2026 Concert Sponsorship Fund: Windswept

The ACWC has awarded Leanne Maitland the 2026 Concert Sponsorship Fund. The Concert Sponsorship supports funding for concerts, events, or workshops organized by an ACWC member or if a key collaborator is an ACWC member.

The ZALS Ensemble will present "Windswept", a concert of chamber music for piano and strings, on Saturday November 28, 2026, at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton. 

The program will feature works inspired by movement and transformation in the Canadian wilderness, by Rita Ueda, Kristin Flores, and Clare Pellerin. The newly formed group of Sylvia Chow, violin; Leanne Maitland, viola; Amy Nicholson, cello; and Zuzana Šimurdová, piano, brings together a rich diversity of musical experience and expertise. The ZALS Ensemble is passionate about presenting music by Canadian women composers to audiences, in a field where women are often under-represented.

As a part of this project, young musicians will also have the opportunity to explore and perform music from this body of repertoire. Through a collaboration with the Contemporary Showcase Edmonton festival, two outstanding students will be nominated by adjudicators to include their performance of a work by a Canadian woman composer in this concert as well.

Mazurka Music and Art Society is co-sponsoring this event, and will also provide a display of visual artwork featuring local artists.