Music

Music

Amilia Fehr photo Claire Thérèse & the Lockdown release their second album tonight at Public Domain.

Group’s second LP made to get hearts racing

By Sheldon Birnie 6 minute read Friday, Oct. 16, 2026

While a live performance is a moment in time that comes and goes, a record is something that, ostensibly, lives on.

Both are important, often complementary methods of artistic expression for any band of musicians, not the least independent local artists carving out names for themselves in the dark heart of the continent.

Claire Thérèse & the Lockdown are celebrating the vinyl release of Racing Heart, its second full-length LP, with a gig tonight at Public Domain. The group’s last full-length record, Villainy!, was released in 2022.

“For me, this seems like perfect timing,” says Thérèse, primary vocalist and songwriter in the group. “This album has been done for almost two years now. I don’t even know if I would call it procrastination, (but) there are just those steps that one needs to take to actually release something into the world, and that’s how long it has taken me.”

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Opinion

George Walker IV / Associated Press Files Phoebe Bridgers performs as the opening act for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. Bridgers’ Toronto show was a phone-free experience.

Phoneless concert a beautiful chance to bask in moment

Jen Zoratti 6 minute read Preview

Phoneless concert a beautiful chance to bask in moment

Jen Zoratti 6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Outside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, digital billboards flashed fans their singular photo op for the night: “I took this photo before I saw Phoebe Bridgers: The Lost Tour 2026.”

It is, as it is for so many other people, my only documentation of a concert by one of my favourite artists. The American singer-songwriter — who I discovered at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 2018 — has had a meteoric rise in the past few years, winning three Grammys in 2024 as one third of Boygenius, the indie-rock supergroup rounded out by Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, and opening for Taylor Swift on select dates of her titanic Eras Tour.

Now, Bridgers is touring in support of Lost Weekend, her third album and first since 2020’s Punisher. It’s a feat of a record, a richly textured meditation on loss and grief, written in the aftermath of the death of her dad, with whom she had a complicated relationship.

So she is in a position to not only play multiple sold-out arena shows, but also insist that those shows be phone-free.

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Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026

Music

Supplied Sean Irvine wrote Forgotten Stories Suite as a way to tell stories of queer experience.

Stellar year for Manitoba artists at WCMAs

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Preview

Stellar year for Manitoba artists at WCMAs

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Manitoba acts earned top honours at this past weekend’s Western Canadian Music Awards in Victoria, including pop artist of the year for Begonia, a francophone artist of the year award for Jocelyn Baribeau, video director of the year for Taylor Brown and two awards for the Brandon-raised Fontine, who took home prizes for rock artist and Indigenous artist of the year.

It was double time for the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, which for the second consecutive year was named Western Canada’s jazz artist of the year.

The recognition comes on the strength of the WJO’s most recent recording, Forgotten Stories Suite, a project by local woodwind specialist Sean Irvine that blends spoken word, instrumental soundscapes and sung vocals to amplify stories of queer experience.

“As I started becoming a composer, I was thinking about what I had to say,” says Irvine, a musician with a doctorate of jazz performance from the University of Toronto and a master’s in performance and literature from Brandon University.

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Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Music

Candace Houle photo Fontaine is named after late Indian City co-founder Vince Fontaine.

Band keeps plight of MMIWG close to heart on new track

Ben Waldman 6 minute read Preview

Band keeps plight of MMIWG close to heart on new track

Ben Waldman 6 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

Gabrielle Fontaine won’t stop talking about them and neither will her bandmates.

As a teenager, the Winnipeg songwriter — whose late father Vince was the passionate leader of musical projects including Eagle & Hawk — would volunteer at Wiping Away the Tears, an annual gathering hosted by Ka Ni Kanichihk that offers space for healing, ceremony and support for relatives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

Though Indigenous people make up less than five per cent of the Canadian population, Indigenous women make up 16 per cent of all female homicide victims and 11 per cent of missing women, according to the Assembly of First Nations.

Seeking a way to help in the community, Fontaine regularly volunteered as a child-minder during memorial events, an experience she says shaped her outlook as a musical storyteller.

