News and Releases

Keyword: Music
Sunday@CMU: July 2023
Sunday, July 2, 2023 @ 12:00 AM
Voices of the CMU Community
This month on Sunday@CMU, we are featuring the voices of CMU students. Listen to hear excerpts of speeches from the 2023 C. Henry Smith Oratorical Peace Contest and performances from this year's 18th annual Verna Mae Janzen music competition finals.
Read MoreNew Indigenous opera is a story of good medicine
Thursday, June 1, 2023 @ 3:08 PM
This fall, Manitoba Opera will be performing the world premiere of Li Keur: Riel's Heart of the North, the first full-scale Indigenous-led opera presented on a Canadian mainstage. It celebrates Métis women, languages, music, and culture, with libretto written by Métis poet and scholar Dr. Suzanne Steele and music composed by Métis fiddler Alex Kusturok and CMU faculty Neil Weisensel.
Read More2023 Spring at CMU
Friday, April 28, 2023 @ 10:00 PM
recorded on April 28, 2023
Read MorePianist wins 2023 Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition
Thursday, April 20, 2023 @ 3:40 PM
A pianist from Inglis, Manitoba is the winner of the 18th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).
Georg Neuhofer's performance in the finals, held on Thursday, March 23 in CMU's Laudamus Auditorium, earned him first place and the $700 prize that comes with it.
Read MoreSpring at CMU 2023: The Early Edition (video)
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 @ 9:00 AM
Wherever you are, we hope that you are appreciating the arrival of spring. This time of year means the end of classes for students and faculty at CMU, and the beginning of the exam season. The semester is almost over and it feels like time to celebrate the good year that it has been on campus.
Read More2023 Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition (video, photos)
Friday, March 31, 2023 @ 12:00 AM
View the full performance of each finalist, hear the jurors' comments, and learn the outcome of the competition.
Read MoreCMU alum recontextualizes art song through queer, ecological lens
Monday, January 23, 2023 @ 1:18 PM
At first glance, it may not seem like music, climate justice, and queerness would cross career paths. But Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) alum Anna Bigland-Pritchard has built a life that weaves together these strands.
The 30-year-old soprano lives in Victoria, BC, where she divides her time between studying under renowned soprano Nancy Argenta, managing marketing at Vancouver Bach Choirs, directing music ministry at Oak Bay United Church, and teaching through her small business, ABP Music Studio. She also dedicates time to advocating for climate justice and facilitating workshops on eco-mindfulness, which she has done for institutions like KAIROS, University of Toronto, and CMU.
Read MoreFaculty: In Their Own Words - Dr. Jonathan Dueck
Thursday, December 15, 2022 @ 9:10 AM
Dr. Jonathan Dueck, Vice-President Academic, Academic Dean, Associate Professor of Social Science (Ethnomusicology), and of Writing, has taught at CMU since 2017.
What do you love about your work here?
I like the sense of play that we have as an institution. We invite people to do things they care about, things they're passionate about, and to try them out. As students, as faculty members, and even as an institution, we're willing to try new things in a way that is about what we love.
Read MoreFaculty-alumni collaboration explores decolonizing music education in the classroom
Monday, July 4, 2022 @ 10:52 AM
Studying music education means learning scales and chord progressions, practicing how to move your hands while conducting, and planning out class schedules. But sometimes it also involves examining and re-evaluating the entire education system at its core.
This is what a group of CMU students did every week last semester, when they gathered for one of CMU's newest courses: Decolonizing Music Education, guided by Associate Professor of Music Janet Brenneman. Through listening, reading, discussing, and creating, students learned about the history and current forms of colonialism present in Canadian music education classrooms, and explored how to put the concepts of decolonization and indigenization into action.
Read MorePianist wins 2022 Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition
Monday, May 9, 2022 @ 9:25 AM
A pianist from Fort Frances, Ontario is the winner of the 17th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).
Anna Schwartz's performance in the finals, held on Friday, April 8 in CMU's Laudamus Auditorium, earned her first place and the $700 prize that comes with it.
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