It’s about time to let the weekly critic’s picks swing in a hammock until mid-September. There will be plenty to see and hear in Toronto and surroundings over the summer, and we’ll cover those events individually.
MONDAY
- Euphonia at Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas St W. 7 p.m.
Euphonia and founding conductor Simon Capet bring the sounds of the 18th century to one of the city’s favourite salsa halls. The venue keeps its casual, eat-and-drink-while-the-music plays vibe, and the orchestra performs from the dancefloor. The programme features Mozart’s Symphony No. 29, Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 6 and a Concerto for Flute by C.P.E. Bach, with Torontonian Christopher Lee as soloist. The $10 admission is added enticement. Details here.
WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
- Pianist Yuja Wang with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, 8 p.m.
This young Chinese artist has dazzled with every visit to Toronto. This time, she’ll be playing Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Concertmaster Jonathan Crow gets a moment in the spotlight in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherezade. Also on the programme is the premiere of Treeship by Torontonian Kevin Lau. Peter Oundjian conducts. Details here.
THURSDAY
- Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute orchestras and choirs at Walter Hall, 1 p.m. Free admission.
The final week of Tafelmusik’s all-purpose annual finishing school for period instrumentalists from around the world includes two free student concerts, both offering a mix of instrumental and vocal music from the baroque era conducted by Jeanne Lamon and Ivars Taurins. Details here.
- Toy Piano Composers at Chalmers House, 20 St Joseph St, 5:30 p.m.
On the 13th of every month, 13th Street Winery sponsors a concert at the Canadian Music Centre featuring local composers and performers. This week’s offerings are opera scenes written by the Toy Piano Composers collective and performed by soprano Maureen Batt and (full-size concert grand) pianist Wesley Shen. And, yes, there are wine tastings afterward. Details here.
FRIDAY
- Pianist Alejandro Vela at Gallery 345, 8 p.m.
This fine, young Toronto-based pianist has been touring extensively this season, returning from six weeks in Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia last week. He brings an energetic, intensely sensual programme of pieces by Prokofiev and Enrique Granados to this intimate Parkdale gallery space. Details here.
Here is a little treat: Vela performing Sergei Rachmaninov’s third Op. 33 Étude-Tableau in the old Classical 96FM lobby last year:
SUNDAY
- Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute finale concert at Grace Church-on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd, 7:30 p.m.
This is always one of the most fun concerts of the year, as a supersized choir and orchestra perform baroque favourites to a capacity crowd. Admission is free, but because demand inevitably outstrips the supply of seats, you have to physically pick up a ticket from the Tafelmusik box office at Trinity-St Paul’s Centre, starting Tuesday (June 11). They only allow out two tickets per person. Details here.
LUMINATO
The 10-day festival, which opens on Friday, may not have much in the way of shows that fit standard classical music or opera moulds, but there is quite a bit to experience. I’ll have more on individual performances as they come up. You can check out the details here.
John Terauds