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West region articles and news

Newswire | BISQFest Announces 2026 Lineup

By Newswire on 17 February 2026 Arts Industry, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Newswire, Strings, West

BANFF, AB, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 — Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is thrilled to announce the full lineup for the Banff International String Quartet Festival (BISQFest) 2026, taking place September 3–6, 2026, in Banff, Alberta. Occurring in the years between the triennial Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC), BISQFest has immersed chamber music lovers in a long weekend of intimate performances and picturesque mountain views on Banff Centre campus since 2017. Much like the world-renowned Competition, which named Cincinnati’s Poiesis Quartet as their reigning winners in 2025, the 2026 edition of BISQFest champions the best in chamber music by celebrating cherished contemporary performers,…

Cheryl L’Hirondelle, nikamon ohci askiy (songs because of the land), 2008. Photo: Red Works. Courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

Newswire | Banff Centre Highlights Interdisciplinary Artist Cheryl L’Hirondelle

By Newswire on 12 February 2026 Multimedia, Newswire, West

BANFF, AB, FEBRUARY 5, 2026 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is thrilled to present the first career survey devoted to the expansive, multi-decade practice of the interdisciplinary artist and singer/songwriter, Cheryl L’Hirondelle at Banff Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery. The exhibition, Cheryl L’Hirondelle: where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom))), running from February 13 to June 21, 2026, brings together decades of works across performance, video, “net.art” originally sited online, and in sound and installation. Born in Alberta with family ties to Papaschase First Nation and Kikino Métis Settlement, and based in Saskatoon, the artist’s practice is grounded in nēhiyawēwin (Cree language) as the…

Newswire | Vancouver Opera Announces 2026—2027 Season

By Newswire on 12 February 2026 Classical Music, Newswire, Opera, West

FEBRUARY 6, 2026, VANCOUVER, B.C. / Traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations – Vancouver Opera announces an audience-inspired 2026–2027 season featuring three iconic works by Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi, with season tickets now on sale. Opening with the white-hot intensity of Tosca in October 2026, followed by Rossini’s effervescent comedy The Barber of Seville in February 2027, the season concludes in grand style with Verdi’s beloved La Traviata in April/May 2027. “Our 67th season invites audiences to confront power, delight in comedy, and open themselves to vulnerability with timeless classics that are adored by opera audiences everywhere,” said Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director. “We are bringing…

RWB Company in T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods (2024). Photo: Daniel Crump

Review | RWB Tours T’əl, an Indigenous Story by Indigenous Creators

By Kaija Pepper on 12 February 2026 Concert Reviews, Dance, Indigenous, Scena Arts, Vancouver, West

Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) has commissioned three Indigenous story ballets over the decades, each one making, for its time, a newsworthy impact. 1971’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, choreographed by Norbert Vesak, was a hard-hitting depiction of racism, while 2014’s Going Home Star—Truth and Reconciliation, by Mark Godden, put the residential school scandal onstage. Then came 2024’s traditional Indigenous tale, T’əl: The Wild Man of the Woods, and, this time, an Indigenous choreographer: Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe, a member of the Tla’amin Nation of British Columbia’s northern Sunshine Coast. RWB recently presented T’əl (pronounced “tall”) on a seven-stop tour of BC—which I…

Photo courtesy of VSO

Newswire | VSO Announces First European Tour

By Newswire on 4 February 2026 Arts Industry, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Newswire, Orchestral, West

Vancouver, BC — The Grammy and Juno-award winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is embarking on its first-ever European tour in April 2026 with an exclusive invitation as the Orchestra-in-Residence at the prestigious Salzburg Easter Festival. Under the leadership of Maestro Otto Tausk, the tour represents a rare and extraordinary opportunity to elevate the VSO’s international profile among the world’s great orchestras and affirm Canada’s place as a nation of music and culture. Performing at the renowned Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg during the Easter Festival will mark a milestone in the VSO’s 107-year history. The European tour will take place from…