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Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026

Music

Matt Duboff photo Concertmaster Karl Stobbe

WSO season kicks off with two fateful fifths

Holly Harris 5 minute read Preview

WSO season kicks off with two fateful fifths

Holly Harris 5 minute read Sunday, Sep. 27, 2026

On a dark and stormy autumnal night, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra opened its 2026-27 season with a pair of equally foreboding works both driven by fate — and ultimately, the triumphant power of the human spirit.

Saturday night’s Masterworks program, titled Beethoven 5 and Tchaikovsky 5 and led by Daniel Raiskin, also officially introduced the WSO’s new composer-in-residence, Kelly-Marie Murphy, to the weekend crowd of 1,720. She was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers upon taking the stage.

The 120-minute evening — and the WSO season — launched with the Ottawa-based Murphy’s Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, commissioned by the National Arts Centre Orchestra under the baton of its former music director Alexander Shelley in 2023.

With the internationally renowned composer’s compelling works heard on this stage during many a Winnipeg New Music Festival, local music fans (and music critics) are still jumping for joy over this truly fine appointment.

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Sunday, Sep. 27, 2026

Music

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra rehearses with conductor Daniel Raiskin.

WSO kicks off season pairing Beethoven, Tchaikovsky

Conrad Sweatman 5 minute read Preview

WSO kicks off season pairing Beethoven, Tchaikovsky

Conrad Sweatman 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

French fries and milkshake, watermelon and feta cheese … Beethoven’s Fifth and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth?

Few events mark the beginning of the classical concert season like the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s season-opener and this year they kick things off with an unusual but satisfying pairing.

“I think that for me, the combination of these two pieces is, first of all, a celebration of great masterworks that have withstood 100 years of being probed by time for their relevancy,” says conductor Daniel Raiskin, the WSO’s music director. “It’s the quality of music, it’s the quality of narrative that attracts us to these masterworks again and again.”

Both symphonies are so hefty and canonical, one might have expected half of the concert would be devoted to a concerto, tone poem or something smaller or lesser known.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Music

New series terrific addition to RWB repertoire

New series terrific addition to RWB repertoire

Holly Harris 5 minute read Preview

New series terrific addition to RWB repertoire

Holly Harris 5 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

‘See the music, hear the dance,” is a famous quote from quintessential ballet influencer George Balanchine, whose pithy bons mots have defined much of American classical dance since the legendary Russian-born choreographer first blazed a trail with the New York City Ballet.

Local balletomanes were given a golden opportunity to experience both up-close-and-personal Thursday when the Royal Winnipeg Ballet officially kicked off its 87th season with its newly minted Studio Series, which runs until Sunday.

The brainchild of the company’s artistic director, Christopher Stowell, the series features an abridged “concert version” of Balanchine’s seminal Who Cares?, set to a playlist of catchy George Gershwin tunes that make up the backbone of the Great American Songbook.

The Studio Series is the latest initiative taken by Stowell as he settles into his arguably still new position. Some of those endeavours will invariably stumble; others will hit their mark. This venture belongs in the latter category, bringing a 500-plus-year-old art form, often perceived as rarified, to audience members who may be hesitant, shy or just plain intimidated to visit the cavernous Centennial Concert Hall.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Music

Mark Rash / Supplied Maestro Daniel Raiskin will lead the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra through Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 this Saturday.

Don’t miss these 10 concerts during a jam-packed season

Holly Harris 6 minute read Preview

Don’t miss these 10 concerts during a jam-packed season

Holly Harris 6 minute read Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Shorter days and dipping temperatures also trumpet the launch of another jam-packed arts season, with a full slate of world-class concerts.

Here is a list of Top 10 concerts that have caught our eye from now until the snow flies, listed in chronological order:

1) Da-da-da-daaaah! The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 79th season with one of the most iconic symphonies in the classical canon on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. The first in its renamed Masterworks series (formerly Saturday Classics) features maestro Daniel Raiskin leading the players through Beethoven’s roiling Symphony No. 5, a.k.a. “fate knocking at the door,” as well as Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The program that repeats Sunday at 2 p.m. also features Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe from WSO’s newly minted composer-in-residence, Kelly-Marie Murphy; the work is inspired by the “night sky and themes of curiosity and discovery.” For further information, see wso.ca.

