Desautels Faculty of Music

Congratulations to the class of 2026! We are so proud of all you have accomplished and wish you the best as you move into the next stage of your life in music!

Coming Together at the Crossroads: Music Study in Canada in 2026

May 21-24, 2026
https://event.fourwaves.com/crossroads/pages
This hybrid conference will bring together members of four scholarly societies — the Canadian University Music Society (MusCan), the Canadian Society for Traditional Music (CSTM), the Canadian Association of Music Libraries (CAML), and the Canadian Network for Musicians’ Health and Wellness (CNMHW) — along with community members, musicians, and artists for dialogue and exchange.

The conference features two special events, open and free to the public. On Thursday, May 21, 2026, Kyle Devine will give the opening keynote lecture, “Recomposed: Music, Climate, Crisis, Change,” at 4:30pm in the Desautels Concert Hall, followed by a 6pm reception catered by Sharecuterie.
We are also welcoming the public to join us at the Desautels Concert Hall on Friday, May 22, 2026 at 7:30pm for a Contemporary Composers’ Concert, featuring new works by Canadian composers Tristan Zaba, Willyn Whiting, Greg Steinke, David Litke, Justin Maisonneuve, and Marko Marinic.

Join us in celebrating Manitoba jazz legend, Ron Paley [BMus/71]. 🎷 
On May 23, the Ron Paley Big Band takes the stage for a special tribute concert honouring Ron Paley’s extraordinary legacy — and helping launch the Ron Paley Jazz Scholarship Fund to support future students. 
🎟️ Get your tickets: https://www.showpass.com/the-ron-paley-tribute-concert/ 
🎓 Make a gift: https://crowdfunding.umanitoba.ca/project/honouring-ron-paley/

Thank You, Winnipeg!
May 1, 2026 – 6:00 p.m.
Desautels Concert Hall – 150 Dafoe Road

A free concert at the Desautels Concert Hall featuring:
Colin Carr, Cello
Wan-Chi Su, Piano
Örjan Sandred, Composer
Minna Rose Chung, Cello
Stephen Runge, Piano
The C-String Collective with Élie Boissinot, Cello

Tickets are free. Register through the link in bio.

Congratulations to the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra () , whose album East Meets West: Connections has won the Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year (Group)!

UM musicians involved in the project include: faculty Fabio Ragnelli, Will Bonness, Jon Challoner, Karl Kohut, Victoria Sparks, Richard Gillis; retired faculty Larry Roy; alumni and occasional sessional instructors Niall Cade, Neil Watson, Joel Green, Shane Hicks, and Andrew Littleford.

(Pictured: Juno Award Winners - Will Bonness, Jon Challoner, and Karl Kohut with DFoM Instructor Karly Epp and a DFoM student at the UM 2025 Homecoming Concert)

Echoes of Change - University of Manitoba Singers
April 2, 2026 – 7:00 p.m.
Crescent Arts Centre – 525 Wardlaw Ave

Led by Dr. Elroy Friesen, the University of Manitoba Singers present a diverse and exciting program of choral music spanning different languages and eras ahead of their tour to Sweden this spring.

Tickets:
$20 for general and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased by the link in bio.

Ask Reeves - UM Jazz Vocal Ensemble
April 2, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.
Desautels Concert Hall – 150 Dafoe Road

Come enjoy an evening of creative music steeped in the jazz vocal tradition! Together with the talented UMJVE rhythm section made up of both students and faculty, each of the vocal students in the jazz studies program will bring you a selection of their own arrangements and/or transcriptions for a thoughtfully curated evening of jazz.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can at the door.