All the King's Men - Masters of the Early 17th Century
Date: March 30th
Time: 7pm
Venue: College Chapel of St. John the Evangelist (U of M), 92 Dysart Rd.
Cost: By Donation
About the Concert
All the King’s Men begin the 2025 Winnipeg Baroque Festival in a contemplative fashion with the Masters of the Early 17th Century. Showcasing the best of the English and Italian musical icons, the intimate College Chapel of St. John the Evangelist at the University of Manitoba serves as a humble yet poignant starting place for music that serves to edify and awe.
About All the King's Men
All The King's Men is a male-voice liturgical choir associated with the College Chapel of St. John the Evangelist at the University of Manitoba. Founded as an independent choir in 1997, the ensemble sings for Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian and Evangelical congregations. After a period of singing regularly at St. John's College, the choir was invited to form an official association with the College Chapel in 2000. The choir has been affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music since 1997. The ensemble boasts a membership of 18 singers drawn from a variety of denominational backgrounds. The choir rehearses weekly and sings Choral Evensong at St. John's College on the first Sunday of each month from October through June.
Trio Leonarda - Heaven Will Always Return
Date: April 2nd
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Laudamus Auditorium (Canadian Mennonite University), 500 Shaftesbury Blvd.
Cost: $35
About the Concert
The Trio Leonarda is excited to introduce itself to Winnipeg music fans, and they’ll do so with another introduction to the Italian Ursuline nun Isabella Leonarda through her jovial violin sonata. The concert also features rustic surprises by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber and the radiant beauty of Bach's instrumental and vocal music, where the trio will be joined by star soprano Lara Ciekiewicz.
About Trio Leonarda
The Winnipeg Baroque Festival has been a genesis point for new ensembles, and such is the case for the Trio Leonarda. Comprised of cellist Alyssa Ramsay, keyboardist Leanne Regehr Lee, and violinist Elation Pauls, the trio is excited to journey into the Baroque repertoire using period practices with an ear to how the music resonates across time.
Nonsuch Ensemble - Le printemps
Date: April 4th
Time: 7pm
Venue: All Saints Anglican Church
Cost: $35
About the Concert
The Nonsuch Ensemble helps to usher in spring with Le Printemps, a thaw-inspiring collection of rare French Baroque gems from composers like Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Germain Pinel and Jean-Baptiste Drouart de Bousset. A French impression of Antonio Vivaldi’s Spring provides a familiar greeting to an old, much-missed friend.
About Nonsuch Ensemble
One of Winnipeg’s premier period instrument groups, the Nonsuch Ensemble consists of cellist Blair Burns, flutist Nancy Hennen and keyboardist Carol Piller. Together, the group explores a vast array of Baroque repertoire ranging from beloved favourites to obscure gems.
Royal Canadian College of Organists, Winnipeg Centre - Bach Marathon
Date: April 5th
Time: 1pm
Venue: Young United Church
Cost: By Donation
About the Concert
The Royal Canadian College of Organists, Winnipeg Centre’s Bach Marathon was a Festival favourite last year, and this year’s show is sure to be another community celebration of the most beloved musical figure of the age. J.S. Bach himself and his wife return to host the festivities on all manner of instruments from organ to violin to dance!
About the RCCO
The Royal Canadian College of Organists was founded in 1909 in Brantford, ON, and within a couple of years had members from coast to coast. It is Canada’s oldest musicians’ association. The Winnipeg Centre of the RCCO provides a wide variety of programmes including organ recitals, organ and choral events, professional development workshops, a local newsletter, scholarships for pianists who wish to learn to play the organ, and social activities. The mentorship and education of youth, and the emotional and professional support of members are high on the priority list for the Winnipeg Centre.
Dead of Winter - Polyphony Meets the Prairies
Date: April 6th
Time: 3pm and 7:30pm
Venue: College Chapel of St. John the Evangelist (University of Manitoba)
Cost: $40
About the Concert
Experience a reimagining of history on Turtle Island and beyond as Dead of Winter explores Andrew Balfour’s groundbreaking WaaWaa SteyWak (Northern Lights) alongside the polyphony that would actually find its way to the so-called “new world” in Central America. Join them as they use early and contemporary choral music to explore what first contact might have looked like if Mexican, Indigenous and Black musicians if the cultural remnants of the Aztecs and the Mayans were the biggest artistic influence on a society free of colonization.
About Dead ofWinter
Dead of Winter – formerly known as Camerata Nova – is a vocal ensemble located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since 1996, they have been engaging and transforming music lovers with an annual concert series alongside a host of other innovative projects. They emerged from the isolation of our pandemic cocoon with a new name and a bold new identity. Dead of Winter is about powerful voices that tell stories, weaving together the talents of emerging and established artists. They support and collaborate with creatives from all backgrounds. They reimagine choir and performance, live and online. They are a platform for original work to be discovered and for early music to be rediscovered. For them , winter is a season for creativity and rebirth. Who knows what treasures await beneath the frozen landscape at the centre of Canada.
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra - Solace
Date: April 9th
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Crescent Arts Centre
Cost: $40
About the Concert
The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra welcomes Canada’s famous violinist-conductor Aisslinn Nosky to remind us why Bach called music “a refreshment of the soul” in this escape to the otherworldly sounds of Bach and Vivaldi, but also Krzysztof Penderecki and Manitoba’s own Jocelyn Morlock.
About the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
The MCO is “Canada’s tiny, perfect chamber orchestra” (Toronto Star). It has toured widely, commissions often, embraces a diverse repertoire, and collaborates regularly with the world’s leading soloists.
All Saints Anglican Church Choir - Abendmusiken
Date: April 11th
Time: 7pm
Venue: All Saints Anglican Church
Cost: $20
About the Concert
Start your weekend in the bustling downtown with the All Saints Anglican Church Choir in a performance of Membra Jesu nostri, Dietrich Buxtehude’s cantata collection that invites listeners into a comforting space of empathy for those who are suffering in the world.
About the All Saints Anglican Church Choir
The All Saints Anglican Church Choir is a group of dedicated and talented singers who enjoy meeting regularly on Thursday evenings for both singing and socializing. The choir is a completely volunteer group of singers, some of whom also take on solo roles in masses, cantatas, oratorios, and other performances as required. Besides singing weekly Sunday morning services, the choir also sings Evensong monthly in addition to special services like the annual Advent Procession with Carols (begun by Hugh Bancroft in 1952), for which All Saints is well known. Besides traditional Renaissance and Tudor repertoire, the choir enjoys singing contemporary repertoire as well as works by Canadian composers. The choir continues to uphold the long and venerable music tradition of the parish, exemplified by winning second place in the 2008 CBC National Radio Competition for Amateur Choirs.
Fidem in Fidibus - La Folia
Date: April 12th
Time: 2pm
Venue: St. Margaret's Anglican Church
Cost: $35
About the Concert
After one of the biggest hit concerts of the 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival, Fidem in Fidibus reunites for a glorious Saturday afternoon of chamber music at the naturally charming St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in the heart of Wolseley for the music of northern Italy.
About Fidem in Fidibus
An ensemble formed in the 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival, Fidem in Fidibus (Faith in Fiddles) is a major collaboration between Manitoba soloists on period instruments. The group consists of violinists Momoko Matsumura and Tatiana Friesen, keyboardist Theresa Thordarson, guitarist John Himes, cellist Nathaniel Froese, and violist Jennifer Thiessen.
Canzona - Bed, Bach & Beyond
Date: April 12th
Time: 7pm
Venue: Desautels Concert Hall
Cost: $35
About the Concert
The first Winnipeg Baroque Festival concert in the brand-new Desautels Concert Hall belongs to founding ensemble Canzona! The city’s most storied Baroque choir shares an insightful program of Bach motets and so much more!
About Canzona
Rooted in a love of Baroque music, Canzona's mission is to transform audiences through exceptional choral performance. Founded in 1989 by conductor Henry Engbrecht, Canzona has become one of Manitoba’s premiere choral ensembles. After six years being led by Kathleen Allan (2016-2023), the choir transitioned to the leadership of Elroy Friesen during its 35th anniversary year. The choir continues to delve into the Baroque masterworks while staying committed to introducing Manitoba audiences to lesser-known composers and providing context for the works of the past in the contemporary world. Canzona’s mandate is to bring exceptional choral music to Manitoba audiences and to provide high-level professional opportunities for Manitoba singers.
Canzona’s CD recordings have reached audiences around the world, and the major success of the three-volume German Hymns project brought Canzona’s music to the homes of thousands of North American families. The choir has collaborated with leading organizations such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Caprice, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Groundswell, Dead of Winter, and MusickBarock.
