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December 2018
Tafelmusik | Handel Messiah
Directed by Ivars Taurins Sherezade Panthaki, soprano Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Charles Daniels, tenor Drew Santini, baritone Experience the humanity and goodwill of Handel’s beloved choral masterpiece. Handel’s Messiah transcends cultural, geographic, and religious boundaries with its message of charity, peace, goodwill, and sacrifice. It also contains some of the most uplifting, touching, and magnificent music ever composed. Ivars Taurins directs four soloists, orchestra, and chamber choir, offering audience’s Handel’s masterpiece with Tafelmusik’s trademark expertise and care, intimacy and expanse. Our annual performances of Messiah have become…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Sing-Along Messiah
Directed by Mr. Handel Sherezade Panthaki, soprano Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Charles Daniels, tenor Drew Santini, baritone A thrilling, massive sing-along of Handel’s beloved choral masterpiece. Does the holiday season give you an uncontrollable desire to burst into song? Join Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, four soloists, and a choir of thousands led by Mr. Handel himself for a thrilling, massive sing-along of Handel’s most beloved choral masterpiece: Messiah. Messiah transcends boundaries with its message of charity, peace, goodwill, and sacrifice. It also…
Find out more »January 2019
Tafelmusik | THE HARLEQUIN SALON
THE HARLEQUIN SALON Created by Marco Cera Elisa Citterio, Music Director Guillaume Bernardi, Stage Director Starring: Roberta Invernizzi (soprano) as Faustina Bordoni Dino Gonçalves (actor) as Arlequino Marco Cera (oboe) as Pier Leone Ghezzi Elisa Citterio (violin) as Vivaldi Felix Deak (cello) as Bononcini Geneviève Gilardeau (violin), Patrick G. Jordan (viola), Alison Mackay (bass), Lucas Harris(lute) & Charlotte Nediger (harpsichord) Production: Patrick Lavender, Lighting & Video Designer Domenico Pietropaolo, Script Consultant Ramon Cespedes, Film Artist Ivars Taurins, Costume & Props Consultant Kate Duncan, Concert Manager Alice Ferreyra & Cayla Bekk, Assistant Concert Managers You're invited to…
Find out more »February 2019
Tafelmusik | THE TEMPESTUOUS VIOLIN
Enrico Onofri, guest director and violin Embrace music’s power to incite human passions and unleash the force of Mother Nature. “Is there anything more powerful than music?” asks Enrico Onofri. The charismatic wizard of the baroque violin and close collaborator/teacher of Music Director Elisa Citterio makes his Tafelmusik debut with this concert exploring music’s role in inciting human passions and unleashing the power of Mother Nature. Enrico and Elisa appear as soloists in orchestral music both collaborative and confrontational. Batten…
Find out more »Toronto Consort | Love, Remixed
Early instruments, new music. For the first time in our history, The Toronto Consort presents a program of 20th- and 21st-century music written for early instruments and voice. Featuring Juno-nominated James Rolfe’s Breathe with text by Hildegard of Bingen, and David Fallis’ Eurydice Variations, the story Monteverdi’s Orfeo told from the point of view of Eurydice. This Valentine’s Day weekend, join us as we reinterpret, remix and rediscover our love of Early Music. Tickets, here.
Find out more »Tafelmusik | TALES OF TWO CITIES: THE LEIPZIG-DAMASCUS COFFEE HOUSE
Elisa Citterio, Music Director Conceived, scripted and programmed by Alison Mackay Maryem Tollar, Narrator & Vocalist Alon Nashman, Narrator Celebrate the rich musical traditions of East and West, and the renewed dialogue between those traditions in contemporary, multicultural Toronto. Alison Mackay’s musical vision of the links between 18th-century Saxony and Syria became one of the most cherished and talked-about projects in Tafelmusik’s history when it was first seen in 2016. Now it returns for our 40th anniversary season, reuniting musicians from Western…
Find out more »Opera Atelier | The Angel Speaks
Opera Atelier presents a brand-new, hour-long concert experience melding musical masterpieces by Henry Purcell with baroque and contemporary dancing — and a new Canadian commission by composer Edwin Huizinga. Don’t miss this Toronto premiere of our most recent Royal Chapel performance. With Mireille Asselin (soprano), Jesse Blumberg (baritone), Artists of Atelier Ballet and members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Following the performance, join us at an informal reception to meet the artists. Light refreshments/cash bar available. (9pm to 10pm) Enter through…
Find out more »March 2019
Toronto Consort | Four Quarters of Jerusalem
March 8 & 9, 2019 8 pm. Guest Artistic Director Nina Stern, with Rose of the Compass Music has the power to unite. Welcome critically acclaimed early- and world-music ensemble Rose of the Compass as they present an extraordinary program that celebrates the diversity of faith and musical traditions of the city of Jerusalem. Listeners will travel through the Muslim, Christian, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters as oud, kanun, recorders, and chalumeau act as gateways to ancient lands – creating a diverse soundscape while unifying us…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Close Encounters: Café Paris
