After 39 years, Antoni Cimolino prepares to take his final bow at Stratford

STRATFORD, ONTARIO -  Antoni Cimolino is ending his tenure at the helm of Canada's most influential theatre institution on a reflective note.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, his farewell season is rich with metaphor.

Its name, "This Rough Magic," is tied to a line from "The Tempest," which was the last play written by Shakespeare alone. The magic, Cimolino explained, is the theatre itself.

"I wanted to celebrate the power of theatre, and what it's meant to my life," he said.

Drake breaks Michael Jackson’s Hot 100 record for most No. 1s by a solo male artist

Drake might officially be the new king of pop.

The Toronto rap star has shattered the long-standing record previously held by Michael Jackson for most No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 by a solo male artist.

His song "Janice STFU" entered at the top of the chart this week following the release of his trilogy of albums.

Billboard says that pushes Drake's career total to 14 chart-toppers, breaking his tie with Jackson.

Drake pulls historic hat trick, claiming top 3 spots on Billboard chart

TORONTO - Drake once said he "started from the bottom," but this week he's occupying the entire top floor of the Billboard charts.

The Toronto rapper has rewritten music history by becoming the first artist to claim the top three spots on Billboard's top 200 album chart, the company announced Sunday.

His trilogy of albums — "Iceman," "Habibti" and "Maid of Honour" — debuted at Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the chart dated May 30.

With "Iceman," Drake also notched his 15th No. 1 album, moving past Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among solo male and R&B/hip-hop artists, and tying him with Taylor Swift for the most No. 1s among solo artists. Only The Beatles sit ahead overall, with a record 19 No. 1 albums.

‘My principal asked, ‘Are you on the Drake album?”: Toronto teen producer lands on rapper’s new trilogy

TORONTO - On a school night last summer, Toronto producer Arham Paul was getting ready for bed when his phone rang.

One of his beatmaker friends was tapped to work on Drake’s new projects, and he needed help crafting an ’80s-style intro for a song.

“‘We are not sleeping tonight,’” the 16-year-old, who produces under ap.melodies, recalls saying.

So, instead of resting for class the next morning, the Markham, Ont.-raised teen spent hours building out the slow and sensual opening alongside Miami-based producer Sebas Lopez.

Music festival has splendid strings attached

The Agassiz Chamber Music Festival celebrates the glory of the string quartet when it launches its weeklong festival, Quartetfest, Sunday night.

The 27-year old annual event spearheaded by founding Ottawa-based artistic director/cellist Paul Marleyn and hosted by Andrea Ratuski, runs nightly through Saturday, May 30. Local chamber music buffs will be treated to a full slate of intimate chamber concerts performed by internationally renowned guest artists, pre-show chats, an emerging artist showcase, as well as four prizewinners from the 2026 Agassiz Glimpses of the Future competition.

“There’s just something very special about the string quartet,” the British-born Marleyn says over the phone when asked about the genre’s enduring appeal. “It’s a little bit like a choir with a perfect combination of voices that covers the full tonal range in a way that other chamber music can’t do.

“The form also attracts music of the highest quality from such composers as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, as well as more contemporary artists.”

Goldie Boutilier, Maggie Andrew among big winners at East Coast Music Awards

SYDNEY - Cape Breton artists cleaned up at the East Coast Music Awards on Thursday night in Sydney, N.S., and singer-songwriter Goldie Boutilier led the pack.

Boutilier took home the awards for breakthrough artist of the year and album of the year for her recording, "Goldie Boutilier Presents … Goldie Montana." The latter award was the final prize presented at what is seen as the biggest night in music on Canada's East Coast.

"The word 'breakthrough' means so much to me because before one happens, often chasing your dreams can feel very embarrassing," she told the audience. "Honestly, the difference between the people who make it and the ones who disappear often is just endurance."

"Just because your train is taking longer, doesn't mean it ain't coming," she added as a cheer rose up from the crowd.

What’s up: Food Truck Battles; murder mystery; U of M School of Art; David Essig; pro wrestling

MB Food Truck BattlesAssiniboia Downs, 3975 Portage Ave.Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.Tickets $7 at wfp.to/iaNThree dozen of Winnipeg’s finest food trucks will converge on Assiniboia Downs this weekend as the MB Food Truck Battles returns for another event featuring the best street food the city has to offer.

The participating rolling restos cover a wide range of culinary street fare for all palates. Among those taking part in the food truck battle are Beavertails, Captain Calamari, La Taqueria, Miss Tiny’s Jamaican Food Truck, Poutines R Us, Tot Wheels and Wacky Waffles. (Stretchy pants are not mandatory, but highly recommended.)

Folks who scarf down some tasty treats can vote for their favourite food truck on Saturday and Sunday at the event; those who vote have a chance to win $300 in “food truck bucks.”

The event will also feature activities for kids (including face painting and bouncy castles), live bands (including Paige Drobot, the Prairie Joggers, Zach Riley and November Underground), a beer garden, wrestling and a tattoo pop-up with 20 tattoo artists.

