Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music has announced a preview of the performances for 2026/27, the 18th season of music programming at Koerner Hall. Alexander Brose, Michael and Sonja Koerner President & CEO of The Royal Conservatory of Music, Executive Director of Performing Arts Mervon Mehta, and Dean of The Glenn Gould School James Anagnoson made the announcement today, including 33 classical and jazz concerts.
The full season lineup of more than 80 concerts, which will also include pop, world music, and student concerts, will be released in June.
“The Royal Conservatory’s 2026-27 season celebrates the remarkable range and vitality of today’s musical landscape, bringing together legendary artists, distinctive voices, and exceptional rising stars,” says Alexander Brose in a statement. “A highlight of the season is A Centenary of Trane and Miles, a special series honouring the enduring legacy of John Coltrane and Miles Davis through performances that reflect their lasting influence on jazz, and far beyond.
“From the largest Piano Recitals series in our history and the return of our exciting Orchestrated concerts, to appearances by many of the world’s most celebrated classical, jazz, and global artists, 2026-27 also marks the final season programmed by Mervon Mehta, whose singular artistic vision has shaped 18 concert seasons that are unrivaled for their breadth, quality, and cultural impact. My deepest thanks to Mervon, as well as to the RCM’s irreplaceable partners and staunch supporters, for making it possible to share the world’s greatest musicians in our extraordinary spaces. Enjoy the performance and welcome to The Royal Conservatory of Music!”
Mervon Mehta adds, “As I review the 33 concerts we are announcing as the first part of our 2026-27 season, it is somewhat of a coincidence that this also marks my 33rd year of programming major concerts halls in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Toronto.
“Add to that a previous 12 years acting on stages across North America and countless nights spent in theatres other than my own. In total, up to 7,000 nights have been spent in darkened rooms listening to, watching, or participating in great performances. The spark of live performance has never died. More than half of the artists appearing the final season I have programmed for the RCM are also dear friends or former students, some of whom I have known for decades. This has not been planned, but is wholly gratifying and humbling. I hope that you will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed programming their special projects.”
Stewart Goodyear at Koerner Hall in 2016:
Classical Concerts 2026/27: At A Glance
Piano Recitals
- Bruce Liu: The Canadian superstar returns to Koerner Hall on October 30, 2026 with a program of Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Liszt, and other composers.
- Garrick Ohlsson: Renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson — until 2025, the only American to have won the International Chopin Competition — visits Toronto on November 8, 2026 with a program of Brahms, Chopin, and Shostakovich.
- Daniil Trifonov: The GRAMMY Award–winning pianist returns to Koerner Hall for the seventh time on November 22, 2026 to perform music by Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, Ginastera, his own compositions, and more.
- Sir Stephen Hough: The British-Australian pianist makes his third appearance at Koerner Hall on January 24, 2027, performing works by Schubert, Brahms, and Beethoven, along with his own arrangement of the suite from Mary Poppins.
- Bertrand Chamayou: After his acclaimed performance in 2024 with Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan, the French pianist returns to Koerner Hall solo on January 31, 2027 with a program of Romantic and French music.
- Simone Dinnerstein: The American pianist comes to Koerner Hall for her fourth appearance on March 7, 2027 to play music by Rameau, J. S. Bach, Philip Lasser, and Keith Jarrett.
- Kevin Chen and Illia Ovcharenko: Two young rising stars in the classical music world — Canadian Kevin Chen, and Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko, who came to international prominence after his win at the Honens International Piano Competition, among others — visit on March 21, 2027. They’ll be accompanied by a vocal quartet from The Glenn Gould School, and a choir, in a performance of Beethoven’s epic Symphony No. 9 arranged for two pianos.
- Yuja Wang: The GRAMMY-winning Chinese pianist Yuja Wang makes her sixth appearance in Koerner Hall on April 4, 2027. Program yet to be announced.
- Yulianna Avdeeva: Yulianna Avdeeva, Gold Medalist of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition, makes her Koerner Hall debut on April 25, 2027 with a program of Bach, Beethoven, and Ravel.