Élisabeth Pion Photo: Jeremy Fokkens/Courtesy of Honens International Piano Competition

Élisabeth Pion: Capturing Honens Gold

By Viktor Lazarov on 2 February 2026 Chamber Music, Classical Music, Music Competition, Piano, West

Twenty-nine-year-old pianist Élisabeth Pion, a Quebec native, won the coveted Gold Laureate prize at the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary last October. Occurring every three to four years, the elite competition offers a lofty $100,000 cash prize and a three-year Artist Development Program valued at $500,000 for the lucky winner. Honens occupies a special place among the world’s “track and field” keyboard events. It searches for the elusive and undefinable “complete artist,” a term that applies only to the rarest of contestants, while dividing jury, critics and public alike on notions of taste, values, and esthetics. Pion demonstrated…

Esther Hwang (left) and the Musicians of the VSO (right, Photo: Cristian Markos)

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: Facing the Music

By Hal Kowalewski on 2 February 2026 Arts Industry, Chamber Music, Employment, Orchestral, West

From late 2025 through the start of 2026, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) has been embroiled in turbulence. On Sept. 12, musicians stood outside the historic Orpheum Theatre distributing flyers calling for a new contract and competitive pay, noting that musician compensation “lags behind comparable symphonies” across Canada, despite the VSO’s $53 million endowment fund. At 5 p.m., Sept. 25, the musicians of the VSO walked out of the Orpheum, initiating the strike. That evening’s performance—as well as performances throughout the week—were cancelled. On Sept. 26, the VSO released a statement that they were “disappointed on the impact this will have…

Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy’s music has been performed around the world by outstanding soloists and ensembles, and broadcast on radio in more than 22 countries. Photo by Kamara Morozuk.

Newswire | WSO Announces Kelly-Marie Murphy as New Composer-in-Residence

By Newswire on 28 January 2026 Arts Industry, Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Employment, Newswire, West

(January 19, 2026 – Winnipeg, MB) – The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is delighted to announce the appointment of award-winning Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy as its new Composer-in-Residence, beginning with the 2026/27 season. A leading figure in Canada’s contemporary music scene, Dr. Murphy becomes the fourth composer to hold the position in the WSO’s history. “I am often amazed by my own good fortune,” shares Dr. Murphy. “I am honoured and excited to be the next Composer-in-Residence with the WSO. I feel like I’ve grown up with the orchestra during its New Music Festivals over the years, and this appointment brings it…

Newswire | Calgary Opera Announces Powerful 2026/27 Season

By Newswire on 28 January 2026 Newswire, Opera, Vocal, West

CALGARY, AB – Calgary Opera proudly announces its 2026/27 season, a bold and emotionally charged journey featuring three grand operas on the Southern Alberta Jubilee stage, a beloved family production, and a wide array of immersive experiences that bring opera into the heart of the community. The season opens with Puccini’s Tosca (October 2026), a pulse-pounding political thriller where passion and power collide in one of opera’s most emotionally explosive masterpieces. In winter, audiences are swept into the shimmering fantasy of Massenet’s Cinderella (January–February 2027), a radiant tale of transformation, true love, and escape. Spring brings Verdi’s searing Otello (April 2027), an unflinching exploration of jealousy and…

Newswire | Pro Coro Canada Presents UK Composer Paul Mealor’s Light of Paradise

By Newswire on 28 January 2026 Choral, Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire, Vocal, West

Edmonton, AB – Pro Coro Canada proudly announces its March concert, Light of Paradise, on March 1, Sunday, at 3 PM at McDougall United Church, Edmonton. This performance features the North American premiere of The Light of Paradise, a composition by award-winning Welsh composer Paul Mealor, who will be in attendance at the concert. The Light of Paradise draws on the life and writings of medieval mystic Margery Kempe, blending choir, soloists, and saxophone quartet in a powerful and immersive choral work. Mealor’s distinguished career includes music for landmark UK events such as the wedding of the Prince and Princess…

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