In celebration of Black History month, Dead of Winter invites audiences on a vibrant musical journey led by guest conductor Dr. Melissa Morgan. This is Who I Am (Sun, Feb 22nd at 3 PM, Crescent Arts Centre) explores Caribbean ancestry, migration, and community through a richly diverse choral program rooted in history and alive with contemporary expression.
Mel Braun, Co-artistic Director for Dead of Winter, is excited about the new things that this concert is bringing to the choir. “The choir is usually led by Co-artistic director Andrew Balfour, myself, and Vic Pankratz and it is so good to have one of Canada’s leading female conductors in charge this time,” says Braun. As the first collaboration involving Caribbean music, Braun notes “Melissa is bringing us new repertoire, and we look forward to digging in and celebrating with the local Caribbean community.”
The program is shaped by the story of the Windrush generation, tracing movement from the West Indies to Britain and, for many families, onward to Canada. That history of migration is reflected in a wide-ranging selection of music, including works by West Indies composers, Caribbean folk songs, gospel music, spirituals, and traditional and contemporary choral art song. Several Canadian premieres will be featured, alongside two newly commissioned works by Black Canadian composers, Aaron Manswell (Toronto) and Larry Strachan (Winnipeg).
One of the most distinctive moments in the program is a Caribbean reimagining of Handel’s Messiah, built on the recitative “Thus saith the Lord.” This version incorporates Caribbean musical language and will be accompanied by a jazz trio, offering a fresh and unexpected perspective on a familiar work.
“The music is going to be very colourful and energized,” Braun says. “Our guests, a Jazz Trio from the University of Manitoba and featuring the Winnipeg Boys’ Choir Treble and Senior Choruses will add to the variety of colours and energies found in the concert.” Gospel music, rarely heard in Dead of Winter’s programming will surely be an added delight.
Above all, this concert offers audiences something genuinely new: Dead of Winter stepping into unfamiliar musical territory with curiosity and care. With premieres, commissions, and music shaped by histories of migration and resilience, the evening promises both celebration and discovery through music that is alive, expressive, and full of joy.
This is Who I Am is part of Dead of Winter’s Storytelling Series of concerts, a cornerstone of our identity dedicated to re-examining history through distinct and diverse cultural narratives.
THIS IS WHO I AM
Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Ave)
Want to experience this joyful concert? Buy Tickets Here
Special thank you to concert sponsors: Assiniboine Credit Union
Dr. Melissa Morgan is a choral conductor, educator, and writer from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. An Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities in the faculty of Media, Arts, and Performance at the University of Regina, she conducts the auditioned, Chamber Singers, and the non-auditioned Concert Choir in addition to teaching courses in choral conducting.
An active conductor, her choirs have performed and toured in Halls such as Lincoln Centre, New York and Cadogan Hall, London England, at Choral Canada Podium Conferences, as well as with other professional musicians including Canadian Tenors and the Regina Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Morgan enjoys travelling to be a clinician and guest conductor with choirs across North America and globally. Her most recent engagements have taken her to Manitoba, Michigan, and Thailand.
Scholarly contributions of Dr. Morgan have appeared in the American Choral Directors Association publication, The Choral Journal, and the Canadian Music Educators Association Journal. Her publications also include articles in the peer-reviewed Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, Vol. 5, published by GIA Publications Inc. with her most recent contributions appearing in the new book entitled, Choral Repertoire by Women Composers also published by GIA.
For more information about Dr. Morgan please visit: www.classicmel.ca