Tafelmusik’s popular chamber series returns to Temerty Theatre in the TELUS Centre. This season, we will transport you to three 18th-century European cafés to enjoy the musical delights offered there. Springtime in Paris! In March we may still be shivering in Toronto, but let us transport you to the warm embrace of a Parisian café to enjoy an afternoon of musical delights. Baroque Paris saw the establishment of the café chantant (home of the French chanson) and of the café-concert, where patrons might hear…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Bach St. Matthew Passion
Masaaki Suzuki, guest director Hannah Morrison, soprano Terry Wey, countertenor James Gilchrist, tenor/Evangelist Stephan MacLeod, bass-baritone/Jesus Tyler Duncan, baritone Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Members of the Toronto Children’s Chorus World-renowned Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki directs the composer’s iconic masterpiece. In a standout highlight of this anniversary season, Masaaki Suzuki, multi-award-winning conductor and founder of the Bach Collegium Japan, makes his Tafelmusik debut conducting one of Western culture’s most iconic masterpieces: Bach’s St Matthew Passion. Bach’s musical telling of Christ’s final hours is…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Bach’s St John Passion
Directed by Ivars Taurins Jana Miller, soprano Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Charles Daniels, tenor William Sharp, baritone Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Turbulent, intense, and tender, a Passion for our times. Bach’s St John Passion shocked the Church fathers in Leipzig at its premiere with its intensity and fervour. It's just that intensity that makes it so relevant in today’s highly charged and turbulent times. Harrowing, passionate, and tender by turn, the St John Passion reflects our world as well as Bach's. If the St Matthew Passion stresses the harmony…
Find out more »April 2019
Tafelmusik | Strangers in Strange Lands: Close Encounters Chamber Series
The incredible flourishing of musical styles in the middle of the 18th century was due in no small part to composers travelling from their native countries to new lands. In many cases, they proved to be more popular abroad than back home! This concert is an exploration of gallant music written by composers who settled far from home. Among these are Johann Christoph Bach, who enjoyed a successful career in England as “the London Bach.” The Silesian double-bass player Johann…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Strangers in Strange Lands: Close Encounters Chamber Series
The incredible flourishing of musical styles in the middle of the 18th century was due in no small part to composers travelling from their native countries to new lands. In many cases, they proved to be more popular abroad than back home! This concert is an exploration of gallant music written by composers who settled far from home. Among these are Johann Christoph Bach, who enjoyed a successful career in England as “the London Bach.” The Silesian double-bass player Johann…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | The Hunt: Mozart and Haydn
Jeanne Lamon returns for this classical concert featuring the nobility of the horn. Tafelmusik's Music Director Emerita returns to direct this classical program featuring music by friends and colleagues, Haydn and Mozart, and with the noble and unmistakable sound of the classical horn at its heart. Tafelmusik’s Scott Wevers takes the solo part in Mozart’s joyous Horn Concerto no. 4, continuing our new cycle of Mozart concertos. Four horns take the stage in Mozart’s youthful and dramatic Symphony no. 25…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | The Hunt: Mozart and Haydn
Jeanne Lamon returns for this classical concert featuring the nobility of the horn. Tafelmusik's Music Director Emerita returns to direct this classical program featuring music by friends and colleagues, Haydn and Mozart, and with the noble and unmistakable sound of the classical horn at its heart. Tafelmusik’s Scott Wevers takes the solo part in Mozart’s joyous Horn Concerto no. 4, continuing our new cycle of Mozart concertos. Four horns take the stage in Mozart’s youthful and dramatic Symphony no. 25…
Find out more »May 2019
Tafelmusik | Bach: Magnificat
Directed by Ivars Taurins Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Jana Miller, soprano Meg Bragle, mezzo-soprano Colin Ainsworth, tenor Magnificent music to end the season, from the perfection of Bach to the splendour of Zelenka. The final concert in our anniversary season begins with the burst of exuberance and invention that is Bach’s Magnificat, a timeless musical description of devotion and grace. High on Bach’s list of favourite composers (an enthusiasm now shared by Tafelmusik audiences) was Jan Dismas Zelenka, a Bohemian immigrant to Saxony.…
Find out more »North Wind Concerts | Sopratutto Vivaldi!
