{"id":694991,"date":"2026-05-26T14:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694991\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T14:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T14:16:21","slug":"agassiz-festival-brings-world-class-chamber-music-back-to-winnipeg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/694991\/","title":{"rendered":"Agassiz Festival brings world-class chamber music back to Winnipeg"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Agassiz Chamber Music Festival<\/a> is once again transforming Winnipeg into a gathering place for internationally acclaimed musicians, adventurous programming, and unforgettable chamber music performances. Running through May 30 at Canadian Mennonite University\u2019s\u00a0Laudamus\u00a0Auditorium, this year\u2019s festival, themed \u201cQuartet Fest, ” features performances by the Callisto Quartet<\/a>, the Agassiz Quartet, the Will Bonness Jazz Quartet, and an array of distinguished guest artists.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Founded in 2000 by cellist and artistic director Paul Marleyn<\/a>, the festival has steadily built an international reputation for artistic excellence while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0deep roots in Winnipeg\u2019s musical community. Following the success of last fall\u2019s International Cello Festival of Canada,\u00a0Marleyn\u00a0says the momentum surrounding Agassiz has never felt stronger.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really a big surprise for us how successful it was in terms of audience, in terms of the artists, which is fantastic,\u201d he said of the 2025 cello festival. \u201cThere was a camaraderie within the artists\u2026 frankly, the artist\u00a0didn’t\u00a0want to leave. It was such a beautiful feeling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the intensity and success of the event, he added, \u201cIt was such an intense 5 days. It was fabulous.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Festival Built Around the String Quartet\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s \u201cQuartet Fest\u201d theme places the string quartet at the\u00a0centre\u00a0of the festival\u2019s programming. For Marleyn, the quartet\u00a0remains\u00a0one of chamber music\u2019s most profound and expressive forms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe string quartet is in a way this central pivot around which all chamber music repertoire kind of fits,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt’s such an incredibly personal medium where you have those four voices and you can express a whole world of emotion in those four voices.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marleyn also emphasized the historic importance of the quartet repertoire, noting that many of history\u2019s greatest composers turned to the medium for some of their deepest musical statements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many of the greatest composers of the last 400 years chose the string quartet for, I think, some of their most profound expressions;\u00a0 Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Schubert, Shostakovich, it’s incredible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the festival\u2019s major highlights is the appearance of the internationally acclaimed Callisto Quartet, prize winners at both the Banff International String Quartet Competition<\/a> and the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were rehearsing\u00a0first\u00a0thing this morning and sounded absolutely amazing,\u201d Marleyn said shortly after the ensemble arrived in Winnipeg from a Bermuda Music Festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Agassiz Quartet and the Art of Collaboration\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alongside the Callisto Quartet, audiences will also hear performances by the newly formed Agassiz Quartet, featuring violinists Karl\u00a0Stobbe<\/a> and Amy Hillis<\/a>, violist David Harding<\/a>, and Marleyn himself on cello.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marleyn spoke candidly about the unique chemistry\u00a0required\u00a0in string quartet playing and the difference between long-standing professional ensembles and ad hoc collaborations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody can reach the same level of blends and homogeneity and just quality of quartet playing as a professional student quartet that rehearses six or seven days a week for years at a time,\u201d he said. \u201cThe unspoken understanding, the 6th sense that is created over those years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, he described the Agassiz Quartet as an exciting and deeply rewarding collaboration among trusted colleagues and close musical friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s really fun playing with\u00a0Karl and Amy and Dave,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cKarl is just a gem to have here in this city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marleyn also praised Stobbe\u2019s recent artistic growth, saying, \u201cHe’s really come into his own in the last couple of years even more.\u00a0It’s\u00a0extraordinary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

From Jazz to Emerging Artists\u00a0<\/p>\n

While classical chamber music\u00a0remains\u00a0the festival\u2019s foundation, Agassiz continues to broaden its artistic scope by welcoming other musical styles into the programming. This year includes a performance by the Will Bonness Jazz Quartet, led by multi-Juno Award-winning pianist Will Bonness.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I like lots of different styles of music,\u201d Marleyn said. \u201cWill is a multi-Juno award-winning jazz pianist. I mean, he would be exceptional in any city in the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival also continues its longstanding Emerging Artist Series, which has helped\u00a0showcase\u00a0young musicians for more than a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look down the list of emerging artists who we’ve featured, pretty much every single one of those people has a pretty impressive career now,\u201d Marleyn noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s emerging artist concert features percussionist Nathan Gibbens, alongside pianist and University of Manitoba Dean of Music Stephen Runge.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marleyn emphasized the importance of Agassiz\u2019s longstanding partnership with the University of Manitoba\u2019s Desautels Faculty of Music,<\/a> where the International Cello Festival was hosted last fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s great to have that partnership,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cellos, Tchaikovsky, and a Festival Finale\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the festival\u2019s most eclectic concerts is the Five Play Cello performance, featuring\u00a0repertoire\u00a0that spans baroque music, tango, and rock and roll. Marleyn says cello ensembles\u00a0possess\u00a0a uniquely warm and social energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCellists tend to be friends. I mean, they get on,\u201d he laughed. \u201cCellists have a great time playing together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also spoke enthusiastically about collaborating with fellow cellists Ethan Ehlers, Samuel Nadarak, Hannah Moses, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra <\/a>principal cellist Elie Boissinot.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a very fun concert,\u201d he said. \u201cI’m really happy to be playing a full concert with him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0anticipated\u00a0highlight is Tchaikovsky\u2019s Souvenir de Florence, performed jointly by members of the Callisto and Agassiz Quartets. Marleyn described the work as one of the great masterpieces of chamber music literature.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTchaikovsky was a fantastic composer,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s\u00a0just so full of joy and love.\u00a0It’s\u00a0just an incredible piece.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival concludes with the gala finale Bach to Babylon, featuring Bach\u2019s Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 6 alongside Mendelssohn\u2019s Octet.\u00a0Marleyn described the octet rehearsal with the combined quartets as extraordinary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the best first run-through I’ve ever heard,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was really, really incredible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Marleyn, the essence of a successful music festival lies in pairing exceptional artists with extraordinary repertoire.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the pleasure of putting festivals together is finding fantastic pieces of music and fantastic performers who are going to work together well and then put them on those pieces,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I think that’s the recipe for something really special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With its dazzling lineup of internationally acclaimed performers, adventurous programming, and deeply passionate spirit of collaboration, the 2026 Agassiz Chamber Music Festival <\/a>stands as one of Winnipeg\u2019s premier cultural events of the season. From the intimacy of the string quartet and the fiery brilliance of Tchaikovsky\u2019s Souvenir de Florence to jazz, cello ensembles, Bach, and Mendelssohn\u2019s monumental Octet, this year\u2019s festival offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience world-class musicians performing some of the greatest music ever written in an intimate concert setting. Whether longtime chamber music lovers or curious first-time listeners, audiences can expect concerts filled with energy, virtuosity, warmth, and unforgettable artistry as the Agassiz Festival once again transforms Winnipeg into a true celebration of music and community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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