Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
WOMEN’S MUSICAL CLUB OF WINNIPEG 130TH ANNIVERSARY
Government House
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
(please check against delivery)
Lovers of music and community, on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Anita Neville – my mother – it is my pleasure to welcome you to Government House for a celebration of an organization that has nurtured beauty and dreams in our city and province for 130 years.
I begin by acknowledging that this building and this city are located in the heart of Treaty One land and the homeland of the Red River Metis.
Here, in the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Metis peoples, we are committed to reconciliation, opportunity, healing and greater harmony.
Manitobans are justifiably proud of the artistic accomplishments of the people of this province. And we have long celebrated the rich bounty of cultural offerings that enhance the quality of life.
Here in Government House, we sampled a bit of that musical bounty last week when Caitlin Broms-Jacobs and Madeline Hildebrand performed for our regular series of Evenings at Government House. As part of the program, Kathryn Young reflected on the history and accomplishments of the Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg.
It’s important to celebrate the organizations that support the arts, because a city doesn’t just develop great cultural excellence and diversity by accident.
As with most forms of progress and learning, our rise as a musical centre began with a small, passionately committed group – the six women who were determined to bring classical music to a small booming city dominated by the percussion of construction and the whistle of steam locomotives.
Those six women must have been amazing, inspiring organizers.
The rapid growth of the Women’s Musical Club and its subsequent success in attracting great artists to the city – including Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maureen Forrester and Glenn Gould – show the power of a great vision.
An essential part of that vision was the commitment to foster the development of Manitoban musicians through scholarships, which have helped generations of Manitobans develop their talents to the highest level.
So all who love music have a great deal to celebrate in this 130th anniversary year. And all Manitoba music lovers will be thrilled by your gala in April, when you bring Tomson Highway, a past recipient of the WMC’s scholarship, back to town to enthrall and entertain.
To all who have contributed to the success and development of artists over the years and to all who help to make this anniversary year one to remember – thank you for supporting music and community in Manitoba.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom
