This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between June 9 and 15, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
New Music Concerts: Glimmer: A Personal and Shared Exploration of Queerness
Wednesday June 11, 8 p.m.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. $20+
NMC’s brand new commission to Thierry Tidrow: Glimmer, will be performed at the Buddies, with great singers: Anika Venkatesh, Danika Lorèn, and Ryan McDonal, along with the slightly unusual instrumental ensemble of: clarinets (Brad Cherwin), flutes (Terry Lim), and viola (Hee-Soo Yoon). Tidrow, currently composer-in-residence at Oper Dortmund, has much experience writing for the voice, and this concert, focused on Glimmer, would be a lovely chance to soak into contemporary vocal richness. There will be a pre-show talk with Tidrow, followed by the Young Artist Overture for this program with Kailan Fournier, performing Saariaho’s ‘Duft’ for solo clarinet at 7: 45 p.m, before the main event at 8 p.m. Come and see what it is like for an individual to understand, construct, and live with an identity that clashes, and challenges the world. Read our Interview with Thierry Tidrow here. Info here.
Opera 5: Toronto Opera Festival: Gala — A Night of Opera and Musical Theatre
Thursday, June 12, 7:30 p.m.
Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., $22+
Opera 5, a young company, has been working very hard, and their hard work is creating lovely opportunities for us to expand on the super-traditional operatic world. Recently chosen as the newest Company-in-Residence at the Canadian Opera Company, Opera 5’s inaugural Toronto Opera Festival involves three events: Gala, premiere of Come Closer by Ryan Trew and Rachel Krehm, and William Finn’s Elegies: A Song Cycle. It is important to remember that music exists in many different forms and spaces, and that unless we go, it is hard to realize the importance of plurality in life — especially in arts. There’s always something infectious and contagious in true vitality and energy — come and share that joy with Opera 5, in their first year of festivus! Info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Gimeno Conducts the Best of Brahms
Thursday, June 12, 8 p.m., Saturday, June 14, 8 p.m., Sunday, June 15, 3 p.m.
Roy Thomson Hall, $30+
The Icelandic superstar, Víkingur Ólafsson, steps onto the Roy Thomson stage to play a perennial favourite: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1. Begun as a work for two-pianos, Brahms soon realized that his ideas needed something larger — and after much deliberation (first conception around 1854, to public premiere in 1859), the work initially failed to win the hearts of the audience. However, this early Brahms composition is full of drama, and Ólafsson, considered one of the best of his generation, would be the soloist to explore the extraordinary depth of this work. Brahms’ 4th symphony pairs to complete the program, and for each night, a new work will be premiered: Amy Branson (June 12), Andrew James Clark (Jun 14), Sonny-Ray Day Rider (Jun 15). Something new, something old, and all very good: a great way to sink into a night full of pathos, and to create an emotional journey through one of the most beloved masters. Info here.
Trinity Bach Project: Bach & Honour
Friday, June 13, 8 p.m.
Knox Presbyterian Church, 630 Spadina Ave., $10+
TBP’s third season closes with lovely music of Bach (Cantata BWV 107, 117, and motet BWV 230), and a cappella works by William Byrd, Arvo Pärt, and Charles Villiers Stanford. TBP’s chamber singing has been top notch, and their instrumental ensemble, which varies from program to program, has been rich in variety and expression. It is so good to see a high calibre performance that is truly accessible to all, so come out, and end the bustle of the workweek with Bach’s carefully crafted masterpieces in glory — glory of something that is larger than us, life that pulses beyond the little we can see as individuals. There will be two more performances of Bach & Honour in June (June 18: St John’s Yorkmills Anglican, June 21: little Trinity Anglican Church). Spread the word, as good arts can elevate the day from mundane to something special. Info here.
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