Community and partners

In a normal year, the Desautels Faculty of Music presents more than 200 performances that are open to the public. Whether you are interested in jazz, opera, classical, musical theatre, choral or new music, you will find our students and faculty performing a wide range of repertoire.

Inspired and inspiring, our graduates are blazing new trails to excellence. Desautels alumni have achieved global recognition in every field of music. You will find them performing at the National Arts Centre, La Scala, Jazz at Lincoln Centre, Carnegie Hall, the Ravinia Festival, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and the Banff Centre for Fine Arts. Their accomplishments inspire the hundreds of music students who attend our university every year.

The centrepiece of the project is Taché Hall, the university’s most iconic and historic building. This former student residence has been transformed into the hub and gathering space for studies in music, theatre and visual arts.

The century-old character of Taché Hall now intersects with the contemporary architecture of ARTlab and the sleek, light-filled atrium of the Taché Arts Complex. Music students now learn in some of the most modern and technologically advanced facilities at any university in Canada. This melding of historic and modern reflects the artistic traditions of the past and the pathway to innovations of the future.

The Taché Arts Project is truly the centre of culture on campus and a valuable asset for the community. Public funders and donors are helping to make these improvements possible.

The Desautels Concert Hall

The next phase of the Taché Arts Project is construction of the new Desautels Concert Hall, supported by a generous $2.5 million gift from Dr. Michael Nesbitt. This venue will be custom-designed for acoustic excellence and fully equipped to provide the best possible experience for both performers and audiences. The performance facility will be connected to the new music rehearsal and recording centre, as well as to the main campus residence.

Features will include professional-grade sound recording equipment, control booth, orchestra pit, and orchestra/choir staging area, box office, dressing rooms and green room. The concert hall will be equipped to mount a variety of live performing arts productions, both from within the university and from the broader Winnipeg arts community.

The Desautels Concert Hall is slated to open in the fall of 2024.

To learn more about the Taché Arts Project, scholarships and bursaries, and other opportunities to provide support, please contact: