James Manishen

James Manishen, artistic advisor with the WSO, joined the WSO as a clarinetist in 1966 as the youngest full-time member in the orchestra’s history. James holds a master of music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He was the classical music columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press and a CBC broadcaster, hosting his own national radio show and appearing on many other CBC classical music shows as host, writer, and commentator. As a writer, he has been published in every major Canadian music journal plus international journals. As an adjudicator, he has judged the Canadian Music Competitions, the JUNOs, Indies, and Prairie Music Awards. In April 2010, James conducted the WSO for the final round of the Doris McLellan Competition for Solo Performance. He has been a WSO staff member since 2004.