The Gallery Players of Niagara are presenting their 31st season of intimate chamber music in the Niagara region. Their 2025/26 season opens on November 9 with Songs of Distant Shores, a program that features the Ladom Ensemble.
The season includes seven Main Stage concerts that will take place in venues across St. Catharines, and two Adaptive Performances presented at Thorold Centre 50+.
“We are delighted to launch our 31st season of chamber concerts — an exciting mix of celebrated masterworks, improvised scores for silent films, holiday favourites, and touches of klezmer, rock, tango, and jazz,” says Margaret Gay, Artistic & Administrative Director in a statement.
“Performed by some of the region’s finest musicians, this season promises something for everyone. True to our mission of accessibility, the Gallery Players continues to offer Pay-What-You-Choose admission at every concert, and alongside our regular Main Stage series we are proud to present the second season of our Adaptive Performances, designed to create welcoming and inclusive musical experiences for all members of our community.”
The season will see a range of guest artists, including the Eybler Quartet, members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, the Odin Quartet with Michele Jacot, and more.
Inclusivity & Adaptive Performances
Making music accessible has been the heart of Gallery Players of Niagara’s mandate. Along with Pay-What-You-Choose tickets for all Main Stage concerts, children under 16 are always free of charge. Many concerts are also available via streaming; please check the details for individual concerts.
Adaptive Performances, presented with Xenia Concerts, are designed to be family-friendly, accessible, and inclusive. They are for music lovers from the neurodiverse and disability communities, those with young families, or anyone who’d like to experience the music in a more relaxed environment.
Features include fidget toys and noise-cancelling earmuffs, flexible seating with a respite area, and more. The concerts are one hour long. Find additional details at the link below.
The Adaptive Performances are presented in partnership with Xenia Concerts at the Niagara Children’s Centre School Authority (NCCSA), a specialized School Authority that supports children with complex communication, physical, and developmental needs.
“At Xenia Concerts, we believe that access to the arts is a human right, and that we all have a role to play in advancing accessibility in the cultural sector. Collaborations like this one demonstrate what’s possible when arts presenters, artists, and service providers work together to create disability-inclusive experiences that centre the needs of those who are often excluded. Margaret and the Gallery Players have shown a passionate commitment to advancing inclusion, and we are proud to be working with them to bring joyful, inspiring musical experiences to the students at NCCSA,” comments Xenia Concerts’ Rory McLeod.
Songs of Distant Shores
Featuring Ladom Ensemble (November 9, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.)
The Ladom Ensemble is percussionist Adam Campbell, cellist Beth Silver, accordionist Michael Bridge, and pianist Pouya Hamidi. With a foundation in classical music training, their unusual instrumentation lends itself to multiple genres from Western classical to klezmer, classical Persian, tango, jazz, and more. Their music, including original works, bears the influences of them all.
In addition to live performance, the Ensemble has worked with visual artists, choreographers, and animators.
Their second album, Sofreh Tisch, revolves around Jewish and Iranian themes, and was inspired by Rumi poetry. It includes classical arrangements of Prokofiev, Bach, and Chopin, along with folk based and original music.
The Rest Of The Season At A Glance
Carols & Cinema with Glissandi & Guy! (December 7, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.)
A musical celebration of Christmas in the movies in a blend of music and story. The concert features the Glissandi Ensemble with narrator Guy Bannerman, harpist Deborah Braun, violinist David Braun, flutist Douglas Miller, and percussionist Nick Braun.
Eybler Quartet (February 14, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.)
Adaptive Performance
The Eybler String Quartet (violinists Patricia Ahern and Julia Wedman, cellist Margaret Gay, and violist Patrick Jordan) perform a program of classics.
Parisian Crossroads (February 15, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.)
The Eybler String Quartet perform a program of Parisian flavoured works. Paris was the second largest European city by the end of the 18th century, a centre for the arts, politics, and much more. The program offers works by composers who lived in the city between 1776 and 1800, including Wolfgang Mozart, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Hyacinthe Jadin.
Movie Night: A Chapter In Her Life (March 7, 2026 at 6:45 p.m.)
A fully improvised live score accompanies A Chapter In Her Life, a silent film by Lois Weber that dates back to 1924. In the movie, the groundbreaking filmmaker tells the story of how a young girl’s upbeat optimism changes a troubled family. Local film critic Joan Nicks will introduce the film and talk about its historical significance. Musical performers include violinist Patricia Ahern, percussionist Nick Braun, and flutist Douglas Miller.
Playful Partners: Oboe & Violin (March 22, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.)
Musicians from Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra — oboist Daniel Ramírez Escuderok, violinist Geneviève Gilardeau, cellist Keiran Campbell, and Charlotte Nediger on harpsichord — perform works by Handel and Telemann, pairing the oboe and violin as equal partners.
Odin Quartet & Michele Jacot (April 26, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.)
Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet is on the program in this meeting of the Odin Quartet — violinists Alex Toskov and Tanya Charles, violist Matthew Antal, and cellist Samuel Bisson — with clarinettist Michele Jacot. The clarinet quintet was not a common configuration when Brahms composed his own version, the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115, in 1891. He wrote it for clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, who premiered the work on November 24, 1891 with the Joachim Quartet.
declassified (May 9, 2026 at 2 p.m.)
Adaptive Performance
declassified — Soprano Leanne Vida, violinist Annie Slade, violist Karlie Boyle, and double bassist Ian Slade — perform a program of classical and pop music.
Agape: Unconditional Love (May 31, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.)
What the ancient Greeks referred to as agape was a love in its highest form, beyond feelings alone in a selfless and even sacrificial mode. It’s a love that binds people who make music together. Performers Jenny Armor, violin and voice, and cellist David Liam Roberts bring that spirit to the concert.
- Find tickets, including subscriptions to the full season for $130, [HERE].
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