell. The program will include a few favourites of the W2JO over the last few years, several commissions by members of BC's Sister Jazz Orchestra, the Calgary Women's Jazz Orchestra, the W2JO (of course), and other great tunes by some of the leading women composers of today.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | An 8-Bit Big Band! WJO meets Video Games
featuring arrangements by drummer Ben Kidd
Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 7:30 pm
West End Cultural Centre
Two plumbers exploring a magical world of flying turtles, hoppin'-mad mushrooms and magical bricks. A hero saves a mythical land - and its princess - from an all-encompassing evil. And a world full of strange creatues you can capture and collect. For many of us, these Nintendo stories and their instantly recognizable music were pillars of childhood. Drummer and YouTube sensation Ben Kidd (8-bit Music Theory) joins the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra for a nostalgic journey through the world of video game music. | PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | Reelin' in More Years - A Steely Dan Tribute
featuring Laurent Roy and Leonard Shaw
Saturday, May 9, 2026, 7:30 pm &
Sunday, May 10, 2026, 2:00 pm
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were jazz fans who turned to rock and roll only after hearing The Beatles, forming the iconic band Steely Dan. Over the years they recorded a string of hits - catchy yet harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically nuanced - that reflected their affection for great jazz music. Guitarist Laurent Roy and the Ministers of Cool bring their popular show back to Winnipeg in a unique big band setting with the WJO.
| PURCHASE TICKETS! |
| | St. James Infirmary
Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 7:30 pm
Neil Bardal Funeral Centre
3030 Notre Dame Avenue
A Wonderful Evening
of New Orleans inspired jazz and other soul music.
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra presents one of our most anticipated fundraisers, St. James Infirmary Blues.
Joining the stage with the WJO will be special guests who will have audience members more than tapping toes by the end of the show.
The number of tickets is limited. If you are unable to attend, the WJO will gratefully receive donations of any size | PURCHASE TICKETS! |