Author: carolynsmithvln

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Mennonite Community Orchestra Gives Voice to Unique Perspectives: News Release

Winnipeg, MB, September, 2024

The November concert of the Mennonite Community Orchestra, CMU’s Orchestra in Residence, is entitled “Giving Voice”. Voices represented will include composers from several cultures and student violin soloist Will Harder. The Clan Mother’s Healing Village, Goodwill Partner for the event, will also have a voice.

The unique musical perspectives presented include Danzon No. 2, by Mexican composer Arturo Marquez, which gathers rhythms of Latin America in a crescendo of excitement. Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saens explores the capacity of the voice of the violin, under the hands of soloist Will Harder, to dazzle, dizzy and delight. Harder was the winner of CMU’s Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis presents the voice of string orchestra and string soloists. Our final piece, Bizet’s Carmen Suite, sings impassioned stories of love, life and death from the famous opera. 

The Goodwill Partner for the event is Clan Mothers Healing Village & Knowledge Centre.  The Clan Mother’s  are developing a land-based healing village for Indigenous women and girls, two- spirit and transgender persons in a community living environment, incorporating traditional Indigenous healing and spiritual mentorship, while encouraging individual growth through programming, training and social enterprise.

The Giving Voice concert will take place Sunday, November at 3 PM at Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington St. More information at mennonitecommunityorchestra.ca

For further media information:

Bob Wiebe, President MCO: 204 837 3967, bwiebe@enlivenconsulting.ca

Andrea Bell, Conductor

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Power of Imagination: News Release

Winnipeg, MB, February 15, 2024

The Mennonite Community Orchestra in collaboration with the Sunshine Fund will present a concert for children and the young at heart. The concert, slated for  March 17 at Lutheran Church of the Cross,  will explore “The Power of Imagination“, the precious gift of artists as they see and hear new visuals, stories and music. 

The Power of Imagination concert will feature Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf (A Symphonic Tale for Children), which provides an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra. Sue Sorensen, Professor of English at CMU, will be the narrator. 

Also on the program is the overture to the opera The Magic Flute by Mozart, whose fertile imagination made him a the master of musical story telling. The orchestra will also perform Gustav Host’s “Mars”, one of the seven planets portrayed musically in his suite “The Planets”. Works by Haydn and Vivaldi will round out the program. 

The Goodwill Partner for the concert is the Sunshine Fund, the arm of the Manitoba Camping Association which raises money to to enable families to send their children to camp when financial limitations might otherwise prevent. The camp experience builds self worth in individuals and a spirit of acceptance and collaboration within the camp community. 

Andrea Bell returns to lead the orchestra as it presents an afternoon to appreciate the creative gifts of self and others, and to imagine how to make the world a better place.

The Mennonite Community Orchestra’s Power of Imagination concert will be held Sunday, March 17 at 3 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington St. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, with children 16 and under accompanied by an adult admitted at no charge. See the website at mennonitecommunityorchestra.ca for further details. 

For further media information:

Bob Wiebe, President MCO: 204 837 3967, bwiebe@enlivenconsulting.ca

Sue Sorensen, Narrator
Andrea Bell, Conductor

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Concert Updates

Interview on Classic107 with Andrea Bell

Winnipeg’s Classical107 FM has posted an article and interview with Andrea Bell on the concert on Sunday, November 5, 2023 at 3 pm: The Power of Hope

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Concert Updates

Silvestrov’s Prayer for Ukraine

Prayer for Ukraine is a choral work by the Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, written in 2014 as a response to the political and social turmoil in his country. The work is part of a larger cycle of choral pieces, titled Maidan Cycle of Cycles, that Silvestrov composed during the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests, which opposed the Russian annexation of Crimea and demanded closer integration with the European Union. The work is part of a larger cycle of choral pieces, titled Maidan Cycle of Cycles, that Silvestrov composed during the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests, which resulted in Russia, which disagreed with the choice of Ukrainians, annexing Crimea and initiating the war against Ukraine.

Silvestrov, who was born in Kiev in 1937 and witnessed the horrors of World War II and the Soviet regime, expressed his solidarity with the peaceful demonstrators and his resistance to the Russian aggression through his musical means. He wrote numerous hymns, elegies, prayers, and requiem movements, using texts from the Ukrainian Orthodox liturgy, folk songs, and poetry.

Prayer for Ukraine is based on a simple text that asks God to protect the country and give it strength, faith, and hope. The music is serene, meditative, and poignant, reflecting Silvestrov’s characteristic style of “metaphorical music”, which transcends the boundaries of time and space and creates a sense of eternity and transcendence. The work was originally written for mixed unaccompanied choir, but later arranged for symphony orchestra by Andreas Gies and for chamber orchestra by Eduard Resatsch. The orchestral versions emphasize the rich harmonies and subtle timbres of Silvestrov’s music, creating a sonic tapestry of light and shade. Prayer for Ukraine is not only a musical expression of Silvestrov’s personal feelings and beliefs, but also a universal message of peace and hope for humanity.

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Musical Tribute to Ukraine: News Release

Winnipeg, MB, October 13, 2023

The Mennonite Community Orchestra in collaboration with the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians will present a musical tribute to Ukraine as part of its Fall Concert. The Concert, titled “The Power of Hope”, will encourage solidarity with the people of Ukraine and other nations struggling for freedom while carrying hope in their hearts, despite being caught up in war. The concert will feature Silvestrov’s evocative “Prayer for Ukraine” and the Taras Bulba Overture by M. Lysenko. 

Also on the program is the world premiere of “Rains Dance”, a piano concerto by Liam Berry, student at Canadian Mennonite University, commissioned for the occasion. Georg Neuhofer, winner of CMU’s Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition, will perform the concerto.

The Goodwill Partner for the concert is the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, an organization that has supported the Ukrainian community in Winnipeg and in Ukraine since 1918 and which is well known for its historic landmark building, The Ukrainian Labour Temple.

Andrea Bell returns to lead the orchestra in the works mentioned, as well as Dvorak’s warm and soulful 7th Symphony. Newly appointed Concertmaster John Taves will make his debut at this concert.

The Mennonite Community Orchestra’s Power of Hope concert will be held Sunday, November 5 at 3 PM at the Lutheran Church of the Cross, 560 Arlington St. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students, with children 12 and under accompanied by an adult admitted at no charge. See the website at mennonitecommunityorchestra.ca for further details. 

For further media information:

Bob Wiebe, President MCO: 204 837 3967, bwiebe@enlivenconsulting.ca

Andrea Bell

Georg Neuhofer

Liam Berry

John Taves