Musical Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. Of course this is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what’s available in and around Toronto, check out the comprehensive concert listings from our friends at Wholenote Magazine.
Monday 16
Musicians In Ordinary | at the St. Basil’s Church. 7:30 p.m. Free!
The week kicks off with a Musicians In Ordinary performing Monteverdi’s Mass in F as well as works by Grandi, Fontana, Marini and others. Besides Hallie Fishel (soprano) and John Edwards (theorbo), they will be joined by Christopher Verrette and Patricia Ahern (baroque violins) and Borys Medicky (organ). As usual they will be performing at the St. Basil’s Church, which for those who haven’t been there, is tucked away in the University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College. | DETAILS
Wednesday 18
Glenn Gould School of Opera | Offenbach: La belle Hélène at Koerner Hall. 7:30 p.m. $25-55 (repeats Mar. 20)
Opera lovers will not want to miss a production of Offenbach’s La belle Hélène: a hilarious parody based on the story of Helen of Troy’s stint in Paris. The production is directed by Against the Grain Theatre’s Joel Ivany, and includes Uri Mayer conducting the Royal Conservatory Orchestra and vocal students of the Glenn Gould School. French operetta at its finest. | DETAILS
Thursday 19
Canadian Opera Company | Vocal Series: Opera Interactive at 12:00 p.m. Free!
Downtown and looking for a vocal music fix? Why not come out and visit the COC’s free noon hour concert series: Opera Interactive. Includes arias and sing-along choruses by many up-and-coming artist-educators and artists of the COC Ensemble Studio. | DETAILS
University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Thursdays at Noon: Liebeslieder at Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. 12:10 p.m. Free!
Another musical outing worth your while is the free Thursdays at Noon concert at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. Today is all about love songs by Brahms and Greer, but the main pull is the extraordinary performers Krisztina Szabó, (mezzo), Lawrence Wiliford (tenor), Peter Barnes (baritone), Lydia Wong and Steven Philcox (piano). Follow the Lied. | DETAILS
Music Gallery | Emergents III at the Music Gallery. 8:00 p.m. $8-12
For the more adventurous(or the curious) come out for the Music Galleries’ popular Emergents series. This third instalment includes the sounds of Geoff Mullen & Jonathan Adjemian. The two contemporary music juggernauts will seek to explore the Music Gallery’s acoustic nooks and crannies. Should be a great show. | DETAILS
Music Toronto | Elias Quartet at Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 8:00 p.m. $10-55
Thursday seems to offer something for everybody this week. The Elias Quartet will take the stage for their Toronto debut at the Jane Mallett Theatre, performing a traditional chamber program of Haydn, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. This Elias Quartet have been getting a lot of praise for their tight precision, and inventive phrasing so this should be a sure bet. | DETAILS
Tafelmusik | St. John Passion at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, Jeanne Lamon Hall. 8:00 p.m. $20-81 (repeats: March 20-22).
Tafelmusik presents St. John Passion this week with the great Julia Doyle (soprano), Daniel Taylor (countertenor), Charles Daniels (tenor), Peter Harvey, (baritone), Ivars Taurins (conductor). The show runs through to Sunday. | DETAILS
Friday 20
Soundstreams | Salon 21 at Gardiner Museum. 7:00 p.m. Free/PWYC
Since September, Soundstreams SoundMakers Composer in Residence, Aaron Gervais has been busy composing a new work called Longuement me sui tenus and blogging about the process. After seven months of cooking it is finally ready! You can also meet the composer and chat about his experience composing the work. | DETAILS
Tapestry Opera | Tap:Ex Tables Turned at Ernest Balmer Studio. 8:00 p.m. $35 (repeats March 21)
Tapestry Opera brings a forward-thinking multi-media production with composer on-the-rise, Nicole Lizée. The project explores the future of opera, and includes remixed clips from Alfred Hitchcock films, Sound of Music, and Maria Callas. Includes frequent Tapestry collaborator and soprano, Carla Huhtanen. This is a musical curiosity well worth seeing. | DETAILS
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