McKenzie Warriner performs with pianist Stephane Mayer at Koerner Hall, 2025:
Vocal Concerts
- Ema Nikolovska with Sean Shibe: The imaginative duo comes to Koerner Hall on October 29, 2026 with a genre-defying program that includes passages from Virginia Woolf’s Orlando interspersed with songs by Schubert, Bob Dylan, Laurie Anderson, and others.
- Rihab Chaieb with Ammiel Bushakevitz: Tunisian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb and Israeli pianist and guitarist Ammiel Bushakevitz perform a combination of French repertoire and Tunisian lullabies on November 15, 2026.
- The Gesualdo Six: The British vocal consort make their Koerner Hall debut on February 7, 2027 with trumpeter Matilda Lloyd for a program titled Radiant Dawn that explores different shades of light through music. It includes mucic from the Golden Age of polyphony by Tallis and White, juxtaposed with modern compositions by Roxanna Panufnik, Alec Roth, and Deborah Pritchard.
String Concerts
- James Ehnes’s 50th Birthday Tour: The renowned Canadian violinist will celebrate his birthday on tour with pianist Andrew Armstrong, and makes his ninth Koerner Hall appearance on October 2, 2026 to perform music by Brahms and Bartók, along with a newly commissioned piece by Canadian composer Carmen Braden.
- Jean-Guihen Queyras with Alexandre Tharaud: The two celebrated chamber musicians get together to perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, and others on November 6, 2026.
- Johannes Moser and Marc-André Hamelin: Cellist Johannes Moser joins the renowned Canadian pianist on February 28, 2027, bringing an all-Beethoven program that highlights the relationship between cello and piano in the composer’s seminal works.
- Joshua Bell and Larisa Martínez: Superstar violinist Joshua Bell and acclaimed soprano Larisa Martínez present a program titled Voice and the Violin on April 27, 2027, featuring romantic arias and modern classics, including classical art song and opera, musical theatre, and selections by Puerto Rican and Spanish composers.
- Himari with Chelsea Wang: Japanese prodigy Himari makes her Koerner Hall debut on May 8, 2027 with pianist Chelsea Wang to perform Schubert’s “Grand Duo” and other works.
Kronos Quartet with Tanya Tagaq at Koerner Hall in 2016:
Chamber Music Concerts
- Stewart Goodyear with the New Orford String Quartet: Celebrated Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear performs Ravel’s Piano Trio, Brahms’s Piano Quintet, and his own quintet with the New Orford String Quartet on December 13, 2026.
- Leticia Moreno: Virtuoso Spanish violinist Leticia Moreno and her ensemble of piano, bandoneon, and bass make their Koerner Hall debut on February 19, 2027, bringing a program titled Bach in the Americas.
- Kronos Quartet: The groundbreaking string quartet makes their seventh appearance at Koerner Hall on March 5, 2027 with a new lineup to continue their innovative legacy of new music performance. The quartet will also spend two days working with students from The Glenn Gould School and The Taylor Academy.
The Royal Conservatory Orchestra, 2020:
And…
During the 2026/27 season, the acclaimed Royal Conservatory Orchestra will be led by Laura Jackson, Music Director of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, Canadian conductor Tania Miller, Artistic Director of the Brott Music Festival and the Artistic Director and Conductor of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada and of Brott Opera, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee, and Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera James Conlon.
The soloists are all winners of 2026 Robert W. and G Ann Corcoran Concerto Competition, including violinist Anna Yin, the Grand Prize winner of the Competition, violist Shyler Macaggi, soprano Alyssa Bartholomew, and cellist Mira Kardan.
The Glenn Gould School Spring Opera, part of the Price Opera Program, will be performed on March 17 and 19, 2027, and conducted by Judith Yan.
Highlights of the jazz series include a celebration of 100 years of Miles Davis and John Coltrane in a five-concert series titled A Centenary of Trane and Miles. It features artists such as John Beasley, Ewan Farncombe and friends, the Branford Marsalis Quartet and Dianne Reeves, Chicago trumpet master Orbert Davis with Toronto Tenor Madness featuring three of Toronto’s great saxophonists, and the all-female Artemis with Pat LaBarbera.
The popular Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on Stage series returns with Portuguese fado singer Mariza, cabaret favourite Meow Meow, and Stacey Kent.
- Find details on the remaining concerts in the current season, as well as the 33 concerts announced for 2026/27 [HERE].
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