This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between March 10 and 16, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Faculty of Music, University of Toronto: Vocalise I — An Evening of Chamber Music & Operatic Arias
Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, Free
Liz Upchurch, one of the very best vocal coaches in North America, has collaborated with the Faculty of Music for this lush evening of vocal music. Upchurch, the Head of Music of the COC Ensemble program, has been nurturing generations of young singers as a mentor, collaborative artist and genuine inspiration for over 25 years. As we see the results of her leadership in the real world — including the recent sighting of Emily D’Angelo, a COC Ensemble alumna who sang the main role for the MET 24/25 opening with Jeanine Tesori’s new work Grounded, it is quite exciting to see what the faculty’s young musicians will present this evening. The voice program at the University of Toronto has been nurturing some serious talents for decades, and this may be the time to see the next generation superstars in person in their training stage. Come out and listen through this varied program of art songs and operatic arias, and be ready to be dazzled. Bring the young’uns who would be on the March Break, and show them what live arts feel like without the heavy strain on the wallet, as this is a public free event. Info here.
Canadian Opera Company: COC March Break: Stories of Opera through Art Song
Wednesday, March 12, Noon
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre, Free
Geared toward precocious youngsters and curious adults alike, COC’s Community Partnership program presents an exploratory noon concert about songs. How we communicate stories, histories, feelings, and thoughts through songs and what does that mean — when we take others’ words and music, how do we make it a ‘my own’ experience? How are songs created, and how does opera form incorporate the tradition of songs into a larger fabric? The best explanations are always the simplest and the most clear, and I trust the insight and knowledge of the COC team to create a beautiful and accessible experience for all members of the audience for this Wednesday noon concert. Bring everyone you know who sings — and remind yourself that if you speak, you sing. The heart speaks through words and their inflections, and it is a beautiful thing: it’s often surprising and beautiful to take a closer look at what we do so naturally. Info here.
U of T Opera: Mozart’s Così fan tutte
Thursday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 14, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 15, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, March 16, 2:30 p.m.
Harbourfront Centre Theatre, $10+
Faculty of Music presents Mozart’s Cosi for their spring production. A well-loved classic, this opera is jam-packed with favourite arias and humour — if a bit questionable by today’s standard. The opera’s full title ‘Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti’ means ‘They all do it, or The School for Lovers,’ exploring the subject of love, and its consequent jealousy — fascinating all humans for centuries. See how the characters interact when traps are set deliberately to test their love, and how we as society have changed in our understanding of such complex emotional interactions, while basking in Mozart’s glorious vocal writing. There’s the coloratura firework in Fiordiligi’s ‘Come Scoglio,’ the beautiful vocal ensemble singing of ‘Di scrivermi ogni giorno’, and ‘Soave sia il vento’, anguish in ‘Smanie implacabili’ for Dorabella, and so much more — at fraction of a big house production. Info here.
Royal Canadian College of Organists Toronto Centre: Pipes, Pedals and Pizza
Friday, March 14, 10-noon, 1-3 p.m., with pizza break at noon
Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, free
Ever wanted to see how a great pipe organ works? This is your chance! The amazing people at the RCCO, who are usually invisible, as they sit in a faraway loft, or a side spot away from the massive sets of pipes they operate with grace and intellect, have organized an interactive event for youngsters and young-at-hearts, to come and experience the organ in all manners possible. Along with superb musical demo playing, there’s a tour of the pipe chamber, and you can even build a mini-organ and bring it home! The 10-noon session will be open for kindergarteners up to Grade 6, and the 1-3 p.m. session will be open for Grade 7 and up, with a pizza lunch for everyone in the middle. The best way to learn things is hands-on, and RCCO is inviting people to even bring their favourite piano pieces, if they want to have a ‘go’ — a fantastic way to spend a Friday. Be a kind guardian and bring the youngsters in, or come with friends and have a wander about the organ. Info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Brahms & Shostakovich with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Sunday, March 16, 3 p.m.
Roy Thomson Hall, $78+
Ever wondered how other major Canadian orchestras play? TSO hosts friends from the West this Sunday. The Vancouver Symphony, with conductor Otto Tausk and soloists Vadim Gluzman (violin) and Marion Newman (mezzo soprano), steps onto the Roy Thomson Hall stage with two bangers: Brahms Violin Concerto and Shostakovich Symphony 5, along with a brand new shiny commission work by Marcus Goddard. The Canadian landscape is beautiful and vast, which makes it very difficult to see other ensembles without some careful logistical planning. Until they come by for a visit! Come and welcome the VSO in this rare visit, and fill your Sunday afternoon with a rousing crowd pleasing program. Info here.
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