VIRTUOSI CONCERTS is Winnipeg’s premier recital and chamber music
series.
The Virtuosi Concerts series was established in 1991 as a co-presentation of The University of Winnipeg and the CBC. The series is now produced by Virtuosi Concerts Inc. (VCI) in Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall at The University of Winnipeg. VCI was incorporated in 1998.
Virtuosi Concerts is: Winnipeg’s International Recital & Chamber Music Series, featuring artists and ensembles of national and international profile. The best of our own Manitoba artists are frequently found embedded within the 12 annual concerts of the subscription season.
“No university in Canada has come close to presenting such an array of guest artists in recital.” (Robert Silverman, pianist and former UBC Dean of Music)
“Virtuosi has provided such a consistent quality of concerts over the years that its audience trusts the organizers – believing that if VCI is putting it on, it must be worthwhile.” (Gwenda Nemerofsky, Winnipeg Free Press)
The Ashkenazy Steinway
The Steinway concert grand piano in the University of Winnipeg’s 225-seat Eckhardt-Gramatte Hall (EGH) was originally selected by John Steinway and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy. They had chosen it for the opening of Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall in 1982 and the inaugural recital with legendary pianist Claudio Arrau whose signature is inscribed inside the piano. It was later recommended to us by pianist Antonin Kubalek and acquired in 1993, the year EGH opened. The Steinway has since been completely restored and is lovingly maintained by Steinway technician Fred Redekop.
MUSICNET
Virtuosi Concerts is a co-founder of Musicnet, now comprised of 13 music organizations in Winnipeg. Musicnet produces an annual Calendar of Concerts which is distributed throughout the city.
SKYWALK CONCERTS & LECTURES
VCI also produces the Skywalk Concerts & Lectures series at the new Millennium Library as a free community service. There are 20 concerts and 20 lectures presented annually at the lunch hour, all for free admission. The concerts feature classical, jazz, folk and world music and provide a showcase opportunity for Manitoba musicians, including pre-professional music students. The lectures are generously offered by professors of The University of Winnipeg.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Harry Strub is a professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of Winnipeg. Since 1980, he has also been a concert producer at the university. He is a founder or co-founder of Virtuosi Concerts (1991), Musicnet (1994), Skywalk Concerts & Lectures (1990), Fred Douglas Place Lectures (1990), and Distinguished Speakers at The Wellington (2000). In September, 2011, he launches a new course at the university called Psychology and the Arts.
THE VCI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
To be announced in September, 2011
VCI is grateful for the support of:
