2025 TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival
June 17-22, 2025!
The annual TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival is the ultimate summer kick-off in Winnipeg! As the city’s largest music event, it transforms the heart of downtown’s historic Exchange District into a vibrant hub of live music. Drawing tens of thousands of festival-goers each year, it’s the place where world-class performances and the electric energy of summer collide. Beyond the music, the festival fosters a sense of community, bringing together people from all walks of life to celebrate the joy of music, connection, and shared experiences. It’s where friendships are made, local talent is celebrated, and a lasting bond is formed through the love of jazz.
Béla Fleck,
Edmar Castañeda,
Antonio Sanchez Trio
Tuesday, June 17, 7:30pm
Burton Cummings Theatre
Banjo. Drums. Harp. Huh?
To be sure, the new all-star trio of Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez features instrumentation that might safely be called uncommon. Unless, of course, you’re already familiar with 18-time Grammy-winner Fleck — the genre-blurring virtuoso who has done more to expand the possibilities of the banjo than any other player in the instrument’s history. From his bluegrass beginnings through his otherworldly Flecktones, his duo with Chick Corea and his reimagining of Rhapsody in Blue, Fleck’s work never fails to surprise. What doesn’t surprise is the impeccable caliber of his collaborators — and this new trio includes two of the most gifted musicians of their generation. The harpist, Casteñada, hails from Bogotá, Colombia, and has led his own bands in addition to sharing projects with such masters as Hiromi, Paquito D’Rivera and Grégoire Maret. 5-time Grammy-winner Sánchez grew up in Mexico City and built a reputation as one of the great jazz drummers through his work with guitarist Pat Metheny. He’s also been a visionary bandleader, helming progressive groups like Bad Hombre, and collaborated with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker and other giants. His Golden Globe-nominated drum-set score for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s 2014 film Birdman earned him renown far outside the jazz world.
Playing original repertoire, much of it collaboratively written, this trio embarks nightly on fearless explorations that audiences will find irresistible — rich with strong melodies, gorgeous harmony and grooves that twist and turn while feeling fantastic.