As we approach the peak of the Canadian summer — the August Civic Holiday long weekend — the city bustles with all kinds of festivities, and many of our local musicians are finally on a break, enjoying the glorious sun. I sincerely wish them a proper lovely summer holiday break!
Here are a few concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between July 29 and August 5, 2024. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Toronto Summer Music: Pacifica Quartet
Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 p.m.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. $25+
Always a joy to hear a good string quartet — the woody ensemble format is so magical, capable of giving a seamless unison to explosive, distinctive voices in a flash. Pacifica Quartet, formed in 1994, has won multiple grammy awards, and is very active in commissioning and performing new repertoire. For this midweek concert, they are bringing beloved classics: Mendelssohn No. 2, Shostakovich No. 2, and Dvořák’s No. 12, American. Great chance to hear great music played with finesse. Info here.
Summer Music in the Garden: Opa Yallah: From Tehran to Casablanca
Thursday, August 1, 7 p.m.
Toronto Music Garden, Harbour Front Centre. Free.
Excellent programming from the Toronto Music Garden brings us Opa Yallah this week; their diverse melodies are drawn from folk and old pop music in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and some crossovers in English and French. Sometimes politics and maps tell us that we came from so many different, faraway places, but the heart tells us that we are quite close, especially when stories are told and shared with sincerity. Come out to the beautiful summer eve for a chance to overfill your heart. Info here.
Brott Music Festival: Firebird
Thursday, August 1, 7:30 p.m.
McIntyre Performing Arts Centre, 135 Fennell Ave. W, Hamilton. $25+
The National Academy Orchestra of Canada is an important training program for young professional musicians of Canada. In 1984, Boris Brott started the program where every summer, a full-sized orchestra selected from a highly competitive audition process performs major orchestra works. This season is nine weeks long, and the participants benefit from a well-rounded program, led by superbly talented Tania Miller, including orchestral rehearsals/performances, audition tips, masterclasses and seminars; and regular stipend definitely helps. For this week, they present Debussy, Richard Mascall, Mendelssohn, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919). A lovely program, totally worth the trek to Hamilton. Info here.
Summer Opera Lyric Theatre: (Continued from last week)
Xerxes: Tuesday, July 30, 8 p.m., Saturday August 3 and Sunday 4, 2 p.m.
Idomeneo: Wednesday, July 31, 8 p.m., Friday, August 2, 8 p.m.,
La Bohème: Wednesday, July 31, 2 p.m., Thursday, August 1 and Saturday 3, 8 p.m.
Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley St., $22+
The SOLT performances opened last weekend, and this week, they will continue their public performances of Handel’s Xerxes, Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Puccini’s La Bohème. Each opera will be supported by music directors from the piano, and there are multiple performance passes available for a friendly price of 60 for all 3 operas. Info here.
Toronto Summer Music Festival: TSM Finale
Saturday, August 3, 7:30 p.m.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. $25+
The last evening of TSM will feature Academy Fellows, Festival Artist Mentors, and Community Program participants. The final program, which will include a brand new work by Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi, will be announced on Thursday, August 1 by 6 p.m. If you’ve missed an opportunity to see your favourite artists (especially events that sold out quickly!), this could be quite an exciting concert — come with open mind, and expectations of excellence. Info here.
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