There are at least 60 holiday-themed concerts to consider this week. Because each is a legitimate contribution to the season’s festivities, I’m not going to pick favourites here, reserving this space for Yule-free fare.
MONDAY
- Advanced University of Toronto piano students at Walter Hall, 7:30 p.m. Free.
University-level piano performance tends to be good, especially when you have teachers like Jamie Parker and Marietta Orlov guiding the budding artists. Seven young pianists present what amounts to a fantastic recital programme — for free:
-Bach: Partita No. 6 (Toccata) – Fiona Wu
-Beethoven: Piano Sonata, Op. 109 (1st & 2nd mov.) – Alex Soloway
-Granados: Valses poéticos – Jenna Richards
-Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 10 – Aaron Chow
-Schumann: Kreisleriana (Nos 1, 3, 4 & 5) – Jialing Zhu
-Chopin: Fantaisie, Op. 49 – Melody Chan
-Brahms: Sonata No. 3, Op. 5 (4th & 5th mov.) – Matthew Li
TUESDAY
- Members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, noon. Free.
Here, 10 members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will premiere a Spanish-themed piece of music that embodies the sounds and techniques they have used in their work with students in the Toronto District and Toronto Catholic District School Boards. The performance is meant to be interactive, to reflect the way these musicians work with children.
This hour-long experience is but a pinhole snapshot of the wealth of education outreach initiatives presented by Toronto music presenters throughout the school year. You’ll find all the details here.
- Pianist George Li at the Jane Mallett Theatre for Music Toronto, 8 p.m.
This 17-year-old is Boston’s answer to Jan Lisiecki. He makes his Toronto début with a substantial, eclectic programme that includes Czerny, Beethoven, Liszt, Schoenberg and Bartók.
Earlier this year, Li landed himself one of two prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Awards. Interestingly, Music Toronto has chosen to place Li in its grown-up Piano Series (with tickets selling for $50 & $55) rather than its Discovery Series ($21.50). You’ll find the recital details here.
Judging from this clip of three Debussy Préludes he performed in August, Li sounds like a compelling artist — regardless of age:
WEDNESDAY
- Advanced University of Toronto piano students at Walter Hall, 7:30 p.m. Free.
The Faculty of Music’s end-of-session Piano Fest concludes with seven more young recitalists:
-Debussy: Pagodes, from Estampes – Virginia Georgallas
-Scriabin: Vers la flamme, Op. 72 – David Brister
-David McIntyre: Butterflies and Bobcats – Michael Thibodeau
-Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 – Jennifer Liu
-Chopin: Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2 – Katsiaryna Khatsko
-Brahms: Sonata No. 3, Op. 5 (1st mov.) – Kara Park
-Liszt: Vallée d’Obermann from Années de pèlerinage I: Suisse – Donna Lee
THURSDAY
- Glenn Gould School Concerto Competition finals at Koerner Hall, 10 a.m. Free.
This is a great opportunity to check out some some of the Royal Conservatory’s more advanced soloists. The day is ticketed, so you need to make a stop at the box office, but admission is free. Ticket details here.
FRIDAY
- Flutist Mario Carbotta with Sinfonia Toronto at the Glenn Gould Studio, 8 p.m.
This veteran flute virtuoso joins our fine string orchestra for a lighthearted programme that includes atmospheric pieces by film composer Ennio Morricone and Canadian composer John Burge. Music director Nurhan Arman also leads an orchestral arrangement of Beethoven’s Op. 18 No. 3 String Quartet and the premiere of a new piece by University of Toronto composer Ka Nin Chan. You’ll find the details here.
Here is Carbotta performing a bit of Mercadante:
SUNDAY
- Anagnoson & Kinton at Mazzoleni Hall, 2 p.m.
As of Monday morning, there were exactly 25 tickets left for an all-Beethoven recital by Toronto’s great piano duo James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton. The recital ends with the magnificent Grosse Fuge for string quartet, Op. 133. You’ll find all the details here.
John Terauds