CMU alumnus gives new voice to historic Métis anthem
CMU alumnus Erik Gillespie spent last year working as a restaurant server, but this summer he took on a tall order of a different kind: updating a 200-year-old anthem of the Red River Métis for a new generation.
The historic anthem, "La Chanson de la Grenouillère" ("The Song of Frog Plain"), is one of the best-known pieces of Métis oral tradition. It was composed by Pierre Falcon, a Métis fur trader, poet, and songwriter, following the Victory at Frog Plain on June 19, 1816.
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Winnipeg leaders to tackle challenges facing youth at risk
Youth facing barriers such as disengagement from school and concerns about community safety will be the focus of a major Winnipeg symposium bringing together leaders from education, public safety, government, social services, and community organizations.
Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), Massey College at the University of Toronto, and Inner City Youth Alive will jointly convene the Youth at Risk in Winnipeg Symposium on October 17, 2026. The goal is to move beyond describing the challenges facing vulnerable young people and identify practical approaches that can improve outcomes.
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Making chatter matter (Winnipeg Free Press)
Last Sunday, David Balzer parked his vintage 1978 Triple E Surfside camper trailer on a church lot in town and, like an itinerant priest with a mobile confessional, prepared to hear people's stories.
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CMU composer gives new life to opera City Workers in Love
Construction workers singing opera? It's a combination likely to elicit a double take, but it's at the heart of the 1992 comic opera City Workers in Love.
Composed by CMU Associate Professor of Music Neil Weisensel with a libretto by the late Michael Cavanagh, the one-act comic opera tells the story of a street repair crew and their pursuits of love and public service during a typical day.
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Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada's first female astronaut, brings a view from space down to Earth at CMU
Seeing Earth from space changed the way Dr. Roberta Bondar understood the natural world.
Canada's first female astronaut shared that perspective at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) on September 11, when she spoke at a Face2Face event exploring the intersections of science, art, and the environment.
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