For me, joining the board of the CNMN is about fostering a thriving community of creative musicians across many regions. When I moved back to Manitoba in 2021, after twenty years in Montreal, I was uncertain about what it would be like to continue my artistic practice outside of the strong creative community I had become a part of. I revelled in that artistic hotbed and relied on its possibilities and opportunities to develop my work.
Moving to Winnipeg, it has become particularly important to me to stay connected to a wide network of musicians, while also discovering the excellent scene here and wanting to share it with others. I now also have a position as artistic director of a classical chamber music series in Winnipeg, so am newly involved in programming and presenting. I need support and connection to continue doing the work I want to do, and I know others need this too. The CNMN addresses exactly this need. I look forward to working alongside wonderful friends and fellow artists I’ve met over the years and to meeting others for the first time through our work together.
Mixing new sounds with instruments of the past, Jennifer Thiessen is known for improvising and commissioning new works on the viola and the viola d’amore as well as interpreting their historical repertoire. She creates new music as singer-songwriter Daily Alice and with her duos Park Sounds, S[ILK]S and Toninato/Thiessen, as well as many other collaborations. Jennifer has worked extensively as a violist with contemporary, classical and historical ensembles in Montreal, Winnipeg and across Canada. She is a creative writer and contributes music journalism to Musicworks magazine.
Originally from Manitoba, Jennifer lived in Montreal for two decades before moving to Winnipeg in 2021. She became Artistic Director of Virtuosi Concerts in 2022. From within a multiplicity of artistic adventures, she remains grounded in a passion to create meaningful experiences for herself and her listeners.
www.jenniferthiessen.ca