Winnipeg, MB - Mayor Sam Katz invites all Winnipeggers to celebrate the Arts at the Summer Solstice Concert in the Park, announced during his annual State of the City address this spring, which will take place on Friday June 20th at 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. in Central Park.
The free event is open to the public and will feature performances by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble and Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. The event was conceived to celebrate the four performing arts organizations, and recognize their contributions to Winnipeg’s cultural scene as performers and as ambassadors for the city.
“I am thrilled to invite Winnipeggers from across the City to join me at Central Park on June 20thâ� at noon to take in an incredible once-in-a-lifetime concert experience starring the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble, and the Rusalka Dance Ensemble,” said Mayor Katz. “Winnipeg has amazing talent and I am proud we are celebrating their accomplishments and sharing them with all Winnipeggers in the heart of our downtown: Central Park.”
The Summer Solstice Concert in the Park will give Winnipeggers the chance to see and hear four of the city’s most-renowned performing arts organizations together in one open-air event - a performance that will never again be repeated.
Celebrating its 66th season, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra travelled to New York in May to take part as the only Canadian orchestra in the Spring for Music festival at Carnegie Hall.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Canada’s oldest ballet company and considered one of the world’s premier dance companies, will be embarking on a tour of Asia in October to celebrate its 75th season, including a stop in Winnipeg’s sister city, Chengdu, China.
Winnipeg’s Sarah Sommer Chai Folk Ensemble, North America's oldest and largest Israeli folk dance ensemble, has been delighting audiences in WInnipeg and around the world for 50 years. This summer, the ensemble will travel to Israel to represent Canada at the Karmiel International Dance Festival.
Over the past half-century, Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble has become known around the world, performing for captivated audiences that have included royalty and heads of state. The troupe, which received a City of Winnipeg Community Service Award in 2013, is planning to tour the Eastern American seaboard in 2014/15.
Mayor Katz has supported all four of these performing arts groups through grants from the Civic Initiatives Fund.