This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between November 17 and 23, 2025. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: Ray Chen, Violin, with Chelsea Wang, piano
Wednesday, November 19, 7 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $55+
The young, brilliant, and charismatic Ray Chen returns to Koerner, with Chelsea Wang, pianist. Chen needs no further introduction. He was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, then won first prizes in both the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) competitions. Despite the classical music scene’s setback with the Great Recession (2007-09), Chen’s influence only grew stronger with his incredible social media savvy, and he now has over 2.3 million followers. With a beautiful new Stradivarius violin on his hands and charisma to spare, Chen is a force to be reckoned with. Wang, also a Curtis graduate, is making her Koerner debut; known for her collaboration with the greats, including Sir András Schiff, Leonidas Kavakos, and Emerson Quartet, to just name a few, she’ll be a formidable partner for this evening’s program. It’s full of panache, ranging from solo Bach to Romantic favourites, including Kreisler arrangements, and the beloved Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate. A lovely way to fill up a dull November dark weeknight with explosive, captivating fireworks. Read our Interview with Ray Chen here. Info here.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Romeo & Juliet
Thursday, November 20, 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 21, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 22, 7:30 p.m.
Roy Thomson Hall, $38+
Gimeno brings two amazing works of Prokofiev to the stage — Symphony 3, and Romeo and Juliet — along with a brand new work by Matthew-John Knights, Lines, Layers, Ligaments. Many composers and artists have taken on the eternal tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but Prokofiev’s take is a truly amazing version, from the most beautifully balanced and resonant chords in fairytale romance, moving in timeless progression, to the brutality portrayed through crushing orchestral tuttis — that menacing timbre that only Prokofiev can draw out from the orchestra with unstoppable, inevitable dread — it’s really one of his best works. Prokofiev’s obsession with Valery Bryusov’s Gothic novel, The Fiery Angel, another love story (this one twisted by religious obsession, sexual deviation and occult-mysticism) led to his opera of the same title. However, after eight years of struggle, Prokofiev, having finally managed to get a live performance of its second act under the baton of Serge Koussevitzky, decided to transform the work into a symphony. Starting with bell tolls and hellfire, the work is full of drama and ecstasy, with that truly Prokofiev magic. Gimeno’s been transforming the TSO since his arrival, and this particular evening is a great chance to take the time to really sink your teeth into the world of Prokofiev with two amazing works, where images are conjured with the most intense beauty and terror — a true apocalypse, Book of Revelation grade. Info here.
FILMHarmonique Orchestra: Toy Story
Friday, November 21, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 22, 2 p.m.
Meridian Hall, $75+
The Pixar project that really started it all, Toy Story, has been an international cultural icon since its premiere in 1995. The franchise, which has grossed over 3.3 billion USD worldwide, is still going strong, with Toy Story 5 scheduled for a June 2026 release. Thirty years later, the first group of children who were mesmerized with the beloved characters, Woody and Buzz, and the lovely, bumbly, and unpredictably silly gang of friends, are now in their adulthoods, with a special nostalgia for this cinema magic. And I bet there were a few parents, grans, and babysitters whose eyes were touched with tears by the sincerity, loss, and joy of this amazing friendship story over the years. So come down to the Meridian Hall, for the very first Canadian debut of Toy Story in Concert, and hear Randy Newman’s intimate, amazing scores live through the FILMHarmonique Orchestra under the baton of Francis Choinère. Read our Interview with Francis Choinère here. Info here.
Royal Conservatory Orchestra with conductor Mei-Ann Chen
Friday, November 21, 8 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $25+
The formidable RCO, full of young, focused, and ambitious musicians of the Glenn Gould School, and alumni, steps on to the stage with Mei-Ann Chen, Taiwanese American conductor whose brilliant intellect and communication skill has led her to work with over 150 orchestras to date. Her work, especially with educational orchestras, is phenomenal. Tongue-in-cheek, most tier-1 orchestras are ready to deal with anything in performance, including terrible conductors. They’ve honed their craft, they know the repertoire in their hearts, and their ensemble communication is so efficient that the sections may play without, or even despite the conductor on the podium. There are orchestras without conductors — the most notable was Les Dissonance: their rendition of large scale works such as La Mer (Debussy), Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev), and Daphnis et Chloe (Ravel) leaves some doubt; what does a conductor do? It was with the National Youth Orchestra of America’s NYO2 Hindemith video where I first saw the great capacity and charisma that Chen brings to a performance. She has worked with LA Phil, Atlanta, Baltimore, Memphis, Chicago Sinfonietta, and many more; it is exciting to see where Chen could lead the RCO with her humanity, expertise, and character. The featured soloist, Zane Mallett, winner of the Corcoran Concerto Competition, brings the rarely heard Ginastera Harp Concerto. As one of the best of non-European composers, Ginastera’s music is vital and evocative, and his mastery of orchestration, along with that distinctive rhythmic drive, is simply wonderful. Along with Stewart Goodyear’s Seasons (world premiere), and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, this is a fantastic program — where could you experience all of this starting at $25? You can hardly get a lunch around the RCM for that. So come on down, and see where the youth, and this inspiring conductor, may take us. Info here.
Soundstreams: Mass for the Endangered
Saturday, November 22, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts, 427 Bloor St. W, $22.60+
The first full-length program for Soundstream’s 25/26 season starts on an ominous note. Centred on Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered, SS have curated a kaleidoscope of shifting sonic worlds and timbres through the music of Andrew Balfour, R. Murray Shafer, Chris Hutchings, Olivier Messiaen, and Arvo Pärt. There is a certain reluctance about trying out new things, and the old image of crusty academics writing weird music in ivory towers still remains iconic. However, consider the reality where good music, regardless of the time of its inception, always manages to speak to the heart. Cliche, but the world is constantly changing. And the sonic world people live in now is so different from the times of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. So why only stick around the canon, and continue to be afraid of the world that we live in now? After all, we constantly seek authors of our own time, the movies and television series of our own time — this isn’t any different, despite the golden aura of bygone grandeur that the classical music industry has created, whether intentionally, or coincidentally. With top notch performers, including Soundstreams Choir 21, a chamber choir with the calibre to perform difficult yet hauntingly beautiful contemporary works (this is not your usual church choir!), we can come without the weight of all expectations, except one: excellence. Info here.
Aga Khan Museum: 11th Duende International Flamenco Festival: Alter Ego
Sunday, Nov 23, 8 p.m.
Nanji Family Foundation Auditorium, $48.75+
The annual Aga Khan Museum’s Duende International Flamenco Festival started on Sunday, November 16, with many performances, masterclasses, and community workshops, and this concert marks the final performance of this year. For the weekend, there are three shows: Cruces (Friday), Flamenco: Made in Canada (Saturday), and Alter Ego (Sunday). For Alter Ego, evoking a game of mirrors, Alfonso Losa and Paula Comitre bring their contemporary edition of flamenco to Toronto; it was recently featured as the New York City Center’s Flamenco Festival’s opening night program, and has sold out across the world — in Madrid, Jerez, and London’s Sadler’s Wells. Flamenco, both dance and music, has captured the imagination of many musicians over the centuries, and the impact is deeply felt in Western classical music, beyond the national music of Albéniz and de Falla. Traditional flamenco continuously draws people over with its hypnotic rhythm and incredibly expressive music; and where are they going now? Come out and see the possibilities in flesh. Info here.
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