Events

BU New Music Festival 2026 LISTEN NOW
2026-01-26 19:30 (America/Winnipeg) | Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
BU New Music Festival (BUNMF) LISTEN NOW
Concert 1 January 26, 2026 @ 7:30 PM LWRH
Concert 2 January 27, 2026 @ 7:30 PM LWRH
BUNME performs world premieres of works by BU’s Jesse Barr, Corbin A.
Brown, Veronica Casigay, Porter Dunn, Victor Hourie, Trina Nestibo,
Dianna Neufeld, Qianna Zhen and Annika Wiebe. Also featuring works by
Jordon Nobles, György Kurtág and Luis Ramirez
BUNME
Jesse Barr, Bb and bass clarinet, looping clarinet-electronics, composer
Kate Bell, Bb and Eb clarinet
Veronica Casigay, french horn, piano, keyboard, composer
Victor Hourie, tuba, composer
Trina Nestibo, guitar, voice, percussion, composer
Raven McKenzie, piano, electronics, composer
Bennett Radcliffe, voice
Annika Wiebe, piano, keyboard, composer
BUNME Director Megumi Masaki, Dianna Neufeld (acting)
Composers under the mentorship of composer Dr. Jason Young
Corbin Brown
Qianna Zhen
Porter Dunn
Dianna Neufeld
Trina Nestibo
No admission fee. All are welcome!

Level 2: The Archive of Knowledge (note-taking)
2026-01-23 13:45 - 14:15 | Zoom, Brandon, MB, Canada
Messy or incomplete notes make studying harder than it should be. In this level, you’ll practice strategies to capture key ideas, organize lecture material, and create notes you can rely on for tests and exams. Complete the quest to unlock your Lecture Scribe powers.
Open to all students. Register Now!
Level Up Your Learning
Ready to embark on an adventure? Level Up Your Learning is a gamified workshop series where each session is a new quest designed to help you unlock powerful skills for success at university. From mastering time management and organization, to collecting legendary notes, to battling test anxiety, each level brings you closer to academic victory!
You don’t need to attend previous sessions to join the next one, just jump in wherever you’d like. Attend a session and get rewarded! Students earn an automatic entry into a draw for a $100 campus bookstore gift card for each session they attend.

Refund deadline (100%) - Winter courses
2026-01-20 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Refund deadline (100%): Winter courses (except Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5).

Add/drop deadline (Winter courses)
2026-01-20 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Add/drop deadline: Winter courses (except Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5).

Bobcats Volleyball
2026-01-17 17:00 - 20:30 | Healthy Living Centre, 2010 Louise Avenue, Brandon, MB, R7B 0L4, Canada
BU Men’s Volleyball vs Trinity Western
Game start: January 17, 2026 5:00 pm

BU Women’s Volleyball vs Trinity Western
Game start: January 17, 2026 6:45 pm

Bobcats Volleyball
2026-01-16 18:00 - 21:30 | Healthy Living Centre, 2010 Louise Avenue, Brandon, MB, R7B 0L4, Canada
BU Men’s Volleyball vs Trinity Western
Game start: January 16, 2026 6:00 pm

BU Women’s Volleyball vs Trinity Western
Game start: January 16, 2026 7:45 pm

Jana Starling, clarinet & Allison Wiebe, piano
2026-01-13 19:30 | Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
Join B.U. alumni Jana Starling (clarinet)

and Allison Wiebe (piano)

for a pro series concert evening of contemporary and evocative works for clarinet and piano. The recital will showcase hidden gems by Canadian composers, including Juno Award-winning composer and fellow B.U. alumna Jocelyn Morlock, as well as the unorthodox and imaginative Albertan composer Ian Crutchley. Starling and Wiebe will also present the powerful and captivating Bright Angel by American composer Roshanne Etezady.
Admission at the door:
Adults $20
BU Students and Conservatory of Music Students attend at no additional charge

