Favourite Local Achiever Under 30

1. Ashley Bieniarz

Supplied photo

1. Ashley Bieniarz
2. Adam Fuhr / Satina Loren (tie)
3. Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie

Ashley Bieniarz, a local musician, educator and podcast host, has been voted Favourite Local Achiever nder 30 by readers of The Uniter.

“I’m incredibly flattered and honoured that people would consider me an achiever,” she says.

Bieniarz, who graduated from the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba in 2018 with a degree in classical piano, is very active in the local music community.

“I made a commitment to the local music scene, and I really wanted to help it develop and flourish,” she says.

Bieniarz founded and hosts the podcast Winnipeg Music Project, which aims to promote local music-making.

“We talk about music-making, songwriting and why the musicians that I have on each week care about music, and what inspires them,” she says.

The show airs at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays on 101.5 UMFM. As part of the Winnipeg Music Project, Bieniarz also organizes events.

“I did an event which was called Meet Your Music-Maker, which was a live audience interview and pop performance with local artists,” she says.

“More recently, I started a songwriters’ circle in partnership with the Songwriters Association of Canada,” Bieniarz says. Every month, she brings in an established local songwriter to be a featured mentor and to give “a talk about what it means to be a songwriter.” Last month, the invited guest was Fred Penner.

In addition to these projects, Bieniarz performs as a chamber pop artist. She currently works at Manitoba Music.

Published in Volume 74, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 28, 2019)

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