WSO Year End Message

As we approach a new year, I think about connections we have made. Past and future, audience and artists, young and old – we are connected through music and shared experiences. So, it is with hope and excitement that I look to the future while celebrating the past.

Already this season, we’ve had exceptional musical experiences that remind us of the beauty of live orchestral music.

At our season opening concert, it was inspiring to see a full audience witness the incredible musicianship of James Ehnes and the wonderfully talented Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. What a perfect way to launch our 75th season.

We followed that beautiful performance with the exceptional debut of Canadian cellist Bryan Cheng and then the long-awaited return of former WSO Music Director Andrey Boreyko.

Then, in December, we learned the moving history of the Violins of Hope and of the power music has to sustain and heal.

This year also saw the resurgence of our education programs. Over the past two years, we’ve adapted and, in some cases, went on a complete pause as schools strived to maintain a safe learning atmosphere for everyone. This fall, the WSO visited schools with the Bach to School program and, in January, will welcome students back to the concert hall through sold-out Musical Discoveries concerts.

Sistema Winnipeg returned to fully in-person activities and held its first in-person Tannis M. Richardson Winter Concert in three years.

The curiosity, enthusiasm and pride of young people discovering classical music is the sign of a truly bright future.

In January, we will launch the 31st Winnipeg New Music Festival. With distinguished guest composer Kalevi Aho, a host of incredible guest performers and composers, and two concerts at the Royal Aviation Museum, we are ready to inspire audiences in 2023.

There are many more concerts to come in our Classics series, each poignant in a unique way. Not to mention our Live at the WSO, BMO Night at the Movies, Kids Concerts and so much more. We welcome everyone, from all parts of our community, to connect with live music again.

All of this is possible because of you, our patrons and donors.

The support you have given us over 75 years is what creates these once-in-a-lifetime concert experiences. We can’t do it without your help; you have been incredibly generous. Thank you to everyone who has made a donation this year. We are profoundly grateful.

I look forward to seeing all of you in 2023.

If you would like to donate before the end of the year, there is still time! Donate today.

Thank you!

Daniel Raiskin
Music Director