Bobcats Basketball
2026-01-10 17:00 - 21:00 | Healthy Living Centre, 2010 Louise Avenue, Brandon, MB, R7B 0L4, Canada
BU MEN’S BASKETBALL VS WINNIPEG
Game start: November 7, 2025 7:00 pm
BU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS WINNIPEG
Game start: November 7, 2025 5:00 pm

Bobcats Basketball
2026-01-09 18:00 - 22:00 | Healthy Living Centre, 2010 Louise Avenue, Brandon, MB, R7B 0L4, Canada
BU MEN’S BASKETBALL VS WINNIPEG
Game start: November 7, 2025 8 pm
BU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS WINNIPEG
Game start: November 7, 2025 6:00 pm

Refund deadline (100%) - Winter Courses for Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5
2026-01-09 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Refund deadline (100%): Winter courses for Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5.

Add/Drop Deadline - Winter Courses for Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5
2026-01-09 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Add/drop deadline: Winter courses for Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5.

Tuition deadline: Winter fees
2026-01-06 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Tuition deadline: Winter fees payable in full.

First Day of Classes, most programs
2026-01-06 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Classes begin for most Winter courses (except Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5). Classes resume for full-year (both-term) courses.
Tuition deadline: Winter fees payable in full.

January Orientation
2026-01-05 10:00 - 14:00 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Welcome to Brandon University! To help you get started, we are offering January Orientation on Monday, January 5, 2026 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for all new students. Classes begin January 6.

Classes Begin, MEd, BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5
2026-01-05 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
First day of classes for MEd, BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5 programs.

2025-26 Holiday Break
2025-12-24 - 2026-01-02 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Happy holidays!
Brandon University is closed for the holidays from Wednesday, December 24, 2025 to Friday, January 2, 2026, inclusive.

The University will re-open for employees and student services on Monday, January 5, 2026
Winter Orientation for new students will take place on Monday, January 5, 2026
Winter term classes in Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5 will begin on Monday, January 5
Most remaining classes start on Tuesday, January 6

Healthy Living Centre holiday hours can be found here.
Brandon University offers you our warmest wishes for all the best this season, and for a happy and healthy new year.

BU Holiday Bruncheon 2025
2025-12-19 11:00 - 13:00 | Harvest Hall, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
Ready with your cozy clothes? Brandon University’s annual holiday get-together will be Friday, Dec. 19 from 11 am – 1 pm in Harvest Hall.
This year’s approach is a Holiday Bruncheon! We’re reimagining our traditional luncheon as a cozy, brunch-style feast that will feature many of your hearty holiday faves plus a spread of lighter options. Join friends from across campus for a relaxed, come-as-you-are celebration that’s filled with good food, great company, and plenty of holiday cheer. All staff, faculty, and students are welcome.
Thanks to support from the President’s Office, we can keep ticket prices at a rock-bottom (and seasonally appropriate) $25 again this year. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at any of the following offices:

Arts General Office (CHO 100)
Faculty of Science (BB 1-05)
Health Studies (HSB 112)
Student Services (MCK 105-3)
Healthy Living Centre (HLC 1-01)
School of Music (QEB 1-03)
Main Library (Circulation Desk)
Faculty of Education (EB 1-02)
Campus Books (KDC)

While you’re there, pick up some 50-50 tickets as well. We’re doing something new and cool this year — a cumulative prize for the 50-50. Rather than weekly winners, the prize pot will keep growing from now until the Bruncheon, and we’ll pull one* big winner there. Wait a minute, what’s that asterisk for!? That’s right, there is some small print. Our lottery license caps each prize at $500, so if when we reach that total, we’ll split it into two (or more!) prizes.
You can get 50-50 tickets for $2 apiece or 3 for $5. We’ll keep tabs on the pot as it grows, sharing regularly, and we encourage you to help us push that prize as high as it can go.
Don’t forget the annual holiday basket raffle! Each year, departments, units, and campus groups put together creative, delightful, and sometimes downright dazzling baskets to help raise funds for Brandon–Westman Christmas Cheer. It’s a wonderful tradition that’s also a great way to spread some cheer across campus.
Want to create a basket? Get festive, get imaginative, and have fun with your theme! Just remember — please deliver all baskets by Friday, December 5 to the Arts Faculty Office. (Quick note: This office does NOT have a chimney, so you will have to deliver through the door.)
Want to win a basket? Baskets will be available for viewing and ticket sales in Clark Hall Room 317. Watch for a full schedule to be posted.
Basket ticket sales begin on Wednesday, December 10 and will conclude on Wednesday, December 17, although there will be one final chance to buy tickets at the Holiday Bruncheon itself, on Friday, December 19. Every ticket purchased helps support Brandon–Westman Christmas Cheer, bringing warmth and joy to local families during the holiday season.
The annual BU holiday gathering is organized in turn by different areas of the campus. This year, the elves on the planning committee come from the Faculty of Arts and Clark Hall.

