Winnipeg, MB - Today, at his annual State of the City Address, Mayor Sam Katz announced an outdoor celebration of the arts, to be held in Winnipeg's Central Park in the spring.
The event will feature performances by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble and Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. The event was conceived to celebrate the four performing arts organizations, and recognize their contributions to Winnipeg’s cultural scene as performers and as ambassadors for the city.
“Winnipeg is home to some of the finest performing arts organizations in the country, if not the world,” said Mayor Katz. “We are fortunate to have such dedicated, talented performers representing our city on the international stage and it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to celebrate their many accomplishments.”
The spring concert in Central Park will give Winnipeggers a unique chance to see and hear four of the city’s most-renowned performing arts organizations at a unique, open-air event. All four groups participating in the concert will be showcasing their talents on international stages in 2014.
Celebrating its 66th season, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra will travel to New York in May to take part in the Spring for Music festival at the city’s legendary Carnegie Hall. The WSO, the only Canadian orchestra chosen through Spring for Music’s online competition, will join five renowned orchestras from across North America at the six-night festival. Mayor Katz will be attending the performance at Carnegie Hall along with hundreds of other Manitobans.
“The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is committed to ensuring that Winnipeggers in every part of our community have the opportunity to experience live arts performance at the highest level, which is why we are pleased and proud to be part of this wonderful community initiative in Central Park,” said Trudy Schroeder, Executive Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. “We now have almost six hundred Winnipeggers going to New York City to be part of the WSO Carnegie Hall experience, including business groups, political leaders, community institutions and many loyal WSO patrons. Winnipeg will be well-represented in the audience and in special events surrounding the concert - it will be one of those historic Winnipeg moments.”
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Canada’s oldest ballet company and considered one of the world’s premier dance companies, will be embarking on a tour of Asia in October to celebrate its 75th season. The tour will take the dancers to 11 cities, including a stop in Winnipeg’s sister city, Chengdu, China.
“We are excited to be performing in some of the world's grandest theatres in key cities and provinces in China,” said Jeff Herd, executive director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. "This upcoming tour is an honour and unique opportunity for us to represent Winnipeg and Manitoba on the world stage. We also hope to contribute in further enhancing relationships and cultural exchanges between Winnipeg and China.”
Winnipeg’s Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble, North America's oldest and largest Israeli folk dance ensemble, has been delighting audiences here at home and around the world for 50 years. This summer, the ensemble will travel to Israel to represent Canada at the Karmiel International Dance Festival.
“Chai will be fulfilling a dream by returning to Israel to perform after having performed there 16 years ago, said Reeva Nepon, Administrative Director, Chai Folk Arts Council. “To be able to do this in celebration of our 50th anniversary, and to represent Winnipeg and Canada at the Karmiel Dance Festival, is truly an honour.”
Over the past half-century, Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble has become known around the world, performing for captivated audiences that have included royalty and heads of state. The troupe, which received a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award in 2013, is planning to tour the Eastern American seaboard in 2014/15.
“We are honoured to be a part of such a wonderful and collaborative project,” said Hannia Tarasiuk, on behalf of the Rusalka Board of Directors. “We are very pleased that access to the arts is being made available through this initiative, created by the City of Winnipeg. The dancers are excited to be united with these prestigious dance companies and the WSO in what will be a very exciting event.
“Rusalka has been, and continues to be, a vital part of the Arts community in Winnipeg. We thank the City of Winnipeg for honouring our achievements and contributions, and we shall continue to act as Ambassadors for at least another fifty years!”
The Central Park event will be free of charge and open to the public. Further details, including the time and date of the event, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Mayor Katz has supported all four of these performing arts groups through grants from the Civic Initiatives Fund.