It is a checklist of live shows we’re attending, wishing we may attend, or fascinated about attending between Might 5 and 11, 2025. For extra of what’s taking place round Toronto, go to our calendar right here.
COC: Instrumental Sequence / Toronto Summer time Music Competition 2025: twentieth Anniversary Preview
Tuesday, Might 6, midday
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Free
Summer time 2025 is Jonathan Crow’s remaining pageant, having been music director of TSMF for the final 9 years: on their twentieth yr, TSMF presents a great mixture of repertoire, and has grow to be an important expertise for younger artists and the veterans to mingle, share, and create lovely performances. Come out and be part of Crow and his crowd: Barry Shiffmann (viola), Ellamay Mantie (cello), Philip Chiu (piano), and Caitlin Wooden (Soprano), for this mild daytime preview of the 2025 season, the place we will expertise things-to-come. In any case, chamber music, deriving from the easy custom of taking part in collectively, continues to be probably the greatest listening experiences, with its shut musical intimacy, and its reference to others. Data right here.
Womens’ Musical Membership of Toronto: Music within the Afternoon: Asitha Tennekoon — Belonging
Thursday, Might 8, 1:30 p.m.
Walter Corridor, Edward Johnson Constructing. $50, free with scholar ID
The final live performance of the 24/25 season for WMCT options Tennekoon and pianist Steven Philcox, and a stunning string quartet of acquainted native faces. Philcox has been busy with the Canadian Track Undertaking, initiated with Lawrence Wiliford in 2011, selling the commissioning and efficiency of Canadian artwork songs: this program is a superb mixture of previous and new music, all written in English. The pervasive desire to European arts songs isn’t an phantasm — nevertheless, while the canonic repertoire does comprise a number of the best music ever written, the publicity to issues that now we have but to expertise is crucial; all organisms should develop, or face loss of life. This program, with two bookends of English works: Vaughan Wililams’s ‘On Wenlock Edge’: a lush work for piano quintet and voice, and Barber’s ‘Knoxville Summer time’ of 1915, explores three works from composers born in Nineteen Eighties (two Canadians and an American), together with a brand new WMCT fee by Danika Lorèn, whose lovely voice has graced Toronto levels for years. This stage filled with thrilling, thriving younger performers and composers, with Philcox, guarantees a lot magnificence. Pre-concert lecture will begin at 12:15, for many who have an interest. Data right here.
Mates of Music at St. Thomas’s: Mark Fewer: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J.S.Bach
Friday, Might 9, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Might 10, 4 p.m.,
St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St., PWYW
Mark Fewer is at all times busy. At all times. Fewer’s tasks normally include a twist or two. In case you are a cheerful, content material, informal live performance goer, continued exploration of the acquainted is reassuring and fulfilling; nevertheless, with cautious eyes, even the usual package deal could be shocking, because the satan’s within the particulars — at all times. For this specific challenge, Fewer is bringing in six violins. By six completely different luthiers. For six solo violin works. For those who’ve ever talked to a critical string participant, you already know that they will definitely get into the nitty gritties of the devices — the age, mannequin, materials, the bow hairs, strings, the variations are limitless — a bit like custom-made perfumes or jewelry. Or the recipe for the perfect Sunday gravy. You could have questioned: that is all good and effectively, however does it really make a lot distinction? How will you ever know, as most performances are carried out on a single instrument, even when the participant has a couple of decisions they will make? Nicely, right here’s your probability! Fewer will probably be taking part in Sonata No. 1 in G minor on a violin by David Prentice, Partita No. 1 in B minor: violin by John Newton, Sonata No. 2 in A minor: violin by Mark Schnurr, Partita No. 2 in D minor: violin by Itzel Ávila, Sonata No. 3 in C main: Isabelle Wilbaux, and Partita NO. 3 in E main: violin by Sibylle Walke/Ruppert. A complete of 5 Ontario luthiers and one Quebecois — what a stunning technique to rejoice Canadian luthiers! The challenge spans over Friday and Saturday — do include ears alert and open. Data right here.
Orpheus Choir of Toronto: Mass Transmission
Saturday, Might 10, 7:30 p.m.
Grace Church on-the-hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd., $25+
OCT’s sixtieth season finishes with panache: works for choir and stuck electronics. That includes two Canadian premieres: Jocelyn Hagen’s ‘Hummingbird’ and DJ/Composer Mason Bates’ ‘Mass Transmission’; electronics in classical music nonetheless feels a bit new to many, and even for seasoned concert-goers, choir + electronics is a reasonably uncommon factor. Come out to assist the OCT and revel in this noble expertise. In any case, there’s a magic in reside choral efficiency — of all of the voices coming to life in actual time, the constructing of these sonic occasions in actual area. To listen to what could also be attainable with extra know-how is an intriguing proposition. Data right here.
The Noise Academy: Philippe Leroux’s Quid sit Musicus
Saturday, Might 10, 7 p.m., Sunday, Might 11, 4 p.m.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, 79 Saint George St., $35
Philippe Leroux, presently based mostly in Montreal, writes very laborious music. But musicians who love his music, like it with whole devotion. When Xin Wang and Rob Mcdonald got here throughout Quid ist Musicus, an amalgam of late medieval and 2014 soundscapes, they knew that they needed to make it occur. Premiered in 2014 in Paris, the work entails the seamless becoming a member of of acoustic and digital components, and such calls for for all musicians concerned, together with the electronics operators, are huge. One might have heard Leroux’s music reside, as he’s featured usually in Toronto new music programming — and you probably have skilled it, you’ll know the fast magical entry to Leroux’s soundscape generally is a very particular expertise, and also you’d be marking your calendar. For those who haven’t skilled it, come and see this extravaganza of extremely proficient and laborious working seven singers, 4 instrumentalists, and a conductor. This quick live performance will pack a punch with its musical and human depth — be able to be mesmerized. In any case, one of the best ways to expertise a brand new factor is thru the people who find themselves in absolute love with it. Learn our Preview right here. Data right here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: James Ehnes with Orion Weiss
Sunday, Might 11, 3 p.m.
Koerner Corridor, $70+
Ehnes and Weiss presents music of Bach, Vaughan Williams, Korngold, and Prokofiev. World-class Canadian violinist Ehnes requires no additional clarification. Weiss can be internationally acknowledged for his taking part in as soloist and chamber musician — although he hasn’t performed a lot in Canada but, his latest recording and tour with Augustin Hadelich, American Roadtrip for Warner (2024), obtained nice opinions, exhibiting his excellent musicianship and a sure indescribable particular means for the piano-violin repertoire. Two masters taking part in nice music on a Sunday afternoon in lovely Koerner Corridor acoustics: a recipe for achievement. Data right here.
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Cecilia tumbled into ‘critical’ music research when she determined to keep away from attending medical college. At present working within the area of classical music, recording, and Korean-English interpretation, she tends to get her nostril soiled in many alternative issues within the metropolis. Cecilia holds a DMA in Piano Efficiency from the College of Nebraska-Lincoln.
