Violinist wins 2026 Verna and Peter Janzen Music Competition
The Verna and Peter Janzen Music Competition at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) brought together a range of student performers, with violinist Bella-Sophia Rogers earning first place at the finals held in the CMU Laudamus Auditorium on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
"The performance was exhilarating. I have performed for larger audiences before, but never one so full of friendly faces, and as soon as I looked out into the crowd it stopped being about impressing an anonymous crowd of faces and became an opportunity to show all my friends who I really am," Rogers said. "I was floored when it was announced that I had won—everyone performed fabulously and I was honoured to stand on that stage in front of my friends and colleagues for such a triumphant moment."
Rogers, a Winnipeg-based violinist, has been studying violin for more than 14 years, including recent training with former Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Gwen Hoebig. She made her concerto debut in 2025 with the Winnipeg Youth Symphony Orchestra, as the winner of the 2024 Senior Scholarship Competition. She has performed with numerous ensembles including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and Mennonite Community Orchestra.
Now in her second year of a Bachelor of Music at CMU, Rogers recently premiered Kenley Kristofferson's arrangement of her grandfather Stan Rogers' song, "Northwest Passage," as a soloist with the CMU Concert Band.
This was her first time participating in the Verna and Peter Janzen (VPJ) Music Competition, and she earned the first-place title and $700 prize that accompanies it. Larry Ruffin (piano) placed second and received $500, while Emily Adams (soprano) placed third and received $300. Lauryn Edel (soprano) and Jacob Kenny (tenor) also performed in the competition's final round.
"VPJ unites the CMU community in a way that feels unique," Rogers said. "It feels like the entire university comes together to support the competing musicians, which really shows how much people here care about each other."
Rogers performed two movements from Sonata for Violin and Piano L. 140 by Claude Debussy—I. Allegro vivo and II. Intermède: Fantasque et léger—and then closed with Introduction and Tarantella Op. 43 by Pablo Sarasate.
"I have wanted to play the Debussy sonata for years. The floaty sincerity of the recurring motif really speaks to me, and the constantly shifting tone colours allow for endless creativity in terms of interpretation. Sarasate's Introduction and Tarantella is more of a technical challenge, and its lyrical melodies and high-energy sound provide a great contrast to the more relaxed 20th-century sound of Debussy," she said.
Adjudicators for the event were Donna Fletcher and Laura Loewen.
Fletcher is a celebrated singer, director, teacher, and actor who has performed principal roles with institutions including the National Arts Centre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, and Charlottetown Festival. She is also co-creator of the musical theatre company Dry Cold Productions.
Loewen is an acclaimed collaborative pianist who has performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. She teaches at the esteemed NUOVA opera training program in Edmonton, AB, and in the University of Manitoba's Desautels Faculty of Music, where she is Professor of Collaborative Piano.
This event, originally named the Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition, was founded in 2006 by Peter Janzen of Deep River, ON. He created it in memory of his wife, Verna, who was a devoted supporter and member of the music community before she died of cancer in 1989 at age 53. After Peter's passing in October 2025, the competition's name shifted to acknowledge his legacy of generous support and shared love of music that makes this important contribution to the CMU community possible.