Applause for our Sponsors: Canada Life – Investing in the Next Generation of Music Lovers

For more than a decade, Canada Life’s support has touched many corners of our education and community programming, from Kids’ Concerts in the Concert Hall to Sistema Winnipeg in school communities, helping to ensure that young Manitobans can experience the power of live orchestral music.

Canada Life’s commitment to youth, education, and community well‑being aligns closely with the WSO’s own values. They consistently invest in initiatives that give children a better start, strengthen families, and build healthier communities. At the WSO, this has translated into opportunities for thousands of young people to hear, learn, and make music together.

One of the most impactful areas of this partnership is Sistema Winnipeg. As the program has grown, Canada Life’s multi‑year sponsorship has provided something invaluable: stability. Their support helps ensure that Sistema has reliable annual funding, so staff can plan ahead, maintain teaching positions, and continue to welcome students into the program.

Canada Life has also supported the WSO’s Kids’ Concerts and educational initiatives. Through these programs, children experience an orchestra right in front of them. They see instruments up close, hear stories through music, and discover that the concert hall is a place where they are welcome.

The impact of this support reaches far beyond a single concert or season. For many students, especially those in Sistema, music becomes a source of confidence, focus, and friendship. They learn how to listen, how to work as a team, how to persist through challenge, and how to take pride in what they create together. Families become more connected to their schools and to one another, and neighbourhoods gain a shared point of pride.

Canada Life’s sponsorship helps make all of this possible. It is an investment not only in performances, but in young people and the communities they call home. As the WSO continues to bring breathtaking musical experiences to audiences across Manitoba, we are proud to have Canada Life by our side as a partner in this work.

On behalf of our musicians, staff, educators, and especially the children and families in our education programs, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Canada Life for their leadership and generosity. Their support is helping to shape the next generation of music lovers, performers, and community leaders in Manitoba.