Manitoba has long been known across Canada as The Singing Province, with singing and choirs playing an integral part in Manitoba’s arts and culture scene for decades. So, what better way to celebrate the City of Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary than by highlighting this phenomenon? Manitoba Choral Association (MCA) is pleased to partner with Winnipeg Arts Council (WAC) for a special initiative for 2024 entitled Winnipeg 150: City of Song.
Featuring the best of our community spirit and artistic excellence, City of Song is a showcase for the best of Winnipeg’s talents and countless opportunities for Winnipeggers to engage in the power of singing with friends and neighbours across the city. Working with WAC, MCA will shine the spotlight on school and community choirs from all over Winnipeg. Additionally, together WAC and MCA will present and support events including choral festivals, training opportunities for youth and choral leaders and singers, and special performances throughout the year. WAC will also partner with dozens of other performing arts organizations to include elements of choral music and group singing in their season programming throughout 2024.
The City of Song initiative is growing every day, and will encompass everything from opera to musical theatre, from choral concerts to singer-songwriters and jazz singers, with Indigenous voices and those from diverse ethnocultural communities represented by professional and community-based choirs from across Winnipeg. And just as importantly, City of Song will also provide opportunities for the public to sing, through a variety of programmed and pop-up events throughout the year. Pub singalongs, movies, and surprise events are among the things being planned.
“MCA kicked off our 2024 activities related to the City of Song initiative with our iconic program, MB Sings, in early February,” Jenny Steinke-Magnus, MCA Executive Director shared. “We welcomed over 600 Manitobans to the finale concert in Winnipeg, and also celebrated the 40th anniversary of this flagship program. We look forward to many more events celebrating choir and group singing in 2024!”
Among the City of Song programs and events MCA is planning for 2024 are an intercultural choral concert (co-hosted with the Manitoba Chinese Choir), a pub singalong, a senior high leadership workshop, and more. MCA will also reprise the highly successful outdoor choral festival, GATHER, in September, and of course, hold our annual flagship program, ChoralFest, in November.
MCA members and Winnipeg choirs in particular are also invited to visit the City of Song website to submit their upcoming events to the shared calendar and stay tuned for more ways to get involved in this exciting initiative throughout the year!
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