2026 Canadian Jazz Composers Workshop | Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

2026 Canadian Jazz Composers Workshops:

March 21, 2026 - with Allison Au
April 25, 2026 - with Chelsea McBride
June 6, 2026 - with Daniel Hersog
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GIVING THE ESSENTIALS: WRITING EFFECTIVE DRUM PARTS - Allison Au
During this session, Allison will share select scores from her 2024 Juno award-nominated album "Migrations", written and arranged for a ten-piece chamber jazz ensemble (vocals, saxophone, vibraphone, piano, bass, drums, and string quartet). Long-time bandmate and co-collaborator, drummer Fabio Ragnelli, will complement this discussion exploring the individual parts and what makes for effective drum parts in this context.

HOW TO WRITE A MIDDLE SCHOOL BIG BAND CHART - Chelsea McBride
Over the course of this workshop, we will discuss the specific needs of middle and high school ensembles and the traits of effective big band arrangements - and how to marry those two concepts into music that is fun for the ensemble, director, and audience alike. We will discuss a general form outline, instrumentation/alternate parts, range considerations, and how the writing process can influence rehearsal and performance.

TRANSFORMING TRADITION: CRAFTING NEW STORIES FROM OLD MELODIES - Daniel Hersog
Daniel Hersog explores how long-loved folk material can become the foundation for contemporary jazz orchestra writing. Attendees will follow the creative arc - from the moment a folk tune sparks an idea, through the shaping of form and colour, to the final ensemble score. Hersog will break down his approaches to reinterpreting source material, including strategies in orchestration, harmonic reframing, and developing narrative intention. Participants will gain insight into how familiar melodies can be reshaped into expansive, modern works while retaining their emotional core.

Sponsors: Winnipeg Arts Council & the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

There is no charge for this event, and we hope to keep it this way.
Donations toward this project are welcomed and donations over $25 will receive a tax receipt. (https://www.winnipegjazzorchestra.com/donate.html)

An email with the link to the event will be sent to you the morning of the workshop.

This session will be in English.
Thank you for your participation in the Canadian Jazz Composers Workshops.

Feel free to download and disseminate the poster for these events.

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The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is generously funded by:

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

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The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra welcomes and shares its performance and creation of music - a universal language to all people irrespective of culture, race, sexuality, ability, language and gender.

Music is an agent of hope. A dynamic and valuable device that helps us to heal and to bring us together. The First Peoples of Canada understood this and used music to reunite, resolve and reconcile. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that WJO activities take place on Treaty Territory – land that was maintained and earnestly cared for by Indigenous peoples before European settlement. Manitoba is the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and is the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that Winnipeg benefits daily from Treaty 3 water that comes from Shoal Lake 40. It is with sincere sentiment that we recognize the mistakes of our recent and distant past. In working towards a Canada that benefits us all, we commit to seeking a greater understanding of Canada’s diverse cultural relationships through continued work with Indigenous communities; we commit to live in ways that honour and respect the treaties that were made on these territories; and we commit to stewarding the land in harmony for all who will come after us.

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Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra / Box 68114, RPO Osborne Village, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3L 2V9
Main: 204-421-9398 / [email protected] Box Office: 204-632-5299 / [email protected]

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​The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is generously funded by:

Education Sponsors:

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is generously funded by: