Ludwig van 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. 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 our curated concert listings here.
Tuesday 10
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | On Broadway. 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall. Repeats Apr. 11 (2 & 8 p.m.), Apr. 12 8 p.m. $63.95-$123.35.
The TSO Pops Maestro Steven Reineke leads vocalists (Ramin Karimloo and Stephanie J. Block) and the TSO forces in a concert of Broadway show tunes from Les Miserables, Wicked, Into the Woods, Company, and many others. | Listing
Thursday 12
Women’s Musical Club of Toronto | Music in the Afternoon: Sylvia Schwartz. 1:30 p.m., Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto. $45.
Spanish soprano Sylvia Schwartz makes her Toronto debut. A lovely voice which I had the pleasure of hearing in Germany, Schwartz sings Berg’s Seven Early Songs and Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben, as well as Spanish songs by Jesus Guridi, Joaquin Turina, and Xavier Montsalvatge. Olivier Godin is the pianist. | Listing
Here’s Schwartz singing “Du bist die Ruh”:
Music Toronto | Schumann Quartet. 8 p.m. Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. $52-$47.50/$10(st)
Making their Toronto debut is the German chamber group Schumann Quartet (brothers Mark, Erik and Ken Schumann, joined by Estonian violist Liisa Randalu) in works by Haydn, Shostakovich, and (naturally) Schumann. | Listing
Friday 13
Canadian Opera Company | The Nightingale and Other Short Fables. 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. Repeats Apr. 14, plus 7 more performances through May 19. Remaining tickets $50-$350
A revival of the innovative and visually striking Robert Lepage production. It’s not every day that the orchestra pit is filled with water, and with much of the action involving puppets! It is best to have a seat not too far away from the stage, given the peculiarity of the staging. Jane Archibald is the Nightingale, Owen McCausland the Fisherman, and Oleg Tsibulko makes his COC debut as the Emperor. Johannes Debus conducts. | Listing
Glenn Gould Foundation | Alma Deutscher: Canadian Debut Concert. 8 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. $55-$125
A child prodigy? A Wunderkind? A “Little Mozart”? Thirteen-year-old Alma Deutscher is all these things and then some. She began playing the piano at two, violin at three, and composing at four. At seven, her first opera, Cinderella, premiered to rave reviews in Vienna. Deutscher makes her Canadian debut with this special concert to celebrate the all-star jury of the Glenn Gould Prize, to be announced the same day. | Listing
The Toronto Consort | Quicksilver presents Fantasticus. 8 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. Repeats Apr. 14 8 p.m. $15-$69.
Guest ensemble Quicksilver, made up of virtuoso players of early Baroque music, presents a concert of works by Buxtehude, Bertali, Weckmann and Schmeltzer. | Listing
For a chance to win tickets, see here!
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. $40.75-$154.
The visiting Montreal Symphony under its Music Director Kent Nagano performs Berg Violin Concerto with soloist Christian Tetzlaff, and Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E. | Listing
Saturday 14
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Beethoven’s Fifth. 7:30 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St. Remaining tickets $59-$113. Repeats April 15, 3 p.m.
The TSO presents an all-Beethoven program, with Earl Lee conducting the Fifth Symphony, Violin Romances No. 1 & 2, Overture to Egmont, and the Coriolan Overture. The soloist is violinist Blake Pouliot, the Grand Prize winner of the 2016 OdeM Manulife Competition. He’s the 2018 winner of the WMCT Career Development Award. | Listing
Sunday 15
Off Centre Music Salon | French Salon: A Midday in Paris. 3 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. $50/$40(sr/st)/$15(y)/$5(k)
This intriguing program is billed as a tour of salons in Paris, including music of Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Satie and others. Alison Angelo (soprano); Erica Iris Huang (mezzo); Joseph Macerollo (accordion); Inna Perkis (piano); Boris Zarankin (piano); Elina Kelebeev (piano); Nico Dann (drums); Maeve Palmer (soprano). | Listing
Mooredale Concerts | Forestare Ensemble.3:15 p.m. Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto. $30/$20 (under 30). 1:15 p.m. Music and Truffles.
The Quebec-based Guitar ensemble Forestare is made up of 12 guitars and two double bass. They perform a program of works by Lully, Vivaldi, and Bach. | Listing
Esprit Orchestra | Taiko Plus! 8 p.m. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W. 7:15 p.m. Pre-Concert Chat. $20-$60/$40-$55(sr)/$22-$32(under 30)/$20-$25(st)
Nagata Shachu (Japanese Taiko drums), Shannon Mercer (soprano) and Alex Pauk (conductor) perform works by Chris Paul Harman, Maki Ishii, Fuhong Shi, and Scott Wilson. | Listing
