This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between October 13 and 19, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Opera Atelier: The Magic Flute
Wednesday, October 15, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 16, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, October 17, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, October 19, 2:30 p.m.
The Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres, 189 Yonge St., $45+
A queen of the night who sings that sky-high F with notoriously difficult coloratura passages. Youngsters on quests, looking for love. Universal brotherhood, and the eternal question of good vs evil. Dragon. One of the most beloved operas of all times, the Magic Flute, returns to the stage with Opera Atelier this week, with full costumes, elaborate stage sets, and dancers. Known for their elegant and sophisticated visual impact and good, stylistic musicianship, OA’s Magic Flute will be great fun for all ages to attend, especially under the knowledgeable and charismatic David Fallis’ baton. Let Marshal Pynkoski, stage director, and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, choreographer, fill out your evening with talented singers, dancers, and musicians, and a fantasy — it is good to dream, and to aim high, especially when the world seems to be in perpetual conflict and hellfire. Read our Interview with Marshall Pynkoski here. Info here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: Chris Thile
Wednesday, October 15, 7 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $60+
Thile defies genres and styles. At just 31, he was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship (2012), and along with a few Grammy awards, Thile was named BBC’s Folk Musician of the Year (2007). He carried on the tradition of A Prairie Home Companion, as the host (2016-2020) of one of the most beloved radio programs in NPR’s history, he’s jammed with Edgar Meyer, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, and other musical giants, recorded and toured with the folk band the Punch Brothers, and Nickel Creek — he even released a solo Bach album with Nonesuch (2013), which became an instant classic (volume 2 is due this coming November 7, already generating much anticipation). The man is clearly a genius. Come out and experience Thile’s chameleon versatility and sheer musical brilliance with a program that will feature all things that interest him — from Bach, to folk, and improvisation. Not to be missed. Info here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: Matthias Goerne, Baritone with Daniil Trifonov, Piano
Thursday, October 16, 7 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $70
As the falling of dusk inches earlier, and the brilliant yellow sunlight of summer fades into pale gold, two of the best musicians of our time, Goerne and Trifonov, bring us the depth and pathos of Schubert’s greatest work: Winterreise, Op. 89. The turnaround from the fullness of summer into the decaying, hollow sorrow of winter is always painful, and inevitable. This particular wanderer’s journey with a broken heart, piano and voice at equal standing, is told in many scenes — each song with a complete story, a universe within them. In the age of easy-access recordings and streaming, perhaps it’s even more necessary to hear these tales told by real persons, in real time. Goerne and Trifonov’s mastery of their instruments and their musical excellency promises a great evening — if tinged with inexorable sadness — with the brilliant joy that is the cause of such sorrow. Info here.
Toronto Chamber Choir: Tempus Imperfectum
Saturday, October 18, 3:30 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer, $ 40/30/5 — pay what you wish
Lucas Harris and the Toronto Chamber Choir brings music of Ockeghem, Lassus, John Cage, Pete Seeger, and others, for this leisurely Saturday afternoon. TCC’s concerts are meticulously prepared, and the exploration of the theme of time and its manipulation is a fascinating subject, especially when most of us are running around, chasing the end-tail of that elusive time. But what is time good for, if it does not allow us to live through it? Come and fill your time with TCC, with sound, thoughts, and music. Info here.
Toronto Consort: Les Arts Florissants: Gesualdo Passione
Saturday, October 18
Knox College Chapel, University of Toronto, 59 St. George St., $50
One of the best period ensembles of the world, playing one of the most colourful and celebrated early composers, Gesualdo, makes this concert a must-attend. Gesualdo’s own life was full of drama — a second son of Prince of Venosa, in a forced marriage (as his elder brother died, Gesulado was pushed into marriage at age 19), his wife’s affair led him to the bloody murder of both her and her lover; the public uproar, the protection from the Italian power players (Gesualdo’s mother was a niece of a pope, and one of his uncles was an actual saint — Saint Charles Borromeo), and indeed his whole life, is reflected in the six books of madrigals, of unhinged harmony and extreme chromaticism. Drenched in emotional peaks and valleys, and considerable wealth, Gesulado was able to create music as he wished. His Passione, written for the last three days of the Holy Week, as Jesus of Nazareth faces his tragic end as a human being, through the expertise of Les Arts Florissants, promises a beautiful evening. Info here.
Piano Lunaire: COMPOSERS IN PLAY XV: Ink from the Shield
Saturday, October 18, doors 7 p.m., concert 8 p.m.
TD Music Hall, 178 Victoria Street (4th Floor), $52.70
Pianists Anthony de Mare and Adam Sherkin come together for this (nearly) all-Canadian program. The all-new music program features works by Canadian composers Vivian Fung, Ann Southam, Heather Schmidt, Jared Miller, Linda Catlin Smith and Rodney Sharman, along with the world premiere of a new arrangement of a piece by Andrew Staniland, and music by three American composers: Steve Reich, Conrad Tao, and Kevin Puts. Sherkin has been curating the Piano Lunaire series with concerts in Toronto and New York City for years, bringing attention to music and artists on both sides of the border. Anthony de Mare is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, and both artists are champions of new music. They’ve curated a program of works for one and two keyboards, and four of the composers will be present for the concert. Info here.
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