A program of glittering and fiery chamber concertos and trio sonatas for oboe, violin, recorder/traverso, bassoon and harpsichord, with a focus on Antonio Vivaldi – plus a taste of some music from his northern European neighbours G. P. Telemann and J.C. Fasch. Italian harpsichordist Stefano Demicheli joins Marco Cera (oboe), Alison Melville (recorder, traverso), Cristina Zacharias (violin) and Dominic Teresi (bassoon) for this frolic through a sunny musical landscape. We had so much fun playing some of this music for Tafelmusik’s Recorder Romp last year that we decided we just HAD to play some more. Supported in…
Find out more »Furiosi Baroque Ensemble | I Furiosi: The Opera
Trinity St. Paul's Church I FURIOSI: The Opera - 8:00 pm 427 Bloor St W Toronto, ON M5S 1X7 CA Price: $25/$15 A pastiche Baroque opera, including a prologue commissioned for I FURIOSI's 20th Anniversary, by Canadian composer Stephanie Martin, with libretto by Craig Martin. The group is joined by harpsichordist James Johnstone.
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Fantasticus
Patricia Ahern, Chris Verrette violins Dominic Teresi dulcian Lucas Harris lute Charlotte Nediger harpsichord The stylus fantasticus (“fantastic style”) was all the rage in the 17th century: instrumental music written in a bold, unrestrained, and extravagant manner. The performers were urged to embrace an unbridled style of playing, virtuosic and spontaneous. This audacious style had its origins in Venice and Rome, but quickly travelled north. Our concert includes music written in Austria, Italy, and Germany. As spring gives way to summer, be sure to join us on…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Fantasticus
Patricia Ahern, Chris Verrette violins Dominic Teresi dulcian Lucas Harris lute Charlotte Nediger harpsichord The stylus fantasticus (“fantastic style”) was all the rage in the 17th century: instrumental music written in a bold, unrestrained, and extravagant manner. The performers were urged to embrace an unbridled style of playing, virtuosic and spontaneous. This audacious style had its origins in Venice and Rome, but quickly travelled north. Our concert includes music written in Austria, Italy, and Germany. As spring gives way to summer, be sure to join us on…
Find out more »June 2019
Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival: Opening Night
OPENING NIGHT – PRIORITY-SEATING TICKETS SOLD OUT Monday, June 3, 2019 at 8pm Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre (427 Bloor Street West, Toronto) map Tickets required* The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, directed by Elisa Citterio and Ivars Taurins, and with guest artist baritone Peter Harvey. Important Information for Opening Night Concert run time: approximately 1 hour. There will not be an intermission. *Doors open at 7:30pm for ticket holders. Ticket holders have access to priority seating until 7:45pm. Patrons without tickets will enter after 7:45pm pending…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival: Baroque Portraits
BAROQUE PORTRAITS Saturday, June 8, 2019 at 12:30pm Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (80 Queen’s Park, Toronto) Tickets not required A casual noon-hour concert of baroque chamber music by members of the TBSI Faculty. Concert run time: approximately 1 hour. There will not be an intermission for this concert. Details, here.
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival: Many Strings Attached
MANY STRINGS ATTACHED Sunday, June 9, 2019 at 12:30pm Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (80 Queen's Park, Toronto) map Tickets not required A concert featuring the participants in the Viola d'Amore Workshop, led by Thomas Georgi. Concert run time: approximately 1 hour. There will not be an intermission for this concert. Details, here.
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival: TRSI Orchestras And Choirs
TBSI ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS Wednesday, June 12, 2019 at 1:00pm Walter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto (80 Queens Park, Toronto) map Tickets not required Featuring the Institute participants, led by Jeanne Lamon, Elisa Citterio, and Ivars Taurins. Concert run time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. There will not be an intermission for this concert. General Admission: Admission to concerts on June 8, 9 & 12 is assigned on a first-come, first served basis. Doors open 15 minutes prior…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Festival: The Grand Finale
THE GRAND FINALE Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 7:30pm Grace Church on-the-Hill (300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto) TICKETS REQUIRED** The combined forces of the TBSI Orchestra and Choir, and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, all in a baroque extravaganza! Directed by Jeanne Lamon and Ivars Taurins. Concert run time: approximately 2 hours including a 20-minute intermission. Dress lightly for the heat. Water is allowed in the hall. **This event is general admission and tickets are required. Limited tickets available on June…
Find out more »September 2019
Tafelmusik | Tafelmusik Meets Tchaikovsky
Tafelmusik plays Tchaikovsky for the first time, alongside inventive string symphonies by Mendelssohn. Pre-concert Chat Join us one hour before each concert for a free pre-concert chat with cellist, gambist, and researcher Kate Bennett Wadsworth. Program Mendelssohn Sinfoniesatz in C Minor (1823) Mendelssohn String symphony no. 7 in D Minor (1821/22) Mendelssohn Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1842), arranged by Carlo Citterio Intermission Andrew Balfour Pytor's Dream (2019) – World premiere Tchaikovsky Serenade for String Orchestra, op. 48 (1880) Concert run time: approximately 2 hours, including a 25-minute intermission. Tickets,…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | CD Launch at Istituto Italiano di Cultura
Tafelmusik Music Director Elisa Citterio in conversation with IIC Director, Alessandro Ruggera. Elisa Citterio will be launching Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra’s new recording. This is the orchestra’s first release under Citterio’s directorship.