Subvert music service prioritizing art over artificial intelligence

With its public launch earlier this month, a digital music marketplace called Subvert aims to live up to its name, directing more power — and more dollars — to recording artists navigating the choppy waters of the streaming wars.

Initially pitched as a collectively owned successor to Bandcamp — a popular sales interface for independent artists — and an alternative to big tech-funded streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music, Subvert (subvert.fm) was already hosting music for purchase by 20,000 artists from 120 countries as of Wednesday afternoon.

Nearly 30 of those artists — including Altona-based pop producer Daggerss, a.k.a. Laura Smith — call Manitoba home.

“To me, the co-op model is really exciting,” says Smith, a former touring member of indie rock stalwarts Said the Whale whose past projects include Rococode, a synthy duo that released music through Winnipeg label Head in the Sand Records in the 2010s. “It gives power to the people and keeps it in the hands of the people instead of us being at the beck and call of a tech company.”

Tribute to composer Ron Paley pays homage to local jazz leader who’s never wavered

When asked how he kept his big band together for so many years, Duke Ellington famously replied, “You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money.”

While the remark was made half in jest, it strikes at a central truth: big bands, like orchestras, employ a lot of people and can be central economic drivers for jazz scenes.

All the more important, then, to have a leader like Ron Paley, who also inspires loyalty and admiration.

The nationally celebrated 75-year-old performer, composer, arranger and band leader is celebrated at a tribute concert this Saturday.

Council to vote on motion to rename park for Kevin Walters

Odeon Park — a nondescript plaza in front of the Burton Cummings Theatre — is one step closer to being renamed in honour of Kevin Walters, a leader in Winnipeg’s live music industry who died in 2014.

At city hall Tuesday, the executive policy committee unanimously carried a motion to redub the 970-square-metre space — a junction at the intersections of Notre Dame Avenue, King and Smith streets that hosts the Burt Block Party in August — as Kevin Walters Plaza. To make the change official, the motion will be brought to the council at large for final approval later this month.

The motion was brought to EPC by Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood councillor Evan Duncan.

“I’ve heard from countless residents, artists and industry leaders across our city who were impacted by Kevin’s profound generosity and vision,” Duncan said in a release. “Naming this plaza in his honour right on the doorstep of ‘The Burt’ will rejuvenate a vital public footprint and create an inclusive gathering place that reflects the soul of Winnipeg’s creative community.”

David Suzuki celebrates 90th birthday with benefit concert featuring Sarah McLachlan, Jane Fonda

David Suzuki is celebrating his 90th birthday with a star-studded Vancouver benefit concert that will be livestreamed across Canada.

Taking place Friday, the lineup includes Canadian musicians such as Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Cockburn, Chantal Kreviazuk, Tanya Tagaq, William Prince and Sam Roberts Band.

They’ll be joined by speakers including Jane Fonda, Al Gore, Rick Hansen and George Stroumboulopoulos.

The concert is presented by the David Suzuki Foundation, which says the event will honour Suzuki’s “lifelong dedication to the planet,” with proceeds supporting the organization’s ongoing work to protect nature, curb climate change and build more resilient communities.

Renowned composer, cellist Derksen dead after car crash

Award-winning Cree composer and cellist Cris Derksen, who had strong ties to Manitoba’s arts community, has died following a car crash in northern Alberta. They were 45.

Drake breaks three daily Spotify records for 2026 with new albums

Drake fans who might have felt left out in the cold waiting for new music after the rapper's last solo album in 2023 seem to have warmly embraced his latest drop.

With the release of three albums Friday, the Toronto-born rapper broke three records on Spotify for 2026. 

Spotify says Drake's long-awaited "Iceman" album became the most streamed album in a single day in 2026, and opening track "Make Them Cry" reached the same feat for most streamed single. 

On the song, Drake shouts out BTS, saying “I’m feeling like BTS ’cause it took the whole career for me to be so discovered.”

University of Toronto revokes Buffy Sainte-Marie’s honorary law degree

TORONTO -  

The University of Toronto has rescinded folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie's honorary degree.

It's the latest recognition Sainte-Marie has lost since a 2023 CBC News investigation called her Indigenous heritage into question, including the Order of Canada and Polaris Prize.

Sainte-Marie disputed the CBC's reporting but acknowledged in a statement to The Canadian Press that she is American and not a Canadian citizen.

Frozen frenzy ensues over Drake drop, which takes aim at Kendrick Lamar, DeMar DeRozan

TORONTO - The internet, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and even the White House are frostbitten with hype after Drake dropped his diss-laden album "Iceman" and two other surprise projects at midnight.

On Friday morning, the White House took to social media to post a doctored version of the "Iceman" album cover featuring a diamond-encrusted glove holding a chain that read "MAGA."

"ICED OUT," read the caption on X.

Crowds of eager fans watched as the CN Tower was bathed in an icy blue glow Thursday, as part of a livestream to promote the album's release. It opened with a track from "Iceman," featuring Drake reflecting on the past couple of years following his high-profile feud with L.A. rapper Kendrick Lamar.