L-R: Mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh (Photo: Seraphlia); Leonardo García-Alarcón, conductor, and vocal ensemble Cappella Mediterranea (Photo courtesy of the artists); Set from Missing, a Chamber Opera by Métis playwright Marie Clements and composer Brian Current (Photo courtesy of TSM)

From stories of antiquity through 19th century poetry to a new chamber opera sung in both English and Gitxsan, Toronto Summer Music offers a range of experiences for vocal music lovers.

The 20th Anniversary Festival lineup shines a spotlight on the artistry and undeniable power of the voice in a variety of forms and flavours.

Here’s a look at what’s in store.

Toronto Summer Music 2025: The Voice

Opening Night: Monteverdi: L’incoronazione di Poppea (concert performance) (July 10)

Leonardo García-Alarcón, conductor; Cappella Mediterranea

L’incoronazione di Poppea was Monteverdi’s last opera. The libretto was written by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, a poet, librettist, and lawyer who collaborated with the composer on five Venetian operas over his career. The premiere took place during carnival season in Venice in 1643.

It’s one of the first operas to be set in a historical period. It depicts the life and ambitions of Poppea, who was Roman emperor Nero’s mistress. She wanted a life beyond that of a mistress — she had her eyes set on the crown itself.

Many scholars and critics consider it Monteverdi’s greatest operatic work. Poppea did see her ambitions realized, and took the throne as empress — even though the existing empress Octavia initially stood in her way. The story revolves around moral ambiguities — and none of the characters escapes scrutiny.

The opera offers a combination of theatricality and music, with memorable melodies, and a dramatic examination of character and moral compromise. This production will tour Cologne, Geneva, Namur, Montreal, Toronto, and New York between May and July 2025.

Swiss-Argentine conductor Leonardo García Alarcón founded Cappella Mediterranea in 2005 with a mandate of focusing on Baroque repertoire. Since then, they have become recognized as a leading interpreter of the era, expanding their reach to incorporate contemporary music, tango, and everything in between.

Bevan & Vignoles (July 14)

Mary Bevan, soprano; Roger Vignoles, piano

British soprano Mary Bevan’s solo debut release, titled Voyages (2017), delved into works by French composers that set the words of 19th century poet Charles Baudelaire to music. The repertoire for this recital draws from that rich source, with songs by Duparc, Fauré, Debussy, Chabrier, and others.

For a fresh twist on the works, she pairs each selection with a work by a woman composer that was created around the same time. Bevan’s recital looks to bring the works of those overlooked artists to light, and restore them to a position of equal quality and interest.

Missing: In Concert (July 24)

Marie Clements, librettist; Brian Current, composer; Timothy Long, conductor; Andy Moro, technical director

Cast (In Order of Appearance): Ava: Caitlin Wood; Native Girl: Melody Courage; Jess: Andrea Ludwig; Devon: Asitha Tennekoon; Dr. Wilson: Marion Newman; Angus: Evan Korbut; Native Mother: Michelle Lafferty

Missing is a Chamber Opera by Métis playwright Marie Clements and JUNO Award-winning composer Brian Current. The work expresses both a deep sense of loss, and of hope.

The story is told in both English and Gitxsan, a First Nations language that is widely spoken in the area where the play takes place: between downtown Vancouver’s east side and BC’s notorious Highway 16. It’s also known as the Highway of Tears due to the incomprehensible number of women and girls whose deaths and disappearances have been linked to the stretch of roadway between Prince George and Prince Rupert.

Two women anchor the story, one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous. Their lives come together in the wake of a tragedy.

Franco Fagioli: The Last Castrato (July 29)

Franco Fagioli, countertenor; Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles; Stefan Plewniak, conductor

Castrati were once revered for their superb vocal technique, and as their era came to an end in the late 18th century, Giovanni Battista Velluti (1780-1861), the last great castrato, embodied the ideals of the genre.

Composers of the era wrote for him, including Gioachino Rossini, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Francesco Morlacchi, and Giuseppe Nicolini. They used his virtuosic facility with embellishments and expression in some of their most popular operas, and his influence on the era and genre was widely felt.

The program includes works written for Velluti.

Argentine operatic countertenor Franco Fagioli has earned a reputation for his specialty in the Baroque, particularly Handel, and early bel canto operas, as well as Mozart, and the challenging and difficult works written for castrato singers.

An Evening in Vienna (July 31)

Simone McIntosh, mezzo-soprano; Yura Lee, violin; TSM Festival Orchestra

Arias, waltzes, bon-bons, and violin favourites are on the program for this concert celebrating the City of Music, featuring works by J. Strauss, R. Strauss, Lehar, Kreisler, Mozart, and others.

Swiss-Canadian mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh is a graduate of the Adler Fellowship Program with San Francisco Opera (SFO), Opernhaus Zürich, and the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. McIntosh was the First Prize Laureate for the Concours Musical International de Montréal — Aria Division. Her repertoire todaay includes works from Handel to Bellini to Dvorak and Ruders.

Violinist/violist Yura Lee first shot to fame at age 12 as the youngest artist ever to receive the Debut Artist of the Year prize at the Performance Today awards given by National Public Radio. Today, her repertoire includes music from the Baroque to the modern era. Over a three-decades plus career, she has performed across the US, and on the stage at Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, Salzburg’s Mozarteum, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Yura Lee is a professor at the University of Southern California, Thornton School of Music, and holds the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Endowed Chair.

Festival Tickets & Passes

TSM Festival passes can be purchased by phone or in person; details [HERE].
Find single tickets to each event [HERE].

Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.

#LUDWIGVAN

Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.

Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.

Author
Recent Posts

Follow me

Anya Wassenberg

Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. Previously, she was a freelance writer with a specialty in culture and travel for three decades, and a creative writing instructor for Ontariolearn.