Past Events › Orchestra

The iconic Canadian story The Hockey Sweater is brought to life through the music of Abigail Richardson-Schulte in this TSO co-commissioned work. Enjoy a charming winter tale, narrated by author Roch Carrier, that will appeal to all budding hockey fans

Bach Collegium Japan was founded by Masaaki Suzuki, its inspirational Music Director. Comprised of both Baroque orchestra and chorus, the ensemble has won a German Record Critics’ Award, a BBC Music Magazine Award, and the Choral category of the 2017 Gramophone Awards.

“For never was a story of more woe…” No music captures the passion, drama, and emotional depth of Shakespeare’s tale more fully than Prokofiev’s spectacular ballet score compiled by Gustavo Gimeno, a thrilling showcase for the TSO’s virtuosity.

Earl Lee is a renowned KoreanCanadian cellist and conductor, currently Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony.

“There is probably no more inspirational musician working today” says Gramophone about violinist Rachel Podger, whose sparkling Tafelmusik debut more than a decade ago left a lasting impression on our musicians and audiences alike.

In a deeply emotional program, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins perform a personal and powerful song cycle—composed by Jake Heggie based on original poetry by Margaret Atwood—that conveys the tragedy of lives needlessly lost.

Rhapsody in Blue is the focal point in this special gala concert of big band jazz by composers such as Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole, Tommy Dorsey, and more.

Anton Nel is “an uncommonly elegant pianist” (The New York Times). “The South African-born and internationally acclaimed pianist … a consummate performer with an ear for musical detail in a recital which can best be described as a study in refined artistic elegance.”

Anton Bruckner – Symphony #4 Rafael Luz Conductor

Chamber Choir, MacMillan Singers, Soprano-Alto Chorus, Tenor-Bass Choir Thomas Burton, Dr. Elaine Choi, Dr. Lori-Anne Dolloff, Kathy Haddadkar, and Dr. Jamie Hillman, conductors Eunseong Cho and Joy Lee, collaborative pianists

​An afternoon of iconic anthems of struggle and revolution through history, commissioned by and for The King’s Singers, who have become one of the most frequent guests in Koerner Hall’s 12 seasons.

Almost exactly 100 years after its very first concert, the TSO returns to its original home to perform a piece from that same program—Tchaikovsky’s passionate Fifth Symphony—led by Gustavo Gimeno.

In our first Spring 2023 Music at Met performance, we will be partnering with the singers and instrumentalists of the Trinity Bach Project to present Bach’s Cantata 23 and motet Singet dem Herren, BWV 225, as well as Brahms’ Geistliches Lied and other masterworks.

Germany’s stellar BRuCH ensemble visits Toronto’s beautiful Harbourfront Theatre with an immersive and dreamlike program of works commissioned for their unique instrumentation, in dialogue with Ravel’s classic Dreams of Madagascar.

Renowned French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie performs Mozart’s glorious Piano Concerto No. 23, an awe-inspiring display of Mozartean brilliance written amid an astounding stretch in which masterpiece after masterpiece poured forth as if fully formed.

With “a voice hued like polished teak ... arrestingly vulnerable" (The New York Times), Emily D'Angelo's critically acclaimed debut album, energeia, won Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist) at the 2022 Juno Awards.

Grammy Award nominated vocalist Somi’s album, Zenzile

"For me, music begins where words cease..." declared Sibelius.

We are thrilled to present a programme of music inspired by the exciting dances of this continent, and to share the stage with Denis Plante (originally scheduled to perform with Orchestra Toronto in 2020).

Kerem Hasan leads the Orchestra in Mozart’s graceful and high-spirited “Haffner” Symphony.

Making his Tafelmusik debut this season is harpsichord soloist and director Francesco Corti, “a powerhouse of unbridled vivacity, exciting and excitable in equal measure” (BBC Music Magazine).

Rays of hope
A brilliant young pianist in the famous ‘Elvira Madigan’ concerto, and Shostakovich’s passionate post-war WHY?

Blast off with the Orchestra for a cosmic musical exploration of why the thrill and wonder of science fiction never cease to capture our imaginations.

Baroque Meditations begins with the haunting and seldom-heard Stabat Mater by the early baroque Italian composer, Agostino Steffani and concludes with the young Handel’s Dixit Dominus, written while he lived briefly in Rome at the beginning of the 18th Century.

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” Surrender to the electric majesty of one of the most iconic bands of all time.

Experience the world of Murdoch Mysteries like never before! Don’t miss this exclusive screening of the all-new never-before-seen episode "Murder in F Major" accompanied by a live orchestral performance of Robert Carli’s epic score.

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presents Little Match Girl Passion — a musical vigil drawing awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our city.

The most famous four notes in music usher in a towering masterpiece for the ages in Beethoven’s timeless and immortal Fifth Symphony.

When first performed, Bach’s St John Passion shocked the Church fathers in Leipzig with its intensity and fervour. It is just that intensity that makes it so relevant in today’s highly charged and turbulent times.

We celebrate American composer Steve Reich’s 86th birthday with STEVE REICH: Now & Then. The evening’s program includes Drumming, featuring legendary percussion ensemble NEXUS, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary, and TorQ Percussion Quartet.

Chamber Choir, MacMillan Singers, Soprano-Alto Chorus, Tenor-Bass Choir, University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and student soloists
Dr. Jamie Hillman and Uri Mayer, conductors

Joaquin Rodrigo – Concierto de Aranjuez
Manuel de Falla – The Three-Cornered Hat (Suites 1 & 2)

The most famous four notes in music usher in a towering masterpiece for the ages in Beethoven’s timeless and immortal Fifth Symphony.

This collaboration with Toronto’s Amadeus Choir will present a world premiere by Métis/French-Canadian composer Ian Cusson and the Canadian premiere of Shavon Lloyd’s Alleluia.

Behold Bach’s timeless masterpiece, Mass in B minor, sung by the exceptional Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under the direction of maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

Behold Bach’s timeless masterpiece, Mass in B minor, sung by the exceptional Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under the direction of maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

Hear the talented ensembles of The Glenn Gould School compete for over $11,000 in prizes.

Music Director Gustavo Gimeno conducts one of classical music’s all-time “greatest hits”, Ravel’s Boléro, which thrills as it slowly rises from a tiny flicker to an all-out, full-orchestra blaze.

In 1972 canonic composer Luciano Berio visited Toronto for New Music Concerts’ first ever concert series. 52 years later we celebrate this legacy with a hybrid film and concert performance at the Paradise Theatre.

Inspired by the resilience of people facing oppression, the Wind Symphony's final concert of the year includes works by Mark Camphouse and Yasuhide Ito.

Monumental trios by Schubert and Tchaikovsky will be performed by this supergroup, each acclaimed as leading soloist in their own right. Violinist Nicola Benedetti is winner of the Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2020, appointed a CBE in 2019, and awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017.

Wind Ensemble
Jeffrey Reynolds, conductor

ARC’s concert of works by the Sephardic composer Alberto Hemsi follows the ensemble’s highly-praised Chandos release devoted to premieres of his chamber music.

In April, we premiere a new work by Métis composer Ian Cusson alongside works by Larysa Kuzmenko, Uģis Prauliņš, and Rachmaninov's transcendent All-Night Vigil.

Hear artists on the cusp of major careers. These concerts feature solo and chamber works performed by Rebanks Fellows currently enrolled in the one-year Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Glenn Gould School.

To hear a Mahler symphony live is to feel why it’s an experience unlike anything else in art, and Mahler 5 will have you captivated from the opening trumpet call to the final cry of triumph.

Handel's rarely-heard German Passion oratorio, with the Metropolitan Festival Choir, period instrument orchestra; Evangelist Michael Colvin; soprano Jacqueline Woodley; and bass Geoffrey Sirett as Jesus. Dr. Jonathan Oldengarm, direction and continuo.

Youthful Gems - Mendelssohn’s vibrant D Minor violin concerto, Tchaikovsky miniatures for youth, and memories of a beloved Métis grandmother

Explore the evolution of Jamaica’s most famous export, and discover the people, sounds, and stories of the musical movement that grew to influence music around the globe.

The LARK Ensemble is formed by members of Toronto’s leading orchestras (COC Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and National Ballet of Canada Orchestra). Joined by special guest harpsichordist Christopher Bagan, they perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece The Musical Offering, arranged for traverso, string trio, and harpsichord. Dedicated to and based on a single musical theme given to Bach by Frederick II of Prussia, this piece is widely accepted as one of the greatest chamber works of the Baroque era.

Described as “immaculate, at once refined and impassioned” (ArtsAtlanta), violinist Blake Pouliot has anchored himself among the ranks of classical phenoms.

The “explosively charismatic” (The New York Times) Avi Avital is the first mandolin player ever to be nominated for a GRAMMY®

This concert represents Arlan Vriens’ winning proposal from Soundstreams New Voices Curator Mentorship Program.

The “explosively charismatic” (The New York Times) Avi Avital is the first mandolin player ever to be nominated for a GRAMMY®

This performance showcases artists from the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, which is designed as a catalyst for launching successful professional careers of extraordinary Canadian emerging artists who have completed their formal training.

An homage to the elegant style of Mozart, Tchaikovsky’s charming and tuneful Variations on a Rococo Theme offers an exhilarating showcase for the talents of Canadian cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.