Chamber Music Class Concert
2025-12-11 17:00 | Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
The Chamber Music class will perform works by Darius Milhaud, Waldemar von Baussnern, Ilya Mishchenkov, W. A. Mozart, and Clara Schumann under the direction of Professors Kerry DuWors, Nancy Hennen, and Megumi Masaki.
featuring
pianists Darina Lavrukhina and Sunqiayo Zhang
clarinetist Jesse Barr
violinists Chufan Wang and Lee Martel.
All are welcome! No admission charge.

Fall Classes End (Education)
2025-12-11 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Classes end for Fall courses in Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5.

Fall Exams 2025
2025-12-09 - 2025-12-22 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Classes end for most Fall Term courses on Monday, December 8, except for Education: BEd (AD);
BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5, which end on Thursday, December 11.
School of Music examinations in Applied Music (except BMus/BEd Year 5) take place on Tuesday, December 9 to Wednesday, December 10.
Final examinations for Fall term courses, and mid-term examinations for both term courses, begin on Thursday, December 11 and run until Monday December 22.
For exam timetables visit https://www.brandonu.ca/registration/current-registration-guides/exam-timetables/.

Fall Classes End (except Education)
2025-12-08 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Classes end for Fall courses (except Education: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5).

BU's Piano Ensemble Fall Term Finale
2025-12-04 16:30 | Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
All are warmly invited to BU’s Piano Ensemble Fall Term Finale under the direction of Prof. Daniel Tselyakov. Join our talented piano ensemble students* as they present a dynamic program of works ranging from piano four-hands to two-piano, eight-hands repertoire. The concert features rarely heard gems such as an arrangement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A minor performed by Jonathan Fetsch & Darina Lavrukhina, and Luo Maishuo’s, The Twelve Beauties of Prince Yong performed by Sunqiaoyi Zhang & Junxin Ye. The program also includes beloved piano-ensemble classics, including Fauré’s Dolly Suite performed by Bella White, Hannah Friesen, Annika Wiebe, & Ryland Stamler; alongside several other delightful works celebrating the richness of the piano ensemble repertoire.
*Piano Ensemble Students:
Jonathan Fetsch
Hannah Friesen
Darina Lavrukhina
Ryland Stamler
Bella White
Annika Wiebe
Junxin Ye
Sun Qiaoyi Zhang

All are welcome! No admission charge.

Creative Writing Literary Exchange: Miles Crossman
2025-12-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Clark Hall, Room 104, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
Miles Crossman, a local producer, screenwriter, and director in film and TV, will be delivering a public talk entitled “Choose Your Own Adventure: Paths for Professional Artists.” He is a former BU drama grad and has produced 200 episodes of broadcast television. He will be speaking on how to break in to the film and TV industry from outside a major centre.

When: Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025
Time: 12:00pm to 1:00 pm
Where: Room 104, Clark Hall, Brandon University

The talk is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served.
The event is sponsored by the Creative Writing Literary Exchange at Brandon University with the support of the Rowe Foundation and the Department of English, Drama, and Creative Writing.

