Manitoba Music

Winnipeg Folk Festival prepares to say farewell to Executive Director Trudy Schroeder

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has just announced that it is hiring Trudy Schroeder as its new Executive Director. Terry Sargeant, President of the Winnipeg Folk Festival Board of Directors, gives the following statement on behalf of the board:


“Last evening, the board of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra approved the hiring of Trudy as its next Executive Director. And, Trudy has accepted.

Trudy has assured me that she has not been the least bit unhappy with her job with the Festival.

But, after 10 years – and with the organization in excellent shape – she was ready to take on another challenge.

Trudy has done a superb job with the Folk Festival. When she arrived 10 years ago, the organization was in serious shape.

She leaves with the organization considerably larger than a decade ago, with record crowds at the summer event, with record income surpluses, with a solidly based endowment fund, with year-round programming and with a plan in place to greatly improve the site at Birds Hill Park. And that’s really only the start of the list of her accomplishments.

Add to that the systems she has put in place in the office and the excellent staff she has hired and we have an organization in very good shape.

Given all of her successes with us, it should not be surprising that other groups in town took notice.

While this is certainly a sad day for the Folk Festival, we can take pride that “one of ours” is so valued in this community.

We are not thrown into a panic situation. She has told the WSO that she will not be available until after this year’s festival.

She will remain our ED until the end of July – up to the time of the summer shutdown.

We all wish Trudy as much success and happiness in her new job as she has had with the WFF.”

Back