This is a list of amazing concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between November 29 – December 5, 2021. For more details on what’s happening in Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Brott Music Festival | Handel’s Messiah
📅 Wednesday — December 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $55
Is it just us (here at Ludwig), or are there not many Handel’s Messiahs this year? Have no fear. Our friends at the Brott Music Festival are keeping the tradition alive. The caveat is you’ll need to head to Burlington (or Hamilton on the 29th) to catch it. Voices include the Arcady Singers with soloists Sydney Baedke, Andrea Ludwig, Bud Roach and David Pike. Worth the trip. | Details
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir | Festival of Carols (in-person + online)
📅 Wednesday — December 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $20+
No matter how you celebrate the holidays, going to a Christmas concert is one of our favourite ways to spend time with loved ones. This week’s best bet for holiday programming is the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir annual Festival of Carols. The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra will join the choir to perform carols from Bach, Andrew Balfour, Sally Beamish, Paul Halley, and more. | Details
Tafelmusik | The Voice of Vivaldi (online)
📅 Thursday — December 2, 2021, 8 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $19+
A special treat this week for opera and voice fans. Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, a recent transplant to Vancouver, will be transmitted online with her baroque pals at Tafelmusik. The concert features arias from three Vivaldi operas, and pieces by Johann Christoph Bach and Johann Bernhard Bach (the other Bachs), Scarlatti, and Dall’Abaco. | Details
Against The Grain Theatre | Opera Pub
📅 Thursday — December 2, 2021, 8 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 Free!
Last week was a big one for Against The Grain. Their fearless leader, Joel Ivany, directed a high-profile Governor General Awards and also premiered their Mozart’s Requiem collaboration with the Canadian Opera Company. This week they are bringing back pub-style opera merriment, with Opera Pub. Hosted by the extraordinary David Eliakis, you’ll hear Toronto’s best opera voices let their hair down amid tasty libations. | Details
Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Home Alone in Concert
📅 Friday — December 3, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET (repeats Dec. 4)
📍 LINK
💸 $61+
This season, you can revisit the 1990 classic Home Alone with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra playing the beloved score by John Williams. Let the magic of 1990 wash over you with its universal message: sometimes we need to slow down and cherish the people we hold dear. | Details
The Elora Singers | Bach & Handel: Music for Advent & Christmas (online)
📅 Saturday — December 4, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET (available to watch through Jan. 7)
📍 LINK
💸 $20
The ever-impressive Elora Singers celebrate the run-up to the holidays with Bach’s magical Advent Cantatas plus Christmas excerpts from Handel’s Messiah (another one!). The concert will include a chamber orchestra and soloists from the ranks of the choir. | Details
Orchestra Toronto | An Indigo Christmas With The Nathaniel Dett Chorale
📅 Saturday — December 4, 2021, 8 p.m. ET
📍 LINK
💸 $45
Orchestra Toronto and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale join forces for a gospel-inspired celebration of Christmas around the world. We highly recommend it checking out. The program includes Michael McElroy and Jonathan Joubert: Great Joy II: Christmas Around the World with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, Music Director, and a combo led by Corey Butler. Note, there’s a pre-concert chat at 7:15, so come early. | Details
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