This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between September 29 and October 5, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Cardinal Consort of Viols: Exiled
Monday, September 29, 7:30 p.m.
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., pay-what-you-can, suggested donation $25
These four musicians: Sheila Smyth, Linda Deshman, Sara Blake and Valerie Sylvester, formed the Cardinal Consort of Viols in 2007, and have been exploring chamber viol ensemble repertoire — definitely a distinctive flavour! For this concert at the intimate Heliconians, they are joined by soprano Meredith Hall, with a program illustrating the idea of expulsion and exclusion. It is strange to think that music from such a long time ago still remains true today, full of the conflicts and clashes of human will. Come by and lend your ears to these soundscapes from long ago, telling us stories that are just as relevant, several centuries and civilizations later. Info here.
Music Toronto: Ehnes Quartet
Tuesday, September 30, 7:30 p.m.
Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, $60+, arts workers discount and student free access available upon request
Superstar violinist James Ehnes, known for his fluid, absolute technical mastery of the violin, brings his colleagues, this time sitting down to play quartets (instead of his usual position in front of the orchestra as one of the hottest violinists of our time), at the Jane Mallett theatre. Joining Ehnes are: Amy Schwartz Moretti, Che-Yen Chen, and Edward Arron, bringing beloved music of Mendelssohn, Janáček, and Beethoven. Mendelssohn’s quartet was written shortly after the death of his sister, musical genius Fanny, and just six months after losing Fanny, Felix himself also faced death — such an emotional time. In Janáček’s Intimate Letters quartet, the composer explores his unrequited love, a life-long adoration of Kamila Stösslová. His feelings, expressed in 700 letters, were part of his joy and grief — and the music certainly reflects the depth of such tumultuous emotions. Along with Beethoven, this program promises raw emotions in such depth: certainly not an everyday experience, but in a dedicated, almost sacred way of looking into being a human being: what is it like, to have thoughts and feelings, with the awareness that makes us different from the rest of the earthly animals? Come and open your heart, and drop the daily gauntlet to the floor, and take part in this human vulnerability and its visceral outbursts. Info here.
Early Music at St. James: Lazzuli Baroque: Music & Medicine
Thursday, October 2, 1 p.m.
Cathedral Church of St. James, 106 King St. E., pay-what-you-can, suggested donation $15-20
Exploring the idea of music, medicine and healing, Lazzuli Baroque (Luce Burrell, lute and theorbo; Keiran Campbell, cello; Rocky Duval, mezzo; Roseline Lambert, soprano), brings the wealth of 17th century works by Strozzi, Monterverdi, Merula, and Handel, in an exploration of traditional Chinese medicine and the poetry of healers. As St. George Chapel’s stained glass lets in timeless sunlight, come away from the midst of bustling workweek in downtown, and find solace, and give yourself a chance to heal in this lovely lunch hour concert, as the timeless human effort of seeking peace gently flows through your ears, and to your heart. Info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Jonathan Crow Plays Mendelssohn
Thursday, October 2, Friday October 3, Saturday October 4, all concerts starting at 7:30 p.m.
Roy Thomson Hall, $38+
If slightly predictable — with the exception of American master Joan Tower’s Suite from Concerto for Orchestra — this program of Jonathan Crow playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto followed by the perennial favourite Enigma Variations by Elgar, is a great opportunity to hear these popular works live. Adapted in so many movies and television works — including The Matrix (1999), and Dunkirk (2017), the Enigma’s favourite variation, Nimrod, always touches our hearts; you might now recognize its name, but most will realize how familiar it is, to one’s core — it is one of the most beautiful things. So come by, and get a close seat to the orchestra, to experience the fresh soundscape by Joan Tower — her music is full of vibrance and rhythmic vitality — appreciate the virtuosity of the Mendelssohn concerto, then fill your heart with the riches of Enigma. Read our Interview with Jonathan Crow here. A perfect tri-combo. Info here.
New Music Concerts: Tracing Hollow Traces: A Portrait of Andile Khumalo
Saturday, October 4, 8 p.m.
St. George’s Grange Park Church, 30 Stephanie ST., $20+
The New Music Concerts’ 25/26 season opener celebrates Andile Khumalo. A South African by birth, Khumalo has travelled and studied all over the world, from Stuttgart, New York, Witwatersrand, and everywhere in between: from Spectralism to jazz. The richness of the world in his works has been featured in Carnegie Hall, and Cologne New Music Forum, among others, and NMC has invited Ensemble Dal Niente to perform. EDN’s finesse and sharp eyes will bring an exciting and sublime performance of Khumalo’s spectral, abstract, and evocative music to the Toronto audience. This is a great way to experience such new and vibrant music in person, and who knows when the next chance may be, to hear these current works performed by living humans — unless you are ready to travel far, far distances. Take advantage of this rare performance on a relaxed Saturday evening. Highly recommend that you come even a little earlier, for 7:40 p.m. prelude: The Broken Mirrors of Time, performed by Glenn Gould School students. Read our Interview with NMC Artistic Director Brian Current here. Info here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: Stephen Kovacevich
Sunday, October 5, 3 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $50+
Kovacevich, one of the best pianists of his generation, comes to Koerner with a Germanic program on Sunday afternoon: Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert. Since his debut at the tender age of 11, he’s been busy — his 25-CD box set with Decca (2015), includes his wide repertoire filled with great musical interpretation and fine technical facility. Come and welcome this giant to the Koerner Hall for his Royal Conservatory debut, and be immersed in an intimate program, especially with the late Beethoven, and one of Schubert’s last works: D. 960, a monumental poetic work. Read our Preview of the concert here. Info here.
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