This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between July 21 and 27, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Toronto Summer Music: Allison Au: Migrations
Monday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park, $20+
It is lovely to have such riches during the traditional summer break, thanks to Toronto Summer Music — both the variety and excellence of programming have been fantastic this year, yet again. For this Monday, Au brings her work, Migrations, to the stage with the Migrations ensemble hybrid: Jazz combo and string quartet. As the doors continue to shut and the fences get higher for many, the necessity of finding a place to call one’s own, and the harrowing trials and quiet traumas that come with such searches, can easily feel surreal to those of us who have been lucky — so far. However, I hope you agree that it is migrations, the flow of people and culture that have made us who we are, bringing the riches we take for granted, especially in Toronto, one of the most diverse cities in the world. Come and open your minds and ears to this fantastic work, first premiered in January 2020 for the 21C Music Festival; it was released as a studio album in 2022, but there’s nothing more visceral than a real-time human connection. Info here.
DROM Taberna: Tuesday Evening Swing Dance with Max Simpson Quintet
Tuesday, July 22, 8 p.m.
DROM Taberna, 458 Queen St West, $15 at the door
The Fantastic DROM hosts many wonderful live music groups, and Tuesdays are for swing dance with a live band! This week, Max Simpson Quintet will bring energy and fun, and a hint (or lots) of reckless abandon and swing vitality to Queen West. If summer evening breezes dare you to try something different, this just might be the thing — see what your feet say once you arrive! The spontaneity and informality of these live band dance sessions are so infectious: it’s good to be reminded that rhythm is an energy phenomenon, not just a sonic event that we sit and admire with reverence. Info here.
Toronto Summer Music. Missing: In Concert
Thursday, July 24, 7:30 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $20+
A few years ago, I picked up a book from the Toronto Public Library’s recommended reading shelf: Highway of Tears, by Jessica McDiarmid. Ever since then, whenever I hear about missing women, my heart drops — especially if it involves an Indigenous woman. The quiet complacency that we chose over these missing women over decades of Canadian history is truly horrifying, and such a taboo subject needs our voices and attention desperately. Brian Current (composer) and Marie Clements (librettist)’s concert performance of Missing, will feature Continuum Ensemble and familiar voices, including Marion Newman as Dr. Wilson, and Asitha Tennekoon as Devon. Not all arts can just be beautiful — often it is the hard, ugly side of reality that makes us human, and though it is tempting to chase after the highs, it’s necessary, and important, to look into the depths of our troubles and the sufferings within our communities. Read our Interview with conductor Timothy Long, soprano Melody Courage, and mezzo-soprano Marion Newman here. Info here.
Summer Opera Lyric Theatre: L’Incoronazione di Poppea / Cosi Fan Tutti / La Vie Parisienne
Friday, July 25, 8 p.m. (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m. (Cosi), Saturday, July 26, 8 p.m. (La Vie Parisienne), Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m. (Cosi) Performance continue to August 3.
Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley St., $22+, $60 pass for all three operas available
SOLT, a summer fixture program where young singers and pianist/directors can spread their wings wide to create an opera experience, hits its first weekend of performances. This summer, three operas are on the bill: L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi; Music Director/Pianist: Sabina Rzazade), Cosi Fan Tutti (Mozart; Music Director/Pianist: Minira Najafzade), and La Vie Parisienne (Offenbach; Music Director/Pianist: Paul Goodfellow). It’s a great way to experience opera on an intimate scale, and with such a variety, there’ll be something to suit everyone! Come to experience that special energy from young artists as they try their hands at these great operas. Info here.
Elora Festival: Janina Fialkowska in Recital
Saturday, July 26, 4 p.m.
St. John’s Anglican Church, 36 Henderson St., Elora, $55 Adult/$20 Student/$10 Child
Fialkowska, known for her lovely Chopin interpretation and mentorship with Arthur Rubinstein, brings a beautiful program of Grieg, Schumann, Ravel, and Chopin to beautiful Elora. It is a joy to head out in the Ontario summer to the countryside — come out for this lovely matinee concert in stunning Elora, before gently heading back to the city, with heart full of wide space and beauty. Read our Preview here. Info here.
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