Jen Zoratti

1 week ago | winnipegfreepress.com | Jen Zoratti

When Gwen Hoebig takes the stage at the Centennial Concert Hall this weekend, it will be for the last time as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster. After 37 years, the renowned first-chair violinist will be taking a well-earned rest, but not before a pair of shows celebrating her glittering career.

1 week ago | winnipegfreepress.com | Jen Zoratti

Welcome to Jen Tries, a semi-regular series in which Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti tries something new and reports back. In this instalment, Jen Tries… standup comedy. No surprise here, but I love telling stories. Especially funny stories.

2 weeks ago | winnipegfreepress.com | Jen Zoratti

For 50 years, André Lewis has been part of the fabric of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, first as a ballet student, then as a company dancer, then finally as artistic director, a post he’s held for 30 years. It’s hard to imagine RWB without him. “I can’t actually picture it,” says associate artistic director and former principal dancer Tara Birtwhistle, who herself has been with the ballet for 35 years and was a student before that. “He was always there — how do you even describe that?

2 weeks ago | winnipegfreepress.com | Jen Zoratti

In April 2020, Julie Nolke caught her big break. The Canadian comedian/actor/writer debuted a new series on the sketch comedy channel she runs with her husband on YouTube: Explaining the Pandemic to My Past Self, wherein a pandemic-present Julie tells a pre-pandemic Julie what’s in store for her. The first video has 21 million views and counting.

2 weeks ago | winnipegfreepress.com | Jen Zoratti

By: Jen Zoratti Posted: 2:03 AM CDT Saturday, Apr. 26, 2025 In the 1998 rom-com You’ve Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) owns an adorable independent bookstore facing an existential threat — a big baddie corporate chain bookstore that has moved in across the street.