The Agassiz Chamber Music Festival was founded by cellist Paul Marleyn, the Festival’s Artistic Director, in collaboration with the University of Manitoba School of Music (now The Desautel Faculty of Music) in June 2000. The Festival is named after Lake Agassiz, the ancient and vast lake that covered large parts of Manitoba as well as parts of Alberta, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Paul Marleyn’s vision for the Festival is to provide concerts of an international level in what was once part of Lake Agassiz – in the very centre of Canada – Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Produced each year in June, the week-long festival features locally, nationally, and internationally renowned chamber music players, composers and emerging artists and showcases the very best in chamber music through a diversity of artists and repertoire, newly commissioned works, and emerging artists. Bringing listeners and musicians together in intimate concert settings, Agassiz invites artists to explore chamber music repertoire and audiences to experience chamber music performances, listen to chats with festival artists, and socialize with other music lovers. The Festival has built a stellar reputation for chamber music initiatives in Manitoba.