35 Festivals Later: Winnipeg, the World and What Comes Next
A message from executive director Angela Heck about what we’ve built together, Jazz Winnipeg’s growing connection to the international music community—and where we’re headed next.
Above: Jazz Winnipeg executive director Angela Heck at the 2026 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival.
Dear Friends,
For more than 35 years, Jazz Winnipeg has believed in a simple idea: Music brings people together.
Every June, the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival puts that idea into action. Thousands of people gather downtown for live music—many experiencing extraordinary artists completely free of charge.
Manitoba musicians share stages with artists from across Canada and around the world. Young people discover something new. Visitors come downtown, restaurants and businesses welcome new customers, and Old Market Square becomes the kind of vibrant public gathering place that reminds us what a city can be.
“For more than 35 years, Jazz Winnipeg has believed in a simple idea: Music brings people together.”
This year, more than 24,000 people joined us for the 35th TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival. We presented 57 artists from eight countries, including 41 Manitoba artists—28% more than the year before. At Old Market Square, audiences experienced 31 performances completely free of charge.
None of this happens without community. 268 volunteers contributed more than 2,700 hours alongside our artists, technicians, partners, sponsors, donors and staff.
That is Jazz Winnipeg at its best: people creating something much bigger together.
More than six days in June
Jazz Winnipeg is much more than six days of music in June. Our work continues throughout the year—and we are becoming increasingly intentional about what this organization can be.
Our festival and year-round programming create paid performance opportunities for Manitoba musicians while bringing exceptional Canadian and international artists to Winnipeg.
Our Jazz at the Fort Garry Hotel, running Sundays September through May, has become a regularly sold-out home for live music, giving artists opportunities to perform and audiences a reason to gather week after week.
Through partnerships with organizations including the University of Manitoba, WAG-Qaumajuq and others, we connect music with education, mentorship and the broader cultural life of our city. The Canadian Jazz Summit, presented with the University of Manitoba Desautels Faculty of Music, brings musicians and students together to learn, exchange ideas and build relationships.
We are also investing in young people through The Bridge: Music for Life, led by Neil Watson, and through our plans to bring more music education, mentorship and performance opportunities into schools and community centres.
Taking Manitoba music to the world
We also believe Manitoba artists deserve a place on the international stage.
For decades, Jazz Winnipeg has helped bring the world to Winnipeg. Increasingly, we want to make that exchange work both ways.
In 2025, Jazz Winnipeg led a delegation of seven Manitoba artists to jazzahead! in Bremen, Germany, one of the world’s most important international jazz marketplaces. It put Manitoba musicians in the rooms where relationships are built with presenters, festivals, agents and artists from around the world.
We are already seeing those connections create opportunities.
Artists discovered through this work—including ADHD from Iceland and Kristin Korb from Denmark—appeared in Winnipeg this year, while Manitoba artists are continuing to develop international performances and collaborations of their own.
We are building new relationships with Ireland, Iceland and other international markets, exploring exchanges and partnerships that can create opportunities in both directions.
Our ambition is simple:
“We want Jazz Winnipeg to be a place where the world comes to Manitoba—and a platform that helps Manitoba artists reach the world.”
That kind of exchange introduces audiences and musicians to new ideas, creates collaborations and helps artists build sustainable careers. It also strengthens Winnipeg’s place within a much larger cultural community.
Why this matters
This work matters economically as well as artistically.
Artists earn income in our communities. Festivals bring people downtown. Visiting artists and audiences support venues, restaurants, hotels and local businesses. Manitoba musicians who reach new markets bring new opportunities and connections home.
A vibrant cultural sector makes Winnipeg a more compelling place to live, work, visit and invest.
But those measures only tell part of the story.
Music creates belonging.
It creates the moment when someone dances in Old Market Square with a new friend. When a young musician sees an artist onstage and imagines themselves there one day. When someone hears music from another culture or community that ignites their imagination—and maybe gets their body groovin’.
It happens when thousands of people from different backgrounds share the same public space and, for an evening, simply experience something together.
Those moments matter—particularly now.
Where we are today
There is a lot of momentum behind where Jazz Winnipeg is headed.
This year also reminded us how vulnerable live events can be.
Cold and wet weather during the 2026 festival affected outdoor attendance and earned revenue at a time when the costs of presenting major live events continue to rise. The result is an unexpected financial challenge for Jazz Winnipeg.
We need some help closing that gap—but it hasn’t diminished our ambition.
In fact, we are looking ahead.
We want to present more music throughout the year. Create more paid opportunities for Manitoba artists. Expand youth music education and mentorship. Strengthen partnerships across our city and province. Continue bringing outstanding international artists here while creating pathways for Manitoba musicians to build careers beyond our borders.
And we want to ensure that the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival—and the extensive free programming at its heart—remains part of the cultural life of our city for generations to come.
As I step into this role full-time, I think often about the responsibility of carrying forward something our community has spent more than three decades building.
My job isn’t simply to protect what Jazz Winnipeg has been. It’s to help imagine what it can become next.
How you can help
Everything we hope to build next depends on the continued strength of the community around Jazz Winnipeg.
That support takes many forms. It’s the people who come to shows and bring friends. The volunteers who give their time. The artists, partners, sponsors and donors who invest in the work. Together, they make it possible for us to keep live music accessible, create opportunities for Manitoba artists, invest in young musicians and strengthen Winnipeg’s connections to the wider world.
If you’re in a position to support Jazz Winnipeg financially, a one-time or monthly donation is one way to help us continue building on that work. Contributions can be made through CanadaHelps or at jazzwinnipeg.com/donate.
After 35 festivals, I’m incredibly grateful for everything this community has built—and excited about what we can build together next.
I want Winnipeg to continue being a city where people can discover extraordinary music, where Manitoba artists can build meaningful careers, where young musicians can see possibilities for themselves, and where music connects us with people and ideas from around the world.
Thank you for being part of it.
Together, let’s keep the music playing—for Winnipeg, for Manitoba and for generations to come.
With gratitude,
Angela Heck
Executive Director
Jazz Winnipeg