Winnipeg Singers & Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir - The Seven Last Words of Christ
Date: April 13th
Time: 3pm
Venue: St. Boniface Cathedral
Cost: $40
About the Concert
The combined choirs, together with musicians from the WSO under the baton of Yuri Klaz perform Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ.
About the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir
There are few places classical choral music lovers can gather to hear high-quality traditional music on a grand scale. Deeply rooted in the choral community, The Phil is Winnipeg’s leading classical choir, providing audiences with an experience that’s dramatic, profoundly moving, and full of heart. The Phil has commissioned works by composers from both Manitoba and across Canada.
About the Winnipeg Singers
Regarded as one of Canada's finest choral ensembles, the Winnipeg Singers perform a diversity of choral music to the highest standard. The choir s consists of 24 professionally trained voices, performing music that spans the times from the Renaissance to the present. Each year the choir commissions new Canadian works and premieres other new works for its Manitoba audiences. It presents a concert series each year, engaging some of North America's finest musicians as guests. The Winnipeg Singers have performed joint concerts with such diverse organizations as Shakespeare in the Ruins, The Ron Paley Trio, MusikBarock Ensemble, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers and Les danseurs de la rivière Rouge. The Singers regularly appear as guests of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and have given concerts and workshops for local social agencies, business firms, and high schools.
Karl Stobbe & Benjamin Moser - Goldberg Plus
Date: April 14th
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Laudamus Auditorium, Canadian Mennonite University
Cost: $40
About the Concert
The Festival is extremely excited to share its first transatlantic collaboration with two celebrated soloists joining forces for two amazing concerts. Winnipeg’s own Karl Stobbe and Berlin pianist Benjamin Moser will be presenting two concerts centering around two of the most beloved pieces of the Baroque era” Bach’s Goldberg Variations and a unique rearrangement of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber’s Rosary Sonatas. Each piece is known for its unique temperament and demanding nature, and Festival audiences will be left in awe as two adept soloists present them in all of the glory.
About Karl Stobbe
Karl Stobbe is recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished violinists, known for his dedication to excellence on the violin and classical music in all its forms. As a concertmaster, soloist, and chamber musician, Karl has been an audience favorite in small settings and large venues. Noted for his generous, rich sound and long, poignant phrasing, he is described by the San Francisco Classical Voice as “an artist with soulful musicianship,” and by London’s Sunday Times as “a master soloist, recalling the golden age of violin playing... producing a breathtaking range of tone colours.”
Always looking to expand the concert stage, Karl has recently created a series of online concerts for digital concert platforms. Distinguished by his life-long love of the music for solo violin, this series features video recordings of all the unaccompanied violin repertoire of J.S. Bach. In honour of the 300th anniversary of Bach’s famous sonatas and partitas for solo violin, it also explores Bach’s influence through video performances of other solo violin repertoire of music by Bartok, Ysaye, Prokofiev, Biber, and others.
About Benjamin Moser
Benjamin Moser came to international attention in June 2007 as a prizewinner in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, in which he received the prize for the best interpretation of Tchaikovsky, as well as the audience prize. In January of that year, he also won first prize in the International Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, as well as eight additional special prizes and recitals in, among other venues, Paris (Gulbenkian Centre), Washington (Kennedy Centre) and New York (Carnegie Zankel Recital Hall). Since then, Benjamin has performed regularly, both in solo recital, and as soloist with orchestra. As guest performer, Benjamin Moser has been invited to many important festivals, including the Bodensee Festival, the Alpenklassik Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Klavierfestival Ruhr (to which he was reinvited for 2013,14 and 15), and to the YCA chamber music festival in Tokyo and Beijing.
Karl Stobbe & Benjamin Moser - Mystery, Revisited
Date: April 16th
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Laudamus Auditorium, Canadian Mennonite University
Cost: $40
About the Concert
The Festival is extremely excited to share its first transatlantic collaboration with two celebrated soloists joining forces for two amazing concerts. Winnipeg’s own Karl Stobbe and Berlin pianist Benjamin Moser will be presenting two concerts centering around two of the most beloved pieces of the Baroque era” Bach’s Goldberg Variations and a unique rearrangement of Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber’s Rosary Sonatas. Each piece is known for its unique temperament and demanding nature, and Festival audiences will be left in awe as two adept soloists present them in all of the glory.