BU Concert Choir & Chorale in Performance
2025-12-03 19:30 | Knox United Church, 451 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 5A9, Canada
The BU Concert Choir and BU Chorale conclude their fall term with a choral concert of great variety – music by J.S. Bach, Indonesian composer Ken Steven, Elaine Hagenberg, Jussi Chydenius, Arvo Part, Rachmaninoff, and Canadian composers Andrew Balfour, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Katerina Gimon, and Emile Deedes – Vinck. The ensembles will perform separate repertoire and also combine vocal forces in a couple selections. This wonderful concert will also feature a guest performance by BU Lower Voices Ensemble: Invicta.
Tickets are available at the door only:
Adults $15
13-18 years of Age: $5
No admission charge for BU students or Conservatory of Music students

Brandon University Theatre: Mother Courage and her Children
2025-12-03 19:00 - 2025-12-07 14:00 | Evans Theatre, McKenzie Building, 270-18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada

Brass Ensemble Concert in Neepawa
2025-12-02 19:30 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Please join our BU Brass Ensemble for an evening of holiday music in Neepawa under the direction of Dr. Edward Bach.
LOCATION: Neepawa TBD
CONCERT START: TBD
No admission charge. All are welcome!

Level 10: The Final Boss: Exams
2025-12-02 16:45 - 17:15 | Zoom, Brandon, MB, Canada
Finals are the ultimate challenge, bringing together everything you’ve learned. In this final level, you’ll combine strategies for time, memory, focus, and confidence so you can face exams prepared and in control. Complete the quest and become a Scholar Supreme!
Open to all students. Register Now!
Level Up Your Learning Series
Ready to embark on an adventure? Level Up Your Learning is a gamified workshop series where each session is a new quest designed to help you unlock powerful skills for success at university. From mastering time and organization, to collecting legendary notes, to battling test anxiety, each level brings you closer to academic victory
You don’t need to attend previous sessions to join the next one, just jump in wherever you’d like! Students who attend four sessions will automatically be entered to win a $100 campus bookstore gift card at the end of the semester.

Brass Ensemble Concert
2025-12-01 19:30 | Lorne Watson Recital Hall, QEII Music Building, Room 1-60, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 6A9, Canada
Under the direction of Dr. Edward Bach, the Brandon University Brass Ensemble will be performing a Christmas Concert. In addition to many seasonal favorites from around the world the ensemble will also play one movement from an exceptional brass work composed by Philipp Lauter, an MM Composition student at Brandon University. Other highlights will include a number of jazz arrangements by Lennie Niehaus, a setting of Dan Forrest’s Cradle Carol as well as a rousing version of Schumann’s Knecht Ruprecht.
No admission charge. All are welcome!

Artist Talk: Kevin McKenzie
2025-12-01 11:30 - 12:30 | Clark Hall, Room 206, 270 18th Street, Brandon, Manitoba, R7A 6A9, Canada
IshKaabatens Waasa Gaa Inaabateg Department of Visual Art Speaker Series presents Kevin McKenzie.
Kevin McKenzie is a Cree/Métis artist based in Brandon. He is a member of the Cowessess First Nation of Saskatchewan, Treaty 4.
He holds a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. from the University of Regina.
Kevin McKenzie (Photo by Jordan Bennett)
During his 30-year art practice, McKenzie has exhibited nationally and internationally. Notable exhibitions include Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation II, Museum of Arts and Design, New York. He also participated in Don’t Stop Me Now, National Gallery of Canada. If We Never Met, Pataka Art Gallery Museum, New Zealand. His work was represented in Transformer: Native Art in Light and Sound, at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institute, New York.
McKenzie’s artwork is represented in the collections of; the National Gallery of Canada, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Manitoba Hydro Corporation, the President’s Art Collection, University of Regina, First Nations University of Canada, the Dunlop Art Gallery, the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the University of Manitoba. In 2024, he produced a public sculpture for the city of Portage la Prairie titled “Eagle Arc.” McKenzie holds a tenured teaching position in the IWGI Department of Visual Art at Brandon University.

Voluntary Withdrawal (VW) Deadline - Education Fall Courses
2025-12-01 | Brandon University, 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada
Voluntary Withdrawal (VW) deadline for Education Fall courses: BEd (AD); BEd (IP) Yr 5; BMus/BEd Yr 5.