2) Manitoba has long been hailed as “the singing province,” with Winnipeg’s diverse choral groups promising to enthrall fans once again with their latest offerings. Local a cappella vocal ensemble Dead of Winter joins forces with the Juno-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir (Julia Davids, artistic director/conductor) in Where Waters Meet on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. at the Desautels Concert Hall. The collaborative program features works by founder/composer Andrew Balfour, who has Cree heritage, Carmen Braden (Yellowknife, N.W.T.), Sherryl Sewepagaham (Cree-Dene, Little Red River Cree Nation), and the late Cris Derksen (NorthTall Cree). The matinee performance also includes guest appearances by the University Singers and local Inuit throat singers Aleatra Sammurtok and Zeann Manernaluk. Check out deadofwinter.ca.

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Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026

Music

SUPPLIED Brandon-born drummer Chris Sutherland, left, with wife Tina Faye.

Well-known Brandon-born rock drummer Sutherland dies at age 58

Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Preview

Well-known Brandon-born rock drummer Sutherland dies at age 58

Rylee Gerrard 3 minute read Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

Chris (Suds) Sutherland, a Brandon-born drummer who was the driving force behind many top artists in the Canadian music industry, has died at 58.

Sutherland is widely praised throughout North America as a talented percussionist with an extensive discography.

He performed with such Canadian music legends as Kim Mitchell, Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Streetheart and others.

Sutherland brought presence and “plow” when he played, Tina Faye said about her husband.

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Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2026

Music

Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Quintin Bart is performing the Oroboro Vignettes, an original collection of neo-Baroque works for the hurdy-gurdy, at St. Norbert Arts Centre Sunday.

Hurdy-gurdy show coming to St. Norbert Arts Centre

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Preview

Hurdy-gurdy show coming to St. Norbert Arts Centre

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Quintin Bart’s favourite instrument has a name that’s easy to remember and it makes a sound that’s difficult to forget.

Say it with us — hurdy-gurdy.

Functioning like a wheeled, crank-activated violin, Bart’s trapezoidal instrument produces a continuous range of sound by manipulation of two drone strings, two melody strings and one trompette string. As the wheel spins in a single direction, the music created can last as long as the crank turns.

“I like to think of it as an analogue synthesizer,” says Bart, a jazz-minded Winnipeg folk musician who has used the baroque tool in performances with artists including Matt Foster and Raine Hamilton.

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Friday, Sep. 18, 2026

Music

JOEY SENFT PHOTO Sean Burns Sean Burns and his band, Lost Country, celebrate the release of their latest album, Better Off in Time & Other Songs for the Dance Floor, Friday at Sidestage.

Sean Burns and company head to Sidestage to celebrate album

Sheldon Birnie 6 minute read Preview

Sean Burns and company head to Sidestage to celebrate album

Sheldon Birnie 6 minute read Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

Like so many country musicians before him, local troubadour Sean Burns just can’t wait to get on the road again, playing to listeners far and wide.

But for now, hot off 10 dates out west, Burns and his band Lost Country will celebrate the official release of the group’s latest record, Better Off in Time & Other Songs for the Dance Floor, with a gig at Sidestage Friday.

“I like to work with the band as much as I can,” Burns says. “There aren’t many bands that play the kind of country music we play. It’s the most rewarding gig.”

Burns, who sings and plays upright bass, tic-tac and acoustic guitars on the new record, laid down the tracks last October at Winnipeg’s No Fun Club, mostly live off the floor with Lost Country.

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Thursday, Sep. 17, 2026

Music

Micah Baribeau photo Jocelyne Baribeau’s Atelier 48 venue in the RM of Taché hosts the Icebreakers series, bringing together an array of Manitoba artists.

Rural venue lets artists shine on more intimate stage

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Preview

Rural venue lets artists shine on more intimate stage

Ben Waldman 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

With cooler temperatures on their way, Jocelyne Baribeau wants to break the linguistic ice between musicians with a new concert series at her home near St. Geneviève, about 30 minutes east of the Perimeter.

A onetime Western Canadian Music Award winner as best francophone artist, the St. Vital-raised Baribeau intends the Icebreakers series — which has its first concert this Sunday — to provide musicians with an intimate, rural setting to experiment and collaborate with peers with whom they might not otherwise share a bill.

