This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between March 3 and 9, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Esprit Orchestra: International Festival: Chasing Vito
Tuesday, March 4, 8 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $20+
Esprit Orchestra continues to fascinate the audience with unusual instrumentations and soundscapes. The opener of the program, Keiko Abe’s The Wave, requires just five percussionists; surrounding the marimba soloist, four percussionists will play all shades of pulses — some pitched, some non-pitched. For these visceral, sharp-witted players, manipulating so many instruments — from marimba, to bongos, congas, cowbell, slaves, slapstick, all kinds of cymbals, timpani, bass drum ( just to name a few) is a series of continual challenges and rewards; it is amazing to hear how so much nuance and expression can be generated by a single stroke. The second work, Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, contrasts sharply in its exploration of string instruments — Shaw was inspired by Brentano Quartet’s Haydn performance in this program, and the shifting of colours, in a way that only strings can do, makes it a beautiful contrast. Wrapping the program is the North American premiere of Vito Žuraj’s Anemoi, a new co-commission for Berlin Phil and Esprit. Come out and bask in these wildly varying soundscapes — sometimes, less is truly more. Info here.
Faculty of Music, University of Toronto | France-Canada Distinguished Visitor in Music: Michaël Attias, alto saxophone, with Lewis 12tet
Wednesday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.
Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, free.
The space between improvised and written music is just like the space between two integers — between 0 and 1, there are endless numbers in existence. As human expression tinkers with the idea of permanence, between improvisation and written music, there are so many possibilities and so much spontaneity available — so much that many musicians just put their hands up in the air and declare: I do not improvise! Attias, one of the most curious improvisers of our time, is at the faculty of music this week as part of the France-Canada Distinguished Visitor in Music program, and this is a great opportunity to witness this great mind in action. Along with his intellect and curiosity, Attias is a formidable saxophonist, and his compositions vary greatly from standard orchestra and big bands, to live electroacoustic scores and sound designs. Such an interesting man — he works with all aspects of sound, beyond the typical 12 notes that we normally rely on. Where would he lead the audience on this midweek treat? What does it mean to create, as we continue to build our fleeting conception of the world through our senses? Come out and see Attias and Lewis 12tet — be ready to be mesmerized. Info here.
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra: Baroque & Folk
Friday, March 7, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 8, 8 p.m.; Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, $20+
It is easy to forget that the music of the great canon, at its inception, was part of a living process, things and conventions changing all the time, deeply rooted in its own time. Of course, there are a few anachronistic composers, but all these classic works, once written by living people, were built not only through musical inspiration, but from all aspects of life — including folk culture. Slovakian violinist Miloš Valent leads Tafelmusik through the shared space between Baroque and folk this week. Peeking through various tribes and clans’ music — Ashkenazy, Polish, Roma, Scottish, and Turkish, just to name a few — and their influence on the Baroque faves, this program promises many surprises and affirmations. We may not share all things with others, but we certainly can sympathize, attempt to understand, and share common sentiments, despite the vast cultural differences we may face. Music of Telemann, Purcell, and Vivaldi will be explored by Valent and Tafelmusik, with additional guests Jan Rokyta and Naghmeh Farahmand. Come and see where these magical people will take you. Info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Disney’s Encanto in Concert
Saturday, March 8, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sunday, March 9, 2 p.m.
Roy Thomson Hall, $30+
Despite what your opinion of the silly mouse may be, Disney keeps churning out great animation films with amazing soundtracks. Encanto, sweeping awards from Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, features a stellar soundtrack, including songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda (from the incredible Hamilton production, and Moana), and music by Germain Franco — as if their heart-touching, tear-inducing animation wasn’t enough! Come out with family — especially little ones, and lose yourself in the magical world of Encanto, with real orchestral accompaniment. Sometimes, it’s the gentle stories that speak right into the heart. Info here.
Pax Christi Chorale and University of Toronto Wind Ensemble: Bruckner’s Mass in E Minor
Saturday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, $10+
Bruckner the loner, the seeker of God, wrote some spectacular religious music, and his Mass in E Minor is a beautiful work. The choral accompaniment by 15 winds creates a unique soundscape: many find his choral works strikingly different from orchestral works — if you’ve been afraid of Bruckner, perhaps this is the concert that will change your mind! Bruckner’s unaccompanied motets, and French master Koechlin’s septet for wind ensemble, fills out this program. Koechlin’s awareness of wind instruments’ capabilities, paired with a great compositional technique, makes his works quite special, always full of resonances and shimmering constantly — perhaps this is what people meant, when they compared God’s breath with the wind, back in antiquity. Come in for a sombre reflection on life this Saturday, with ashes still afresh on people’s foreheads, as the first Sunday of Lent is just around the corner. A great cycle in search of peace. Info here.
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