Find out more »October 2019
Tafelmusik | Haus Musik: Café Counterculture
1730 Leipzig to 1960 Yorkville It’s 1730s Leipzig, Germany. J.S. Bach and his colleagues gather at Zimmerman’s coffee house for weekly concerts featuring the new music of the day. Fast forward to Toronto in the 1960s. Yorkville (now known as the ‘Mink Mile’) is a hub of subversion and anti-establishment activism. Undiscovered artists are making their breaks and international acts have come to sling it in underground dives and coffee houses. Legends of this counterculture scene pepper music collections across…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Baroque Roots
This concert sends the orchestra back to Vienna’s baroque roots, recovering a time when Austrian composers rubbed shoulders with their Italian counterparts, a vital cross-cultural endeavour. Experience a time when the sound of the baroque was breaking like a wave over Europe, its rich and soulful sounds reaching deep into human emotions, revealing a world, now familiar, then novel and radical. Program Farina Sonata detta la Farina, for violin & continuo (1628) Bertali Ciacona, for violin & continuo (c.1650) Buonamente Sonata prima a…
Find out more »Toronto Consort | Countryside & Court
Whether enjoyed in refined 16th-century courts or in today’s traditional music scene, the undeniable appeal of French music has endured through the centuries! We kick off the season whirling and twirling through the popular “voix de ville” songs and exquisite courtly music of Claude Le Jeune and his contemporaries, combined with the magic of guest traditional fiddler and dancer Emilyn Stam. Grab a hand, step onto the floor—don’t miss these toe-tapping delights!
Find out more »November 2019
Tafelmusik | Lotti Revealed
Antonio Lotti was one of those important baroque composers whose name has been lost in the march of musical history. But as a contemporary of Bach and Handel, and the teacher of Zelenka, the Venetian Lotti was a significant figure in his day. Lotti’s Missa Sapientiae may not be well known today, but if you looked in the libraries of both Bach and Handel, there you'd find it—a copy of the Mass, written out by hand by the famous composers themselves. Tafelmusik…
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Early Music Concerts: King Arthur
Purcell’s semi-opera based on Dryden’s text draws the eye and ear with richly textured choral movements and beautiful songwriting. Hear Purcell’s famous ‘Fairest Isle’ and ‘Cold Genius’ as the versatile young harpsichordist/conductor Christopher Bagan leads the Collegium Musicum and Schola Cantorum. Through a new staging by director Erik Thor, the audience is asked to consider our national identity and the conflict of ideologies of our own time. Erik Thor, stage director Christopher Bagan, conductor
Find out more »Royal Conservatory | Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
One of the world‘s leading chamber orchestras on period instruments, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (Akamus), has established itself as one of the pillars of Berlin’s cultural scene, with its own concert series at the Konzerthaus Berlin for more than 30 years. It also performs a concert series at Munich’s Prinzregententheater. Having sold more than a million CDs, their highly successful recordings have won all important awards for classical recordings, including the Grammy, Diapason d‘Or, Cannes Classical, Gramophone, Edison, MIDEM…
Find out more »December 2019
Tafelmusik | O Come, Shepherds
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Vesuvius Ensemble Special guest: Tommaso Sollazzo, zampogna The joy of the holiday season shines with the pastoral warmth of the Italian countryside. For centuries, the sound of the zampogna, special bagpipes played by shepherds, has been a central part of Italian Christmas festivities. Now you'll hear this fabulous folk instrument in this concert blending baroque Italian Christmas concertos with the heartfelt Christmas music of Southern Italy, performed by Toronto's own Vesuvius Ensemble.
