Manitoba musical heritage celebrated as countdown to Junos begins

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This article was published 05/11/2013 (3380 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Here in Winnipeg, “We Speak Music.”

In the months leading up to the 2014 Juno Awards, which will take place in Winnipeg from March 24 to 30, you’ll be seeing that slogan a lot. Carole Vivier, co-chair of the Winnipeg Juno Host Committee, says the local brand pays tribute to our musical heritage and history as well as highlights the importance music plays in our every day lives.

Music also contributes to our economic growth as a culture. As Premier Greg Selinger said in his opening remarks at the morning’s press conference, Manitoba’s music industry has an annual economic impact of $71 million. “People say that culture is a frill,” he said. “It’s not.”

And from March 24 through 30, all of Winnipeg will definitely be speaking music at the week-long celebrations, which culminate with the Juno Awards broadcast on March 30. The Saturday night Juno Awards gala dinner and awards, at which 35 of the Junos will be handed out, will take place March 29 at the RBC Convention Centre.

The MTS Iceplex will host the Juno Cup — an annual celebrity hockey game that pits musicians against former NHL greats in support of MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity — on March 28.

JunoFest, a two-night music festival and one of Juno Week’s signature events, will run March 28 and 29. Nearly half of the lineup will be comprised of local talent. Submissions for JunoFest are now open; artists wishing to participate can apply at http://marcatoforms.com/junofest2014/artists.

Of course, none of these events are possible without volunteers. Those wishing to volunteer at the 2014 Juno Awards can apply at www.junoawards.ca