“A goal for me to sort of erase a bit of that invisible line that we put. ‘It’s a French event,’ or ‘It’s an English event,’” says Baribeau, the vice-president of the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

“The more we can do that, the more opportunity there is for everyone. Music is music, and I don’t think it’s a language thing. You can feel a lot of things even when someone is singing in a language you don’t understand.”

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Tuesday, Sep. 15, 2026

Music

Supplied Richard Inman plays the West End Cultural Centre tonight with his band, the Western Canadian All-Stars.

Inman launching new album at WECC

Ben Waldman 5 minute read Preview

Inman launching new album at WECC

Ben Waldman 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Give Richard Inman a moment and a surface, and he’ll cover it with a story.

“I’ve scribbled down lyrics on paper plates, McDonald’s bags — whatever you got,” says Inman, who grew up in southern Manitoba but now lives in a three-bedroom ranch house near Twin Butte, Alta., so close to the American border that he says he can spit into Montana from his backyard.

“The other day I had a line in my head for seven hours before I wrote it down,” says the songwriter, who managed to remember the phrasing after driving home from a music festival in Idaho. “That certainly was lucky.”

Though Inman, 35, first starting sharing his Americana concoctions with crowds at Winnipeg’s Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club in the late 2000s, learning how to play his compositions with his band, the Mad Trappers, he has spent the bulk of the past decade out west, splitting time between the stage and the sale barn.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Music

High on passion, low on fuel

High on passion, low on fuel

Conrad Sweatman 7 minute read Preview

High on passion, low on fuel

Conrad Sweatman 7 minute read Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

It’s a story as old as rock and roll: some kids hop in a van, fill up on cigarettes and gas, and let ‘er rip on the Trans-Canada Highway in pursuit of fun, fame and fortune.

Or, failing fortune, a wad of 20s and loose change to cover gas on the way home two weeks later.

If they turn on the radio before reaching the Perimeter, hopefully the bad news and bad vibes they hear won’t persuade them into pulling a U-turn.

In June, it was reported that Manitoba’s annual inflation rate had jumped to 4.6 per cent in May, topping all provinces alongside Nova Scotia. Statistics Canada said drivers were paying the highest for gas since June 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threw global supply chains into chaos.

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Saturday, Jul. 11, 2026

Music

Creative freedom

Creative freedom

Rob Williams 7 minute read Preview

Creative freedom

Rob Williams 7 minute read Thursday, Jul. 9, 2026

Kathleen Edwards is experiencing total freedom.

Years removed from taking a break from the music industry, the songwriter, who turns 48 on Saturday, has come to a certain peace about who she is as a person and a musician.

On her latest full-length, Billionaire, released last year, she wrote almost enough music for a double album, but time constraints limited her to a tight 10 tracks. Local music fans will get to hear some of those songs when Edwards returns to the Winnipeg Folk Festival Sunday.

“I think it’s an age thing. I think I’ve gotten less caught in, ‘What if this isn’t good, or is it?’ And now I’m like, ‘Oh, nothing is a waste of time on the creative front. Everything has a purpose.’

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Thursday, Jul. 9, 2026

Music

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Jacob Brodovsky’s new album is his attempt at wrestling with the future of humankind.

Songwriter reckons with past, present on new album

Ben Waldman 8 minute read Preview

Songwriter reckons with past, present on new album

Ben Waldman 8 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2026

Grab a kitchen scale and you’ll quickly see that Jacob Brodovsky’s newest LP is exactly the same weight as his last one, but Tell the Kids We Tried is still the heaviest music released by the singer-songwriter.

Even on its more upbeat, playful tracks — reminiscent of jangly, optimistic indie rock from Canadian indie heroes such as Dan Mangan, Joel Plaskett and the Weakerthans — the newest release from the Winnipeg-raised artist tackles concurrent global fiascos such as climate catastrophe, political apathy, genocide and an abdication of human rights.

“Folk music is an intrinsically political genre,” the 35-year-old says. “The people who started (the Winnipeg) folk fest were intrinsically political people, and the best folk music that’s being made today is intrinsically political. I think in this moment to say that your music isn’t political is at least naive, if not ignorant.

“You can’t ignore what’s going on in the world. You can’t ignore how unkind people are to one another,” says Brodovsky, who displays a sign in his home studio endorsing Avi Lewis; he played the federal NDP leader’s April rally in Winnipeg.

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Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2026

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