2026 WMC Scholarship Competition - May 9

The Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg offers up to 7 scholarships to aspiring instrumentalists and vocalists to further their musical training. The names of the winners and the amounts awarded are updated yearly and listed here. In 2026, WMC is adding a new scholarship in the amount of $2000. WMC is grateful to Virtuosi Concerts for the gift of their endowment fund, allowing for the addition of the Virtuosi Scholarship to be awarded to the best performance of a contemporary work at the annual competition. The public is invited to attend, free of charge.

Competition Jurors

Dawn Bruch-Wiens Everett Hopfner Jennifer Thiessen

Dawn Bruch-Wiens completed her Bachelor of Music in voice at McGill University before returning to Winnipeg and graduating with Post-Baccalaureate and Master of Music degrees at The University of Manitoba. As a “mesmerizing” singer with “effervescent vocal agility” (Opera Canada), Dawn has appeared with Manitoba Opera, The Little Opera Company, Manitoba Underground Opera, Groundswell, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Studio Weimar and Opera on the Avalon. With over 19 years of experience teaching private voice, Dawn also served as a sessional instructor at Canadian Mennonite University for five years.

Everett Hopfner is an active piano teacher in high demand for workshops, masterclasses, adjudication, and summer festivals. He facilitates meaningful experiences by asking questions, embracing challenges, and developing goal-oriented, student-centred learning processes. He lives for the “lightbulb moments” — instants where his students find clarity or realize a musical wish — and works tirelessly to break down barriers to musical participation and understanding still enduring in traditional institutions.Everett has contributed to his artistic community as a board member for the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, Associated Manitoba Arts Festivals, and the Manitoba Registered Music Teachers’ Association, and previously served as Director of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music at Brandon University.

Jennifer Thiessen creates new music for the viola and viola d’amore through improvisation and collaboration with composers and interprets historical repertoire for her instruments. She performs, records, and curates extensively in Canadian classical and creative music communities.

Jennifer writes music for her solo project Daily Alice, with her JUNO-nominated duo Toninato & Thiessen, and for her duo Park Sounds with percussionist Ben Reimer. Her solo and collaborative work has been presented by such organizations as GroundSwell, No Hay Banda, Innovations en Concert, Ottawa New Music Creators, Cluster Festival, Festival Montréal Baroque and Rosamunde Festival. She has performed and recorded with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble SuperMusique, Ensemble Caprice, collectif9, Quatuor Bozzini, and La La La Human Steps, to name a few.

Participants and Schedule:

9:00-9:20 am       ÉMILIE STRAIN, Piano                              Sonata no. 18, I. Allegro                                                                           Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Étude Op. 10 no. 4 "Torrent"                                                                  Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Images Book 1, II. Hommage à Rameau                                           Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Sonata Op. 46 no. 3, III. Allegro Giocoso                                           Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987)

 9:20-9:40 am      QIQI ZHANG, Violin  Lisa Rumpel, piano Violin Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006, Preludio         J.S. Bach (1685–1750)

Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105                            Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)

Romance for Violin and Orchestra in G major, Op. 26            Johann Svendsen (1840-1911)

9:40-10:00 am      SABINA RZAZADE, Piano

Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A minor, BWV 889                  J.S. Bach (1685–1750)

Pas de deux from The Nutcracker, arr. by Mikhail Pletnev   Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22 Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

10:00-10:20 am   ELISHEVA SCHWARTZ, Cello

Les mots sont allés...                                                               Luciano Berio (1925-2003)

Cello Suite No.2 in D minor, BWV 1008, II. Allemande J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Suite No. 1 for Violoncello Solo                                                Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)

 10:20 - 10:35 BREAK

 10:35-10:55 am   NATHAN GIBBENS, Percussion

Aquatic                                                                                 Russell Wharton (b. 1990)    

Divinate                                                                                  Casey Cangelosi (b. 1982)

5 Pieces for Piano Op.75: No.5 "The Spruce" arr. Chandler Beaugrand (b.2000)/J. Sibelius (1865-1957)

10:55-11:15 am   DAVID YU, Piano L'lsle Joyeuse                                                                             Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Sonata no. 8 in C minor 2nd movement "Adagio cantabile"     Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Let Hands Speak                                                       Kelly-Marie Murphy (b. 1964)

11:15-11:35 am   SOPHIE CARON, Cello                                                   Leanne Regehr Lee, piano

Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009: I. Prélude             J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Sonata in C Minor, Op. 6: I. Allegro ma non troppo)                 Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

Variations on a Theme of Rossini for Cello and Piano, H290      Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)

11:35-11:55 am    BELLA-SOPHIA ROGERS, Violin                      Leanne Regehr Lee, piano

Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K. 216 mvt 1                        W. A. Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Sonata for Violin and Piano L. 140 mvt 1                                  Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Introduction and Tarantella Op. 43                                              Pablo de Sarasate (1844 - 1908)

11:55-12:15 pm   MASON DUECK, Cello                                                Claire Guon, piano

Cello Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102 No. 2: I. Allegro con brio Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70: Allegro                                          Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)

Sonata for Solo Cello                                                                        György Ligeti (1923 - 2006)

12:15 - 1:00 BREAK               

1:10-1:25 pm        KYLE BRISCOE, Tenor                                                  Megan Dufrat, piano

My Antonia: VII. Landscape No. 4 "Sunset"       L. Larsen (b. 1950)

Sì ritrovarla io giuro                                                                               G. Rossini (1792-1868)

Care Charmer Sleepe                                                D. Hollman (1931-2019)

Über allen Gipfeln ist ruh S. 306                                                             Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

1:25-1:40 pm       SHELBY ENGLISH, Soprano                                      Megan Dufrat, piano Ingrato Polinesso! . Neghittosi, or voi che fate? from Ariodante G. F. Handel (1685–1759)

Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59  Richard Strauss (1864–1949)

Late Summer: III. Touch Me                                 Tom Cipullo (b. 1956)

1:40-2:00 pm        EUGENE BERG, Violin                                                Daniel Tselyakov, piano

Concerto for Violin in D Major, Op. 35, Moderato Nobile    Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)

Partita for Violin No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006, Preludio         J.S. Bach (1685-1750)

Sonata for Violin No. 5 in G Major, Op. 27, L'Aurore               Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931)

2:00-2:15 pm       JAYDEN FRASER, Baritone                                          Anica Warkentine, piano

Ich hab’ ein glühend Messer                                                          Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)

In a Churchyard from Earth and Air and Rain                           Gerald Finzi (1901-1956)

Non t’amo più                                                                Francesco Paolo Tosti (1846-1916)

2:15-2:30 pm JOANNA LOEPP THIESSEN, Contralto                    Anica Warkentine, piano                                I know what love is from City Workers in Love  Neil Weisensel (b. 1965)

Wie Melodien - Fünf Lieder (Op. 105)                           Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

À Chloris                                                                              Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)

Va, l’error mio palesa - Mitridate, re di Ponto (K. 87)       Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

2:30 -2:50 pm CASSIDY HALL, Saxophone                  Anica Warkentine, piano

Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano               Robert Muczynski (1929-2010)

Sonata for Alto Saxophone and Piano Mvt. II                      Paul Creston (1906 - 1985)

Tableaux de Provence Mvt. I, II, III                      Paule Maurice (1910 - 1967)