Find out more »Tafelmusik | O Come, Shepherds
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with Vesuvius Ensemble Special guest: Tommaso Sollazzo, zampogna The joy of the holiday season shines with the pastoral warmth of the Italian countryside. For centuries, the sound of the zampogna, special bagpipes played by shepherds, has been a central part of Italian Christmas festivities. Now you'll hear this fabulous folk instrument in this concert blending baroque Italian Christmas concertos with the heartfelt Christmas music of Southern Italy, performed by Toronto's own Vesuvius Ensemble.
Find out more »Toronto Consort | Schütz’s Christmas Story
Celebrate the Yuletide season with one of the brightest musical jewels of early-Baroque Germany: Heinrich Schütz’s The Christmas Story, under the baton of Artistic Director David Fallis. We are thrilled to welcome back internationally-acclaimed English tenor Charles Daniels in the role of the Evangelist, together with a gloriously colourful band of recorders, cornetti, sackbuts, violins, violas da gamba, keyboards and theorbos. This Yuletide, step back in time and experience an endearing telling of the Christmas story, along with music by Schein, Scheidt and…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Handel: Messiah
Ivars Taurins directs four soloists, orchestra, and chamber choir, offering audience's Handel’s masterpiece with Tafelmusik’s trademark expertise and care, intimacy and expanse. Our annual performances of Messiah have become a cherished annual Toronto holiday tradition—join us and discover why. Margot Rood, soprano Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano Thomas Hobbs, tenor Peter Harvey, baritone
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Sing-along Messiah
Join Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, four soloists, and a choir of thousands led by Mr. Handel himself for a thrilling, massive sing-along of Handel’s most beloved choral masterpiece: Messiah. Messiah transcends boundaries with its message of charity, peace, goodwill, and sacrifice. It also contains some of the most uplifting, touching, and magnificent music ever composed—ideal for a truly inspiring sing-along! Pick up your score, warm up your vocal chords, don your holiday finest, and join us in our new surroundings…
Find out more »January 2020
Tafelmusik | Gone With The Winds
Thrill to the sound of the wind Harmonie, playing the cover songs of the classical era. In Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven's day, the hits from the latest operas were arranged for groups of wind musicians who performed in the homes of the rich, and in spas, pubs, and pleasure gardens for the public. These ensembles, called Harmonie, became the juke box of the eighteenth century, playing not just covers of popular opera music but original works by Viennese masters as…
Find out more »University of Toronto Faculty of Music | Early Music Concerts: Music in the Castle of Heaven
Soloists from the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage and UK soloists tenor Charles Daniels and baritone Peter Harvey join musicians from the Collegium Musicum and students from the Historical Performance area for an evening of Bach Cantatas. Daniel Taylor, conductor with Charles Daniel, tenor and Peter Harvey, baritone
Find out more »February 2020
Tafelmusik | Dreaming Juniper
The sensuous sounds of the French baroque are brought to life in this concert curated, conceived, and directed by Vittorio Ghielmi, a virtuoso on the viola da gamba. Conceived as a dramatic dialogue shifting from solo gamba (the more intimate, subtle cousin of our modern violin and cello) to full orchestra, the concert features orchestral dance suites by Lully and Rameau in musical conversation with solo gamba music, as well as a brand new piece written by Vittorio Ghielmi himself. Dreaming…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | The Indigo Project
Alison Mackay's superb multimedia creations, blending music, visuals, narration, dance, and social commentary, are now famous the world over. In this latest offering, she traces the significance of the introduction into 17th-century Europe of indigofera tinctoria, the indigo dye that provided both the royal blue of the Bourbon courts and the colour of the cotton fabric worn by the common folk, known as denim. This fascinating social and musical journey travels from the courts of Europe to the lowest classes of…
Find out more »March 2020
Tafelmusik | The Indigo Project
Alison Mackay’s superb multimedia creations, blending music, visuals, narration, dance, and social commentary, are now famous the world over. In this latest offering, she traces the significance of the introduction into 17th-century Europe of indigofera tinctoria, the indigo dye that provided both the royal blue of the Bourbon courts and the colour of the cotton fabric worn by the common folk, known as denim. This fascinating social and musical journey travels from the courts of Europe to the lowest classes of…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Bach St. John Passion — CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19
Directed by Ivars Taurins Jana Miller, soprano Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Charles Daniels, tenor William Sharp, baritone Andrew Mahon, bass-baritone Tafelmusik Chamber Choir
Find out more »April 2020
Tafelmusik | Bach Goldberg Variations
