WJO 2025-2026 Season Concerts | Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra

The WJO 2026 - 2027 Season

GUEST ARTIST INFO

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Casual Tickets

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond

Take Five: Dave Brubeck and the West Coast Sound

Saturday, October 17 | 2026 7:30 pm
Desautels Concert Hall (U of M)

Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond were the defining icons of cool jazz, their partnership synonymous with the sophisticated rhythms and breezy elegence of the West Coast Sound. Join the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra for a tribute to these legends, driected by and featuring alto saxophonist Neil Watson alongside the exceptional piano work of Will Bonness. Don't miss an evening of timeless melodies and masterful arrangements ... get your tickets today!

Al Jarreau & George Benson

The Music of Al Jarreau
featuring Zachary Rushing & Larry Roy
Saturday, November 7 | 2026 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 8 | 2026 2:00 pm
Centre Culturel Fanco-Manitobain (CCFM)

A soulful tribute to jazz legend AL Jarreau as the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra takes the stage under the direction of Larry Roy. Featuring the captivating vocals od Zachary Rushing, bringing a fresh, big-band energy to some of the most iconic hits in R&B and jazz history

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

60th Anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas
featuring Quinn Greene and vocalist TBA

Thursday, December 17th, 2026
12:45-2:15 & 7:30 pm
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (CCFM)

Comedian and actor Quinn Greene brings the mean, green, Christmas-hating machine to life as the narrator, leading the audience through Whoville with plenty of interactive fun alongside big band flair. It is a one-of-a-kind holiday heist that blends Dr. Seuss's timeless story with swinging jazz arrangements and festive cheer for the whole family.

Miles Davis

Thank You, Kind of Cool: Miles Davis at 100 (+1)

Thursday, February 11th | 2027 7:30 pm
West End Cultural Centre (WECC)

Experience the legacy of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue - perhaps the greatest and most influential jazz album of all time. Celebrate a century of genius with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra as we honour Miles Davis' 100th birthday. Discover how the master of phrasing, sound and space used his trumpet to challenge the status quo and become an enduring symbol of artistic freedom and resilience in Black history.

International Womens Day

Billie & Ella
Women's Day Concert 2026
featuring Monica Jones & Grace Hrabi

Saturday, March 6, 2027 7:30 pm
(Conference at 1:00 pm)
Desautels Concert Hall (U of M)

Our Women's Day begins in the afternoon with the WJO Women-Led Conference. The conference is open to all! Students, teachers and jazz enthusiasts; are welcome to come, listen and learn from fantastic leaders.
Celebrate International Women's Day with a powerhouse performance featuring an all female lineup of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. Showcasing the legendary songbooks of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, this concert brings together vocalists Monica Jones and Grace Hrabi for an evening of swinging classics for our 6th annual Women's Day concert. Join us as we honour the First Lady of Song and Lady Day with a world-class ensemble that highlights the incredible talent of women in jazz.

Blues from the Delta and Beyond

Saturday, April 10th | 2027 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (CCFM)
Prepare for a soul-stirring fusion of styles as the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra celebrates the blues. Headlined by legends Big Dave McLean and Brent Parkin, and featuring a cast of special guests, this show pairs the raw grit of the blues with the high-octane energy of a jazz orchestra. From smoky Chicago grooves to driving jump blues, it's a powerful celebration of a sound that beats with the pulse of the Prairies.

Abba

A New Twist on ABBA
featuring Erin Propp

Sunday, May 9th | 2027 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain
Say I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do to this unforgettable night as the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra and special guest Erin Propp Take a Chance on the timeless music of ABBA. Endlessly catchy yet deceptively challenging, WJO's take on hits by the Swedish pop supergroup will have you shouting Mamma Mia! and saying Thank you for the music all the way home.

The WJO's 2026/27 season continues our tradition of classic arrangements, new compositions, surprise guests, old friends, talented young instrumentalists and vocalists, and themes that we think will pique your interest!

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.

Education Sponsors:

Concert Sponsors:

Hotel Sponsor:

Radio Sponsors

Special Event Supporters

Supporters

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.

- Please contact us to receive information about the WJO or our concerts in an accessible format.
- Please refrain from wearing any fragrances or scented products as other patrons may be allergic to them.
- Your likeness may be captured at this event. Attending this event implies your permission for your image to be used in marketing or promotional purposes.
- Please do not attend if you do not feel well. Call the box office at 204-632-5299 to arrange to go to another concert.

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]

The WJO 2026 - 2027 Season

Take Five: Dave Brubeck and the West Coast Sound

The Music of Al Jarreau featuring Zachary Rushing & Larry RoySaturday, November 7 | 2026 7:30 pmSunday, November 8 | 2026 2:00 pmCentre Culturel Fanco-Manitobain (CCFM)

60th Anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmasfeaturing Quinn Greene and vocalist TBA

Thank You, Kind of Cool: Miles Davis at 100 (+1)​Thursday, February 11th | 2027 7:30 pmWest End Cultural Centre (WECC)