L-R: Composer Kevin Lau (Photo: Alice Hong); violinist Rachel Podger and members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Photo: Dahlia Katz); Gustavo Gimeno conducting the TSO during the recording of Stravinsky's Pulcinella (Photo: Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSO); Composer Linda Catlin Smith (Photo courtesy of the artist); Composer Brian Current (Photo courtesy of the artist) — L-R: Composer Kevin Lau (Photo: Alice Hong); violinist Rachel Podger and members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Photo: Dahlia Katz); Gustavo Gimeno conducting the TSO during the recording of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella (Photo: Jae Yang/Courtesy of the TSO); Composer Linda Catlin Smith (Photo courtesy of the artist); Composer Brian Current (Photo courtesy of the artist)

Toronto musicians, organizations, ensembles and composers have been nominated for a total of six JUNO nominations for 2026. Two Toronto classical music institutions will be vying for a JUNO Award in the category of Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble). The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has gotten the nod for its Pulcinella release, with Tafelmusik nominated for its celebration of Haydn, as conducted by Rachel Podger.

Likewise, in the Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble) category, the recording of Brian Current’s chamber opera Missing, and Kevin Lau’s ballet score to Kimiko’s Pearl have gotten the nod.

Lau has also been recognized in the Classical Composer of the Year category, as has Toronto composer Linda Catlin Smith for a recording of her piano work, The Plains.

Here’s a look at some of the details.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Pulcinella

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has a long history with Stravinsky and Pulcinella in particular. Stravinsky himself, in his last public appearance as a conductor, led the TSO in a performance of the work in 1967 at the age of 85.

The TSO’s 2025 recording on the Harmonia Mundi label was captured in a live performance at Roy Thomson Hall. Music Director Gustavo Gimeno conducts, with soloists Isabel Leonard, Paul Appleby, and Derek Welton.

The album features Stravinsky’s complete Pulcinella alongside the Divertimento from Le Baiser de la fée and Curiosity, Genius, and the Search for Petula Clark, a TSO-commissioned work by celebrated Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy.

Find Pulcinella and other TSO recordings here.

Tafelmusik: Haydn: Symphony No. 43 in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:43 “Mercury” & Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, Hob. I:49 “La passione”

Tafelmusik and Haydn go back a long way. The Baroque orchestra’s 1990s recordings of the Haydn symphonies with conductor Bruno Weil received widespread international acclaim.

The new album was recorded live at Jeanne Lamon Hall in front of an audience, and performed on period instruments with Rachel Podger both performing and conducting.

In a Q&A with LV, Podger talked about Haydn’s music.

“You might be forgiven for thinking that Haydn’s 106 symphonies might all sound rather similar to each other, since there are so very many! But there is something different about each one of them; Haydn’s musical mind was a well of ideas and tunes, often full of wit and vivaciousness, often charming and melodic, often dramatic and rustic (as with his early symphonies, and very much the case with no 49). You can hear just about every emotion and affect in his symphonies, and they are well worth exploring.”

Find the recording, and other Tafelmusik releases, here.

Scenes from the 2019 remount of Missing, a chamber opera by Métis/Dene playwright Marie Clements and composer Brian Current:

Brian Current: Missing

Toronto composer and educator Brian Current has also been nominated for a JUNO Award under the category Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble) for the recording of the opera Missing. Composed by Current with a libretto by Métis/Dene playwright Marie Clements, the opera tells the story of a First Nations woman who goes missing, and the aftermath of the tragedy. The opera blends contemporary classical music, with the text in both English and Gitxsan languages.

The recording features the Continuum Ensemble, (Leslie Newman, flute; Anthony Thompson, clarinet; Carol Fujino, violin; Paul Widner, cello; Gregory Oh, piano/electric piano; Ryan Scott, percussion; Michael Murphy, percussion), and a cast that consists of Ava: Caitlin Wood; Native Girl: Melody Courage; Jess: Andrea Ludwig; Devon: Asitha Tennekoon; Dr. Wilson: Marion Newman; Angus: Evan Korbut; Native Mother: Michelle Lafferty. Timothy Long conducts.

A live version of the opera took place in Toronto as part of Toronto Summer Music 2025.

Current, who is also Artistic Director of Toronto’s New Music Concerts, is no stranger to the award, having won two JUNOs previously in 2008 and 2015.

Find the recording available on the Bright Shiny Things label here.

Kevin Lau: Kimiko’s Pearl

Toronto composer Kevin Lau has received two JUNO nominations for his ballet Kimiko’s Pearl. The ballet, which saw its live world premiere in St. Catherines, Ontario, presented by Bravo Niagara!, revolves around the character of Kimiko, a 15 year old girl who finds a diary hidden in an old trunk. It reveals the history of her family as Japanese-Canadians, who during WWII, were relocated and interned.

The 2025 recording of the score been nominated in the categories of Best Classical Recording (Small Ensemble), and for Classical Composition of the Year.

The work explores themes of war, sacrifice, and renewal, and is based on the real family history of Bravo Niagara! co-founders Christine Mori and her daughter Alexis Spieldenner. The music on the independent label recording is performed by Mariko Anraku, Conrad Chow, Ron Korb, and Rachel Mercer.

You can listen to Kimiko’s Pearl here.

Linda Catlin Smith: The Complete Piano Solos (1989-2023) Vol. 1 – The Plains

Linda Catlin Smith’s The Plains is an hour-long work, and it’s performed on the recording by Toronto pianist Cheryl Duvall. The recording is the result of a longstanding musical friendship between the two artists, and is intended to be the first in a series of releases of Smith’s piano music.

Catlin’s music is contemplative, and introspective. She doesn’t write for commercial success or fame, as she told LV in an interview last year. “It wasn’t my goal,” Linda says. “It’s not about how many people listen to it. It’s trying to be true as you can, and hoping that someone will like it.”

Listen to/buy The Plains here.

JUNOs 2026: All The Classical Music Nominees

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO ARTIST) | ALBUM CLASSIQUE DE L’ANNÉE (SOLO)

Tchaikovsky: The Seasons Bruce Liu Deutsche Grammophon/Universal
Zaytoun Haitham Haidar: Athene/Naxos
Preludes by Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, Górecki — Jan Lisiecki — Deutsche Grammophon/Universal
Awake and Dreaming — Katherine Dowling — Independent/Leaf/Naxos
Obsession — Marie Nadeau-Tremblay — ATMA/Universal

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SMALL ENSEMBLE) | ALBUM CLASSIQUE DE L’ANNÉE (PETIT ENSEMBLE)

Current: MISSING ATOM (Artists of the Opera MISSING), Timothy Long & The Continuum Ensemble — Bright Shiny Things
Re/String — CC Duo & collectif9 — Leaf/Naxos
Vivaldi Les Quatres Nations (reconstruites) — Ensemble Caprice — ATMA/Naxos/Believe
Kevin Lau: Kimiko’s Pearl — Mariko Anraku, Conrad Chow, Ron Korb & Rachel Mercer — Independent
in an archipelago — Standing Wave — Independent

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (LARGE ENSEMBLE) | ALBUM CLASSIQUE DE L’ANNÉE (GRAND ENSEMBLE)

Benedict Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem — Axios Men’s Ensemble, The Tenors and Basses of Pro Coro Canada conducted by/dirigé par Michael Zaugg featuring John Tessier and Yuliia Zasimova — Cappella/Naxos
Where Waters Meet — Canadian Chamber Choir featuring Sherryl Sewepagaham — Independent
Ichmouratov: The Ninth Wave, Viola Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1 — Les Violons du Roy conducted by/dirigé par Airat Ichmouratov featuring Elvira Misbakhova & Stéphane Tétreault — ATMA/Universal
Haydn: Symphony No. 43 in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:43 “Mercury” & Symphony No. 49 in F Minor, Hob. I:49 “La passione” — Tafelmusik conducted by/dirigé par Rachel Podger — Independent
Stravinsky: Pulcinella, Le Baiser de la fée (Divertimento) — Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by/dirigé par Gustavo Gimeno — Harmonia Mundi

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR | COMPOSITION CLASSIQUE DE L’ANNÉE

Cloud Path — Amy Brandon — Leaf/Naxos
The Laws of Nature — Andrew Staniland — Leaf/Naxos
Kevin Lau: Kimiko’s Pearl — Kevin Lau — Bravo Niagara/Independent
Linda Catlin Smith: The Complete Piano Solos (1989-2023) Vol. 1 – The Plains — Linda Catlin Smith — Redshift
Music for Body-Without-Organs — Nicole Lizée — ATMA/Universal

The 2026 JUNO Awards will take place on March 29, 2026, in Hamilton, Ontario. Find the full list of JUNO nominees here.

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Anya Wassenberg

Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. Previously, she was a freelance writer with a specialty in culture and travel for three decades, and a creative writing instructor for Ontariolearn.