Handbell Ensemble

The CMU Handbell Ensemble continues to dazzles audiences at Christmas at CMU each year. With its newly acquired 4th octave of Schulmerich Handbells, this unique university ensemble will now be open to 8–10 ringers. Handbell ringing builds musicianship, coordination and leadership skills. The ensemble will play a broad range of repertoire. In addition to the on-campus performances, the CMU Handbell Ensemble will also perform in the community each semester. No previous ringing experience is required.

CMU Singers

The CMU Singers is one of five auditioned choral ensembles at Canadian Mennonite University. This 45-voiced mixed ensemble is comprised of students from a variety of undergraduate academic programs at CMU. The CMU Singers' diverse repertoire is highly acclaimed among its audiences and includes sacred and secular music from all eras and musical cultures. It performs regularly in worship services and concerts at CMU, throughout the city of Winnipeg and in communities across Manitoba. Each spring, the choir tours across Canada or through the northern USA. Recently, the CMU Singers collaborated with the other CMU Choirs in the world premiere of T. Patrick Carrabre's Creation Stories at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's New Music Festival, and in the release of CMU's newest CD, On Earth as in Heaven. The choir can be heard regularly on Golden West Radio broadcasting throughout southern Manitoba. Members of the CMU Singers are also members of the CMU Women's Chorus or the CMU Men's Chorus.

CMU Women's Chorus

The CMU Women's Chorus, open to all CMU students, is an auditioned choir known for its challenging and innovative programming. In weekly rehearsals, this energetic and highly motivated ensemble explores the vast and demanding repertoire written for women's choirs with a specific commitment to performing the music of women composers. Along with the CMU Men's Chorus, it hosts the annual Choral Connections event on campus at CMU, where high school choirs are invited for a collaborative concert. The CMU Women's Chorus also performs regularly in concert and in worship.

CMU Men's Chorus

The CMU Men's Chorus is recognized for its warmth and beauty of tone along with its enthusiastic and robust singing. The choir's breadth of repertoire ranges from the motets of the Renaissance to the new and exciting music of eastern Europe, as well as gospel, folk and jazz stylings. This auditioned ensemble welcomes singers from all majors at CMU, rehearsing weekly. Along with the CMU Women's Chorus, it hosts the annual Choral Connections event, and performs regularly in concert and worship settings. In the spring of 2006 the Men's Chorus was the guest choir in performances of Busoni's Piano Concert in C together with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin.

Guitar Ensemble

The purpose of the 4–8 member CMU Guitar Ensemble is to develop a high level of ensemble skills on the classic guitar. This ensemble is recognized for its precision of playing, its vibrant rhythmic delivery and expressively nuanced musicianship. Repertoire is expansive, ranging from the Renaissance dance arrangements to settings of Spanish composers such as Albeniz and de Falla to the music of contemporary composers for guitar such as Stephan Rak and the LA Guitar Quartet. The Guitar Ensemble performs at the Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society, Winnipeg Music Festival, and other local events as well as playing at the annual CMU Christmas and Spring Concerts.

Instrumental Chamber Ensembles and Collaborative Piano

These ensembles offer students opportunities to collaborate in a variety of duos, chamber trios and quartets, jazz combos, and other small groups. Performing opportunities are provided throughout the year.

Jazz Band

The CMU Jazz Band pursues the authentic performance of jazz repertoire. The ensemble is made up of traditional big band instrumentation and the repertoire is selected from a wide variety of styles including jazz, Latin, and funk. Students develop their understanding of jazz and their personal musical skills through both their reading of written notation and individual improvisation. The CMU Jazz Band has performed at the Brandon Jazz Festival, as a guest at ChoralFest and at numerous events both on and off campus such as the Christmas and Spring Concerts and the year-end jazz concert.

Vocal Jazz Ensemble: Wholly Jazz

"It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing" This highly skilled vocal jazz ensemble is an 8–10 voiced auditioned mixed ensemble that performs a cappella as well as with a rhythm section. It encourages students to broaden their musical experiences and deepen their understanding of jazz as well as creating many varied performance opportunities. Wholly Jazz has been a guest performer at numerous events throughout the city—Choralfest, schools, conferences, vocal jazz workshops, etc. as well as on-campus performances. At the end of the academic year it shares a concert—Jazz @ CMU—with the CMU Jazz Band.

Mennonite Community Orchestra

The Mennonite Community Orchestra (MCO) is a 30-35 piece ensemble made up of CMU students and members of the larger community, continuing a long tradition of nurturing fine amateur orchestral playing. It serves as CMU's orchestra in residence. The MCO generally performs two concerts per year with orchestral repertoire primarily centered in the Classical and early Romantic periods. As well, the MCO participates in various choral collaborations with CMU choirs as well as other Winnipeg choral groups.

Visit the MCO website

Opera/Musical Theatre Workshop

Opera/Musical Theatre Workshop may include the study and performance of opera, operetta, and/or musical theatre literature. Depending on the year, this course alternates between workshops and full musical productions, with auditions early in the first term and performances usually in the second. Singers, collaborative pianists, and production assistants are encouraged to participate.