Roman Borys, Artistic and Executive Director, recently announced details of Music Toronto’s 2025-26 Season. Along with live music, Music Toronto’s mandate features a three-pronged approach that includes concerts, artist development, and community engagement,
“In addition to presenting great concerts featuring celebrated musicians and early career artists who are capturing the world’s attention, Music Toronto’s investment in artist and audience development initiatives ensures that chamber music remains essential within the performing arts ecology of our very culturally diverse city,” said Roman Borys, Artistic and Executive Director, in a statement.
Along with the usual offerings, Music Toronto will be launching their MUSE series — music unveiled, stories, explorations — that will take a deeper dive into learning and musical discovery. The MUSE events will take place on Sunday afternoons.
When it comes to community engagement and education, Music Toronto’s season includes school concerts, the Listen Up! elementary school residency program in partnership with the Gryphon Trio and Chamber Factory, seniors’ concerts in partnership with Concerts in Care, and Rob Kapilow’s engaging What Makes it Great? Presentations.
For emerging musicians, there will be Master Classes at the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music, as well as performance opportunities in the annual Celebration of Small Ensembles and career development workshops.
Music Toronto 2025-26 Season At A Glance
Ehnes Quartet
September 30, 2025
The Ehnes Quartet was established in 2010, and features an all-star lineup of violinists James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron. The Quartet has performed across North America, Europe and Asia, and their catalogue of recordings has earned multiple awards.
Tetzlaff/Tetzlaff/Doerken Trio
October 21, 2025
Violinist Christian Tetzlaff, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff (sister to Christian), and pianist Kiveli Doerken make up this European trio. Since their debut at the Rheingau Festival in 2004, they have performed across Europe, in Japan, and in North America. Doerken, a former student of original pianist Lars Vogt, became part of the ensemble after Vogt’s passing in 2022, and this will be the first time they perform for Music Toronto with the newer lineup.
Michelle Cann
November 11, 2025
Grammy-Award winning pianist Michelle Cann made her Music Toronto debut in 2022, and since then,
has been named the inaugural Christel DeHaan Artistic Partner of the American Pianists Association and received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence. Her concert will delve into works by three composers linked to each other personally and musically — Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms.
J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow
MUSE Series
November 23, 2025
Created by CBC’s Tom Allen, this charming presentation tells the story of a young J.S. Bach as he sets out on foot from Arnstadt to Lübeck — a journey of 400 km — driven by his determination to hear revered organist Dietrich Buxtehude. Harpist Lori Gemmel, pianist Jamie Parker, accordionist Michael Bridge, violinist Yolanda Bruno, cellist Kevin Fox, and soprano Patricia O’Callaghan are featured in this blend of music and storytelling.
What Makes It Great® with Rob Kapilow, Isabella Perron violin with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra
MUSE Series
December 7, 2025
Rob Kapilow has become a celebrity music educator, known for his engaging explorations of music and its emotional power. In this presentation, he takes a deep dive into Spring and Summer from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, revealing details that add to the appreciation of the baroque masterwork that appeal to novices and classical music enthusiasts alike.
Gryphon Trio with Nordic Voices
January 27, 2026
The Gryphon Trio teams up with Norwegian a cappella ensemble Nordic Voices for a concert of new works by living composers from Canada and around the world, including world premieres by Andrew Balfour and Norbert Palej, and the North American premiere of Will Sing Life Again by Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak, a setting of texts by Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Amelina. Also on the program is Scar Tissue, a piece by Music Toronto’s longtime composer-in-residence, Jeffrey Ryan, in collaboration with Giller Prize-winning author and poet Michael Redhill.
What Makes It Great® with Rob Kapilow, Gryphon Trio and Friends
MUSE Series
February 8, 2026
Rob Kapilow returns to share his passion for music, this time exploring Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81. The Gryphon Trio, joined by friends on violin and viola, perform the Quintet, a lyrical piece infused with Czech folk music, that many consider one of the finest examples of late Romantic chamber music.
Leonkoro Quartet
March 5, 2026
The Quartet, made up of brothers Jonathan Schwarz (violin) and Lukas Schwarz (cello), along with Amelie Wallner (violin) and Mayu Konoe (viola) was founded in Berlin in 2019. Since then, they’ve won multiple prizes, including the Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize, and first prize at the International String Quartet Competition held at London’s Wigmore Hall and the Concours International de Quatuor à Bordeaux, among others. This concert will be their Toronto debut, with a program of Haydn, Bosmans and Schubert.
Louis Lortie
March 17, 2026
Canadian pianist Louis Lortie is revered worldwide for his mastery of classical piano repertoire. He’s been gracing the world’s most prominent stages for more than three decades, performing across five continents with major orchestras as well as solo recitals. His program will focus on the piano ballade, a single-movement form popularized in the 19th century, and includes works by Fauré, Debussy, Brahms and Liszt.
Gryphon Trio, Hilario Duran Trio and Friends
March 28, 2026
Special Concert at Hugh’s Room
Cuban-Canadian jazz pianist Hilario Duran is a multiple JUNO Award winner, GRAMMY nominee — just two of the many awards and accolades he’s received over a long career. He joins the Gryphon Trio and friends for an evening focused on the Cuban tradition, and the interplay of classical music and jazz. The concert revives a former Music Toronto tradition of Chamber at Lula collaborations.
Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih
April 23, 2026
British cellist Steven Isserlis and Canadian pianist Connie Shih team up to perform music by Beethoven, Schumann, Kabalevsky and the Ritournelle by Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová. Isserlis and Shih are frequent collaborators who have performed at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Concertgebouw, among other prominent venues. Both are also sought after performers as soloists.
Penderecki Quartet 40th anniversary concert with Shad (the rapper) and Roman Borys, cello
May 21, 2026
The Penderecki String Quartet was founded in 1986 in Waterloo, ON, and have since performed and toured across the globe, including throughout Mexico, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil and across Canada. They have served as the Quartet-in-Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University. This concert includes the world premiere of a piece created and performed in collaboration with JUNO Award winners rapper Shad and composer Nicole Lizée. Roman Borys, cellist of the Gryphon Trio and Artistic Director of Music Toronto, will join the Quartet to perform Schubert’s Quintet in C Major.
- Find more details on the concerts, and purchase tickets or subscriptions [HERE].
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