Program Grégoire Jeay World premiere Bach Goldberg Variations (arranged for orchestra by Elisa Citterio)
Find out more »November 2020
TAFELMUSIK | Passions of the Soul
Curated and directed by Elisa Citterio, this concert is a microcosm of our season theme, “Passions of the Soul.” In their quest to awe and inspire, 18th-century composers strove to describe the desires of the soul and touch the hearts of listeners with poignant and captivating music. This program takes you on a winding journey, visiting the peaks and valleys of the emotional landscape: from the grandeur of Lalande’s Chaconne—inspired by the magnificent fountains of Versailles—to Locatelli’s mournful Sinfonia Funebre,…
Find out more »January 2021
Tafelmusik | Divertimento
Description Divert (verb): To draw away from fatiguing or serious occupations; pleasurably to excite the mind or attract the attention; to entertain, amuse. The divertimento is light and liberated music-making. The structured forms of the classical sonata and symphony are set aside in music that offers simple, tuneful delight to players and listeners alike. The divertimento enjoyed its heyday in 18th-century Vienna, and so it is to Vienna we turn for an evening of music that aims to please and…
Find out more »April 2021
Tafelmusik | On the Road
Join Tafelmusik for a guided tour of baroque Europe through a colourful array of chamber works. We’ve missed touring so much in 2020 that we decided to create a program around the idea of a virtual road trip, European baroque style! Our itinerary includes stops in 17th- and 18th-century England, Germany, France, and Italy courtesy of chamber music by some of our favourite composers. Our musicians enhance this concert with their personal travel stories from past Tafelmusik tours. On the…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Spring Social: Café Counterculture
Celebrate spring with this trip down memory lane, pairing Tafelmusik’s baroque flair with folk favourites by Joni Mitchell and Simon and Garfunkel from Yorkville’s colourful past. Suitable for all ages. It’s 1730s Leipzig, Germany. J.S. Bach and his colleagues gather at Zimmerman’s coffee house for weekly concerts featuring the new music of the day. Fast forward to Toronto in the 1960s. Yorkville (now known as the ‘Mink Mile’) is a hub of subversion and anti-establishment activism. Undiscovered artists are making their…
Find out more »June 2021
Tafelmusik | Bach Brandenburg Concertos
Revisit, alongside the musicians of Tafelmusik, four of the six shimmering concertos that helped establish our international reputation as a creative force in baroque music. One of the most recognized and popular works in baroque music, the Brandenburg Concertos encapsulate all of the qualities that affirm Bach’s brilliance as a composer. Creativity, originality, and boldness are on display in these ground-breaking concertos that feature novel combinations of solo instruments and an unprecedented solo cadenza for harpsichord – unheard of at the time.…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Spotlight 15
Experience the artistry of each Tafelmusik musician in this playful showcase of sounds and styles, from baroque to galant. Fifteen soloists and fourteen concertos are featured in this playful mix-and-match showcase of Tafelmusik’s artistry. Music Director Elisa Citterio conceived this concert as a challenge to each musician, inviting them to flex their musical muscles as soloists and leaders. The program pairs movements from different concertos — occasionally even by different composers — creating a kaleidoscope of sounds and styles, from…
Find out more »July 2021
Tafelmusik/Canadian Stage | Dream in High Park
Dream in High Park Experience the beauty of music of the past with these intimate chamber concerts featuring two or three members of the Tafelmusik orchestra. Presented in an informal style with introductions from the musicians, a different program will be offered each night. July 8, 2021 at 8pm Julia Wedman, violin Patrick G. Jordan, viola Margaret Gay, violoncello Joseph Leopold Edler von Eybler String Trio in C Major, op. 2 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento in E-flat Major, K.563 Giovanni Battista Noferi Trio in E-flat Major,…
Find out more »October 2021
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra | Music and Magic (online)
Open your eyes and ears to the world of illusion and enchantment in this new digital concert blending two captivating art forms. Music and Magic delves into the world of 18th-century English conjurer Isaac Fawkes, a contemporary of Handel. The first magician to take his act from the streets of London to the stage, Fawkes performed before King George II at the Haymarket Theatre — the same venue where Handel presented his operas for royalty and the public alike. This film…
Find out more »November 2021
Tafelmusik | Spotlight 15
Elisa Citterio director Online Premiere: November 18, 2021, 8pm ET Experience the artistry of Tafelmusik musicians in this playful showcase of sounds and styles, from baroque to galant. Fourteen soloists and thirteen concertos are featured in this playful mix-and-match showcase of Tafelmusik’s artistry. Music Director Elisa Citterio conceived this concert as a challenge to the musicians, inviting each of them to flex their musical muscles as soloists and leaders. The program pairs movements from different concertos — occasionally even by different…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | A Tafelmusik Christmas (in-person)