About Karl Stobbe
Karl Stobbe is recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished violinists, known for his dedication to excellence on the violin and classical music in all its forms. As a concertmaster, soloist, and chamber musician, Karl has been an audience favorite in small settings and large venues. Noted for his generous, rich sound and long, poignant phrasing, he is described by the San Francisco Classical Voice as “an artist with soulful musicianship,” and by London’s Sunday Times as “a master soloist, recalling the golden age of violin playing... producing a breathtaking range of tone colours.”
Always looking to expand the concert stage, Karl has recently created a series of online concerts for digital concert platforms. Distinguished by his life-long love of the music for solo violin, this series features video recordings of all the unaccompanied violin repertoire of J.S. Bach. In honour of the 300th anniversary of Bach’s famous sonatas and partitas for solo violin, it also explores Bach’s influence through video performances of other solo violin repertoire of music by Bartok, Ysaye, Prokofiev, Biber, and others.
About Benjamin Moser
Benjamin Moser came to international attention in June 2007 as a prizewinner in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, in which he received the prize for the best interpretation of Tchaikovsky, as well as the audience prize. In January of that year, he also won first prize in the International Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York, as well as eight additional special prizes and recitals in, among other venues, Paris (Gulbenkian Centre), Washington (Kennedy Centre) and New York (Carnegie Zankel Recital Hall). Since then, Benjamin has performed regularly, both in solo recital, and as soloist with orchestra. As guest performer, Benjamin Moser has been invited to many important festivals, including the Bodensee Festival, the Alpenklassik Festival, the Lucerne Festival, the Klavierfestival Ruhr (to which he was reinvited for 2013,14 and 15), and to the YCA chamber music festival in Tokyo and Beijing.
Fierbois - Love & Madness
Date: April 17th
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Laudamus Auditorium, Canadian Mennonite University
Cost: $35
About the Concert
The newly-minted duo Fierbois is sharing bold music from the French Baroque to channel the spirit of their namesake - the sword of Joan of Arc. Featuring the works of Francoise Couperin, Louis Couperin, Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and Jean-Baptiste Lully, the duo will be joined by celebrated Winnipeg flutist Jan Kocman and bassoonist Katie Brooks.
About Fierbois
The name Fierbois resonates deeply with Caitlin Broms-Jacobs (oboe) and Madeline Hildebrand (piano). Meaning “proud wood,” it references the core material of their instruments, the legendary sword and spirit of Joan of Arc, and the dignified majesty of the forests so central to the Canadian landscape. Through their music, Caitlin and Madeline reinforce these powerful connections, blending history and nature with their artistry. Maddy and Caitlin are passionate performers who believe in the power that music has in connecting with a wide range of audiences. In addition to masterful performance, they communicate through stories, anecdotes, and detailed introductions to the pieces they perform. Fierbois presents a remarkable tribute to the Canadian landscape and all of those who inhabit it.
Winnipeg Baroque Festival Brass Choir
Date: April 18th
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Desautels Concert Hall
Cost: $30
About the Concert
The debut program of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival Brass Choir features the glorious antiphonal music of Venetian master Giovanni Gabriel, brass transcriptions of Elizabethan composers William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons, and new arrangements for brass choir of the music of Johann Sébastien Bach. This concert celebrates the rich brass tradition of arranging and transcribing Baroque music, and the excellence of Winnipeg’s brass players. You haven’t truly heard Baroque music until you’ve heard it played by a full-scale modern brass orchestra!
About the Winnipeg Baroque Festival Brass Choir
The Winnipeg Baroque Festival Brass Choir was formed in 2024 with a desire to celebrate the pedigree of Winnipeg’s brass community and a unique lens on the music of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Co-directed by Andrew Balfour and Richard Gillis, the group is also led by Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra trumpeter Chris Fensom.
Canadian Mennonite University Festival Chorus - St. John Passion
Date: April 19th
Time: 7pm
Venue: Westworth United Church
Cost: $30
About the Concert
The 2025 Festival concludes with one of the most celebrated works in the Baroque repertoire. Led by Dr. Janet Brenneman and featuring the CMU Festival Chorus and soloists from the community, this performance of the St. John Passion will be unique offering steeped in a decades-long tradition of performance in the Mennonite community.
About the Canadian Mennonite University Festival Chorus
The CMU Festival Chorus—a choir of students, alumni, and friends of CMU—has a decades-long legacy of excellence in choral music. This auditioned choir frequently performs with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and has worked with many distinguished conductors over the years including Helmut Rilling, Robert Shaw, Ivars Taurins, Jane Glover, Tania Miller, Bramwell Tovey, Andrey Boreyko, and Alexander Mickelthwate.