Don’t miss these 10 concerts during a jam-packed season

Shorter days and dipping temperatures also trumpet the launch of another jam-packed arts season, with a full slate of world-class concerts.

Here is a list of Top 10 concerts that have caught our eye from now until the snow flies, listed in chronological order:

1) Da-da-da-daaaah! The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 79th season with one of the most iconic symphonies in the classical canon on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. The first in its renamed Masterworks series (formerly Saturday Classics) features maestro Daniel Raiskin leading the players through Beethoven’s roiling Symphony No. 5, a.k.a. “fate knocking at the door,” as well as Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The program that repeats Sunday at 2 p.m. also features Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe from WSO’s newly minted composer-in-residence, Kelly-Marie Murphy; the work is inspired by the “night sky and themes of curiosity and discovery.” For further information, see wso.ca.

2) Manitoba has long been hailed as “the singing province,” with Winnipeg’s diverse choral groups promising to enthrall fans once again with their latest offerings. Local a cappella vocal ensemble Dead of Winter joins forces with the Juno-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir (Julia Davids, artistic director/conductor) in Where Waters Meet on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m. at the Desautels Concert Hall. The collaborative program features works by founder/composer Andrew Balfour, who has Cree heritage, Carmen Braden (Yellowknife, N.W.T.), Sherryl Sewepagaham (Cree-Dene, Little Red River Cree Nation), and the late Cris Derksen (NorthTall Cree). The matinee performance also includes guest appearances by the University Singers and local Inuit throat singers Aleatra Sammurtok and Zeann Manernaluk. Check out deadofwinter.ca.

3) Also on tap is GroundSwell’s Squid in Chains, featuring the British Columbia-based all-star Vancouver Trio: François Houle (basset clarinet and electronics); Douglas Schmidt (bandoneon); and John Oliver (synthesizers, samplers, sound processing). Their improvised program takes listeners through an evolving sonic landscape in which electronic and acoustic sounds create their own unique dialogue, with the concert taking place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the West End Cultural Centre. More details? See gswell.ca.

4) Ever dream of supping with the Bard? The Winnipeg Singers, led by Yuri Klaz, invites choral lovers for High Tea with Shakespeare, a concert held in collaboration with Shakespeare in the Ruins taking place at Young United Church on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. Fascinators optional. Visit winnipegsingers.com.

5) The Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg features acclaimed Canadian soprano and pianist duo Sara Schabas and Isabelle David in Pulitzer-nominated composer Alex Weiser’s song cycle, In a Dark Blue Night, in its same-titled opener, taking place at Laudamus Hall (500 Shaftesbury Blvd.) on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. For more info see wmcwpg.ca.

6) Water-themed concerts are flowing this season. Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, in partnership with Jazz Winnipeg, takes its own deep dive with The Way of Water on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Desautels Concert Hall. The Florian Hoefner Jazz Quartet, led by Juno-winning pianist/composer Florian Hoefner, plunges listeners into an exploration of water as “beauty, memory and climate,” including Hoefner’s own Into the Aquasphere — a potent reflection of environmental change so in tune with today’s increasingly perilous times. Details here: themco.ca.

7) Local opera aficionados will be treated to a rare performance of American composer Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha as the work makes its debut at Manitoba Opera, now under new artistic director Gordon Gerrard. Set during the late 1880s in the Deep South, the gripping opera has been reimagined for the 21st century and sung in English; it features a touring cast in addition to an onstage 10-piece orchestra with its three-performance run opening Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall, and wrapping up Friday, Nov. 27. For more info, visit mbopera.ca.

8) That same weekend, the WSO takes its show on the road, returning to the Desautels Concert Hall for Symphony in South Winnipeg on Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21 (both shows at 7:30 p.m., with a 1 p.m. weekend matinee). The French-inspired concert being led by guest conductor Dina Gilbert follows last year’s hugely popular program at the intimate venue, in which every note in the acoustically superior hall is clear as a bell — as it promises to be for this year’s featured soloist, WSO principal harpist Charlene Chin in Tailleferre’s Concertino for Harp and Orchestra. Check out wso.ca for details.

9) Hallelujah! Handel’s Messiah is back to celebrate the season with the uplifting program led by Ivars Taurins, founding director of the internationally renowned Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. Joining the WSO this year are guest soloists Ellen McAteer (soprano); Emma Parkinson (alto); Ben Done (tenor); and Owen Phillipson (baritone); performing the Baroque composer’s cherished oratorio alongside the CMU Festival Chorus (Janet Brenneman, artistic director). Last year’s event sold out well in advance, with only one performance being offered this year on Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. Find out more at wso.ca.

10) Last but not least, MCO features award-winning cellist Stéphane Tétreault in Perpetual Motion, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Crescent Arts Centre. The dynamo performs Russian-born Canadian composer Airat Ichmouratov’s compelling Cello Concerto No. 1, teeming with “lush lyricism, folk colour, theatrical surprise and virtuosic flair.” The evening also includes Manitoba’s own Karen Sunabacka’s Born by the River, inspired by her Métis grandmother Lenore, as well as Arvo Part’s luminous Fratres, which never fails to stir the soul. See themco.ca.

There you have it — a treasure trove of musical riches with much, much more to come.

holly.harris@shaw.ca