Peace, joy, merriment, and hope—Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Tafelmusik! Curated by Ivars Taurins, this festive program spanning two centuries reunites members of the choir and orchestra for the first time in 2021 — a perfect way to launch the 40th anniversary season of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. A selection of sparkling choruses from Handel’s Messiah and richly harmonized baroque arrangements of Christmas carols complement the exuberance of Bach and the elegance of Charpentier. Choral works by Berlioz and Poulenc add depth…
Find out more »December 2021
Tafelmusik | The Voice of Vivaldi (online)
Krisztina Szabó mezzo-soprano Online Premiere: December 2, 2021, 8pm ET You are invited on this baroque journey through human emotions showcasing a remarkable Canadian singer. The sheer beauty and soulfulness of the human voice infuses this concert featuring mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó—one of our first guest soloists since February 2020. Music Director Elisa Citterio has curated a program of contrasting moods that range from dramatic intensity to cheerful effervescence. Passionate arias from three Vivaldi operas are even more striking when paired with…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | A Tafelmusik Christmas (online)
A Tafelmusik Christmas - Digital Description Ivars Taurins director Tafelmusik Chamber Choir Online Premiere Peace, joy, merriment, and hope — Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Tafelmusik! Curated by Ivars Taurins, this festive program spanning two centuries reunites members of the choir and orchestra for the first time in 2021 — a perfect way to launch the 40th anniversary season of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. A selection of sparkling choruses from Handel’s Messiah and richly harmonized baroque arrangements of Christmas carols complement the exuberance…
Find out more »February 2022
Tafelmusik | The Gull, the Raccoon, and the Last Maple
Composed by Abigail Richardson-Schulte Story and text by Alexis Diamond Commissioned by Tafelmusik This concert streams from February 17, 2022 at 8pm ET to February 21, 2022 at 7:59pm ET A powerful new digital concert for the whole family, inspired by the need for collaboration in the face of climate change. Timely and optimistic, Tafelmusik’s latest commission is an environmentally themed digital concert for all ages. A contemporary fable for baroque orchestra and narrator, The Gull, the Raccoon, and the Last Maple pits two…
Find out more »Elixir Baroque Ensemble | 2022 Elixir Mixer
This concert is structured to celebrate our musical friendships. We begin with one musician performing alone, followed by a duet, a trio, and concertos for multiple instruments, as we slowly add more performers to the stage. Program to include Giovanni Antonio Guido's Winter from his Four Seasons, Vivaldi's concerto for 4 violins in D major, Telemann's viola concerto, and music by Mondonville and more! With special guests Julia Wedman, Patricia Ahern, Elizabeth Loewen Andrews, and Sebastian Ostertag Elixir Ensemble is:…
Find out more »March 2022
Royal Conservatory | Jeremy Denk with Les Violons du Roy
Led by the charismatic MacArthur ‘genius’ award-winning pianist Jeremy Denk, Quebec’s Les Violins de Roy perform Renaissance and Baroque works culminating with J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Concerti in E Major and D Minor. “Is Les Violons du Roy perhaps the best early-music ensemble in North America? Check.” (The Washington Post) “Mr. Denk is a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs, in whatever combination – both for his penetrating intellectual engagement with the music and for the generosity…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Haydn & Friends
Elisa Citterio & Patricia Ahern violin Brandon Chui viola Keiran Campbell violoncello Pippa Macmillan double bass Dominic Teresi bassoon PROGRAM Joseph Haydn Trio in G Major, op. 53, no. 1 Jean-Baptiste Bréval Trio in D Major, op. 39, no. 2 Franz Danzi Bassoon Quartet in D Minor, op. 40, no. 2 Luigi Boccherini Quintet in D Major, op. 39, no. 3
Find out more »April 2022
Tafelmusik | A Tafelmusik Tribute to Jeanne Lamon
A deeply personal musical homage to Jeanne Lamon, curated by her partner Christina Mahler and friend and colleague Alison Mackay. Narrated by one of Canada’s foremost stage actors, R.H. Thomson, and enriched with projected images, this multimedia program traces the trajectory of Jeanne’s inspiring life, including her youth in New York State, her student years in Boston and Amsterdam, her decades in Toronto, and her final chapter in Victoria. Jeanne’s outstanding leadership, passionate dedication to artist training, and commitment to…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | A Tafelmusik Tribute to Jeanne Lamon
A deeply personal musical homage to Jeanne Lamon, curated by her partner Christina Mahler and friend and colleague Alison Mackay. Narrated by one of Canada’s foremost stage actors, R.H. Thomson, and enriched with projected images, this multimedia program traces the trajectory of Jeanne’s inspiring life, including her youth in New York State, her student years in Boston and Amsterdam, her decades in Toronto, and her final chapter in Victoria. Jeanne’s outstanding leadership, passionate dedication to artist training, and commitment to…
Find out more »May 2022
Tafelmusik | Bach B-Minor Mass
