This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between January 19 and 25, 2026. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Against the Grain Theatre: Opera Pub
Monday, January 19, 7 p.m.
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave., free
The great innovator, Against the Grain Theatre, brings the first of 2026’s Opera Pub to the eclectic space of the Tranzac Club. Featuring Marion Newman, Evan Korbut, Giles Tomkins, Julie Lumsden, Keely McPeek, and Danlie Rae Acebuque, the evening will be an intimate one, juxtaposed with the grand, dramatic nature of operatic singing. This is your chance to see the local opera talents, with their own chosen repertoire — a great way to experience true, honest storytelling, up close and personal. Come out on the drab Monday night, and have it lit up with passion, dedication, and artistry — with a drink in hand, and no pressure on the wallet. Info here.
Glenn Gould School: The Robert W. & G. Ann Corcoran Concerto Competition Finals
Tuesday, January 20, 7 p.m.
Koerner Hall, free — register for tickets
The annual concerto competition final from the Glenn Gould School will feature young and mighty musicians, presenting their hard work in fierce competition, where only a selected few will be invited to play their concerto of choice in full-scale, with a piano accompaniment. Learning and presenting a concerto is a particular skill set; each concerto is written to feature the maximum potential of an instrument, with the most drama possible. And, unlike commercial productions with many orchestras and school competitions, due to its nonprofit nature, it will feature many more rare, lesser known works. If you have ever wondered what concertos there are, beyond the FM Classic favourites of Tchaikovsky and Mozart, this would be a good one to attend, and be open to the possibility of any instrument of the orchestra to take to the stage as a main focus. Who knows, you may run into a piccolo concerto, or even a percussion concerto. Come out and see these hard working students present their best efforts, across the instrumental and vocal disciplines. Info here.
University of Toronto, Faculty of Music: Fondation DRG France-Canada Distinguished Visitor Recital — Judicaël Perroy, Guitar
Wednesday, January 21, 7:30 p.m.
Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park, Free
The first musician for Fondation DRG France-Canada Distinguished Visitor: Winter term, Judicaël Perroy, will present a solo recital in Walter Hall. Perroy marked his childhood as a true precocious protégé, and he’s been busy ever since, winning and touring through international stages. A solo guitar concert is an intimate experience; unlike its electric cousin, the acoustic classical guitar plays in a small but complete universe of its own, and the guitar fanatics are a very special crowd of people, attuned to the smallest details and nuances. One will not find a better dedicated, seriously listening group anywhere else than at a guitar concert. Perroy will bring lovely classical favourites, from the Baroque era, and from the glorious Spanish repertoire — come and focus on the magical world of classical guitar, and be ready to be taken away with the subtleties and intricate beauty unique to this instrument. Info here.
Canadian Opera Company: Instrumental/Vocal Series — Simply Mozart
Thursday, January 22, noon
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, free
If the weather forecast is right, we should be dragging into the end of a depressing, wet, snowy, cold week full of sludges and puddles. So come out to the beautiful space of the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, and be taken away into the magic of Mozart. It is true that Mozart, with his genius, feels nearly cliched at times — his melodies are found everywhere in our daily lives, from cheesy commercials to customer service waiting music. That is not to take away from his genius, but to prove how amazing his music still is, 233 years after his death. Take yourself out, grab a friend, and join the COC Ensemble Studio and COC Orchestra for a short, sweet, and beautiful afternoon break. Info here.
Canadian Opera Company: Rigoletto
Saturday, January 24, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 28, 7:30 p.m, Friday, February 06, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, February 08, 2 p.m., Tuesday, February 10, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, February 12, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 14, 4:30 p.m.
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, $45+
Ever since its 1851 premiere, Verdi’s Rigoletto has never left the stage. Being one of the top ten most performed operas internationally, it’s got everything — love, tragedy, fate, brilliant orchestration, and amazingly sticky arias. Caro Nome is one of my personal favourites, despite the personal chagrin I feel as I see young Guilda falling in love, initiating the tragic chain where she ends up in a terrible death — for who, the betraying duke? Rage aside, it’s a great composition, and the cast, including Quinn Kamakanalani Kelsey, who sang this role in the 2024 October Met production, looks promising. Let the musical genius of Verdi take you away from the objectionable plotline; after all, we are all human, and emotions, which we are all enslaved to, can be a cruel master. Info here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: New Worlds — Music of Golijov
Sunday, January 25, 2 p.m.
Mazzolini Hall, Royal Conservatory of Music, $21+
Let this Sunday afternoon be filled with the colourful and brilliant music of Golijov. Winner of the Guggenheim Fellowship, MacArthur Fellowships and many other awards, including numerous Grammys, Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov has been writing music that is incredibly effective — and controversial. Golijov is a master of crossing genres and styles; his eclectic style where so many colours and flavours mix and mash, is both loved and loathed by diehard classical music fans. There is a certain resistance to these very popular crossover genres (ex. Golijov’s use of Jewish liturgical music for the Dreams and Prayers of Issac the Blind, and flamenco in his opera, Ainadamar), but looking at classical music’s own roots where Baroque nations (or pre-nations, even) freely crossed styles and timbres, and musicians and dancers were travelling across the nations for employment and political agendas, such criticism seems a bit myopic. But do come, and see how you feel, as good music — despite opinions — should, and does, stand on its own merit. Info here.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: January 19 – January 24 - January 19, 2026
- SCRUTINY | Champions Of Magic: A Return To A True Sense Of Wonder - January 5, 2026
- CRITIC’S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: January 5 – January 11 - January 5, 2026
