Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra & Sean Irvine - Forgotten Stories Suite (2026)

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra' ninth album release is 10-track concept album that sonically paints the lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals navigating identity, trauma, and healing. The Forgotten Stories Suite was composed by multi-instrumentalist Sean lrvine and features vocalist Karly Epp and spoken word narrator Quinn Greene, blending instrumental jazz, lyrical vocals, and poetry to tell stories too often left untold. Structured in five movements, each introduced by a poetic monologue, the suite follows five distinct personal narratives and aims to evoke emotion, foster connection and offer a space for collective healing.

“I want this album to speak for itself – to amplify the voices of a community of people who take each day in stride and have lived lives of solitude, grappling for love and freedom. Much like the experience of walking through an art gallery, I hope you will look deeply into the portraits of these folk's stories and see how each line, shade, and brushstroke speaks to a greater good. For if music can make us feel something, it provides an avenue for connection and empathy.”---Sean Irvine

Additional Personnel / Information:
Conductor- Richard Gillia Sean Irvine - Composer, Poetry and Lyrics, Alto Sax, Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Sax Quinn Greene - Spoken Word Karly Epp - Vocals Neil Watson - Soprano Sax, Alto Sax Niall Cade - Tenor Sax Monica Jones - Tenor Sax Kyle Wedlake - Baritone Sax Joel Green - Trombone Jeremy Duggleby - Trombone Karin Carlson - Trombone Isabelle Lavoie - Bass Trombone Shane Hicks - Trumpet Matthew Walden - Trumpet, Flugelhorn Andrew Littleford - Trumpet, Flugelhorn Jon Challoner - Flugelhorn Larry Roy - Guitar Will Bonness - Piano, Rhodes Karl Kohut - Upright Bass, Electric Bass Fabio Ragnelli - Drums