Dr. Will Bonness, DMA

Professor of Jazz Piano

Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba

JUNO-winning pianist Will Bonness has been a mainstay on the international jazz scene for over two decades. At just 17, Will joined Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band for a world tour that spanned the United States, Europe, Thailand, and the Caribbean. He has since performed at major venues and festivals across North America and Europe alongside luminaries such as Jon Gordon, Avishai Cohen, Quincy Davis, and Kristin Korb. Locally, he frequently performs with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra.

As a leader, Will’s four solo releases have garnered international critical acclaim and over 2 million streams. His album Change of Plans won the 2022 JUNO Award for Jazz Album of the Year, following his recognition as Jazz Artist of the Year at the 2021 Western Canada Music Awards. A versatile collaborator on over 30 albums, he recently co-produced Jocelyn Gould’s Portrait of Right Now, which earned a nomination for Jazz Album of the Year at the 2025 JUNO Awards.

Beyond the stage and studio, Will is a dedicated educator, maintaining a full-time faculty position at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, where he has been a Professor for 14 years.