Classical music and opera events for the week of September 27 to October 3

This is a list of amazing concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between Sept. 27– Oct. 3, 2021. For more details on what’s happening from our trusted partners, visit our calendar here.

Soundstreams | Garden Of Vanished Pleasures (online)

📅 Monday — September 27, 2021, 8 p.m. ET (runs through Oct. 10)
📍 LINK
💸 $20

Soundstreams continues their digital residency at Crow’s Theatre with Garden Of Vanished Pleasures — a 75-minute, fully-staged production from the mind of Tim Albery celebrating English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener, and author Derek Jarman. Features music by Cecilia Livingston with texts drawn from Derek Jarman’s journals, adapted by Donna McKevitt. Single tickets are available via Crow’s Theatre Box Office. Runs through Oct. 10. | Details

Music in the Afternoon | Blake Pouliot

Thursday — September 30, 2021, 1:30 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $45

Tune in online for a belated celebration of Blake Pouliot’s 2018 WMCT Career Development Award. You’ll hear Sonatas by J. S. Bach, Leoš Janáček, and Sergei Prokofiev. Hsin-I Huang accompanies on piano. (Fun fact: Pouliot plays one of the rarest violin’s in Canada: a priceless 729 Guarneri del Gesù, on loan from the Canada Council Musical Instrument Bank). | Details

The Musical Stage Company | UnCovered: The Music of Dolly Parton

📅 Thursday — September 30, 2021, 8 p.m. ET (repeats Oct. 2-3)
📍 LINK
💸 $45+

This concert is a unique one: a celebration of the Queen of Country, onstage at Koerner Hall. Okay — so Dolly Parton won’t be there, but award-winning Canadian artists who have graced international stages and screens will. From the mind of music director Reza Jacobs, this is a must-see for lovers of song. This event is both in-person and online. | Details

The Hogtown Collective | The Christie Pits Riot: An Audio Walking Tour

📅 Thursday — September 30, 2021
📍 LINK
💸 Free!

This one takes some explaining, but we highly recommend it. Christie Pits Riots is an interactive walking tour delivered via audiobook, featuring a story that will be told through the eyes of a 12-year-old Jewish boy. The story culminates at a Baseball game on August 16, 1933, at Christie Pits which turned into the biggest city-wide race riot in Canada. The story includes original music from Measha Brueggergosman and Lenny Gallant. You can access the audio walking tour on an app available to download here. | Details

Confluence Concerts | Bach Cello Suites: Part 1 (online)

📅 Friday — October 1, 2021, 7:00 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 Free!

Chamber music lovers will hear the cellists Winona Zelenka (TSO and Trio Arkel) and Michelle Tang perform for the first of three concerts of Bach’s iconic Cello Suites from Heliconian Hall. Tune in to watch for free on YouTube. | Details

Toronto Symphony | TSO at the Drive-In: Pride Together

📅 Friday — October 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET (repeats Oct. 2)
📍 LINK
💸 $91+ (per car)

You just might want to get out of the car and dance for this drive-in concert. Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser leads the TSO through a 2SLGBTQ+ program on themes of desire, protest, and acceptance. There’s “Vogue”, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, “Time Warp”, and more. The ticket is pricey though, so be warned. | Details

Upper Canada Choristers | To Sit and Dream: Voices of Women Through the Ages

📅 Friday — October 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $25

It’s been too long since we’re heard a live choir. The Upper Canada Choristers invite music lovers “To Sit and Dream”, at a concert celebrating women composers and hoping for a better future. Laurie Evan Fraser conducts the 35-voice mixed choir and its accomplished Latin ensemble Cantemos in their third livestreaming concert — and first with a live audience — since the pandemic. Hye Won Cecilia Lee is the pianist, with cellist Julia Kim as guest artist. This event is both in-person and online. | Details

Sinfonia Toronto | Sinfonia Toronto’s Greatest Hits (online)

📅 Saturday — October 2, 2021, 3:00 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 Free!

Our friends at Sinfonia Toronto are presenting their ‘Greatest Hits’ as part of Ontario Culture Days. On the program are Mozart, Bologne, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, and Khachaturian. Unlike most pre-recorded streams of late, this is livestream from Meridian Hall (formerly Sony Centre), with Nurhan Arman conducing. It’s also free! | Details

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Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent is the Editor-in-chief Ludwig Van and CEO of Museland Media. He publishes regularly and writes occasionally. A specialist in digital media for over 15 years, he has worked as a senior editor and is a former freelance classical music critic for the Toronto Star. Michael holds a Doctorate in Music from the University of Toronto.