Pop Nuit Returns to WSO New Music Festival

There is plenty of music to keep you warm and busy over the next couple of weeks. Big Fun Festival takes over Winnipeg venues for the third year January 22-26 and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 23rd annual New Music Festival on January 25, offering audiences eight nights of festival favourites, new works, international performers, and acclaimed Manitoba composers and performers. 

The innovative NMF has become one of Canada's premier showcases of contemporary classical music. This year's event includes a diverse collection of composers and artists, including renowned choral act Hilliard Ensemble, the Azure String Quartet, local jazz artist Richard Gillis, Iceland's Valgeir Sigurðsson, Manitoba-based composer Matthew Patton, and many more. NMF will also co-host music legend Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth, The Dust) with special guests Jim Jarmusch and Phil Kline on January 27.

It will also mark the sophomore year of the late night satellite series, Pop Nuit, which explores the boundaries of pop. Night 1, presented in collaboration with the Big Fun Festival, features two homegrown acts: Western Canadian Music Award-winning outfit Mahogany Frog and electronic legend Venetian Snares. Night 2 features headliner and Polaris Music Price shortlisted circular-breathing saxophonist Colin Stetson and violinist Hannah Epperson of Vancouver.