Masaaki Suzuki directs Bach’s profound work of transcendent spirituality at Massey Hall. The multi-award-winning conductor and Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki returns as guest director for one of the great masterpieces of Western art music, Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Towards the end of his life, Bach compiled a series of masterworks which would represent the culmination of almost four decades of his compositional endeavours. The last of these was the B-Minor Mass — a coherent, monumental work of great dramatic impact that…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Bach B-Minor Mass
Masaaki Suzuki directs Bach’s profound work of transcendent spirituality at Massey Hall. The multi-award-winning conductor and Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki returns as guest director for one of the great masterpieces of Western art music, Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Towards the end of his life, Bach compiled a series of masterworks which would represent the culmination of almost four decades of his compositional endeavours. The last of these was the B-Minor Mass — a coherent, monumental work of great dramatic impact that…
Find out more »Toronto Bach Festival | Brilliant Brandenburg
Rounding out this musical feast is the Concerto for Oboe featuring Artistic Director John Abberger, and the Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord with brilliant performances by Grégoire Jeay (flute), Julia Wedman (violin), and Christopher Bagan (harpsichord). A perfect way to bring back live music! Pre-concert chat at 7 PM by Larry Beckwith. PROGRAM Concerto for Oboe, BWV 1056 Concerto for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord, BWV 1044 Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, BWV 1046 This performance will run without intermission.
Find out more »Toronto Bach Festival | Noon Organ Recital
Award-winning English keyboardist John Butt takes control of the extraordinary Karl Wilhelm organ at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, located right in the heart of downtown Toronto. It’s fitting that Mr. Butt makes his Toronto Bach Festival debut at the first Presbyterian church in Canada to introduce organ music! Let the sounds of this magnificent music wash over you for this hour-long recital. Author of several books on the music of J.S. Bach, Mr. Butt is the director of the Dunedin…
Find out more »Toronto Bach Festival | The Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin
These six works have set the standard for solo violin virtuosity up to this day, and we’re delighted to have four of Toronto’s finest-period violinists take on Bach’s amazing (and challenging) Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. Julia Wedman, Patricia Ahern, Valerie Gordon, and Cristina Zacharias take us on a musical journey from profound darkness to brilliant luminescence. This is baroque violin at its very best! Presented in two parts, this will be a perfect opportunity to explore the bustling…
Find out more »Toronto Bach Festival | The Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin
These six works have set the standard for solo violin virtuosity up to this day, and we’re delighted to have four of Toronto’s finest-period violinists take on Bach’s amazing (and challenging) Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. Julia Wedman, Patricia Ahern, Valerie Gordon, and Cristina Zacharias take us on a musical journey from profound darkness to brilliant luminescence. This is baroque violin at its very best! Presented in two parts, this will be a perfect opportunity to explore the bustling…
Find out more »Toronto Bach Festival | Easter Oratorio
No Toronto Bach Festival would be complete without the beauty of the human voice. It’s hard to imagine music that paints a brighter picture than the Easter Oratorio, complete with trumpets, tympani, and an addictive dance rhythm running throughout. Continually refined over the years until Bach’s death, it was presented on Easter Sunday in 1725 with an opening that pierced the dark mood of the end of the Easter Holy Week. Also on the program is Bach’s Ascension Oratorio, a…
Find out more »Tafelmusik | Bach Brandenburg Concertos
Program Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 6 J.S. Bach Orchestral Suite no. 3
Find out more »June 2022
Tafelmusik | A Tafelmusik Tribute to Jeanne Lamon (online)
A deeply personal musical homage to Jeanne Lamon, curated by her partner Christina Mahler and friend and colleague Alison Mackay. Narrated by one of Canada’s foremost stage actors, R.H. Thomson, and enriched with projected images, this multimedia program traces the trajectory of Jeanne’s inspiring life, including her youth in New York State, her student years in Boston and Amsterdam, her decades in Toronto, and her final chapter in Victoria. Jeanne’s outstanding leadership, passionate dedication to artist training, and commitment to…
Find out more »March 2024
TAFELMUSIK | STAIRCASES
Toronto's Baroque and Classical music specialists offer audiences a mixed program that's linked by the concept of staircases in various and imaginative ways. The musical part of this multimedia program includes pieces by Lully, Purcell, Handel, Platti, Bach, and Vivaldi, and new works by acclaimed American bass-baritone and composer Jonathan Woody, who will also act as narrator and singer in the performance. The concert incorporates poetry and images in an original program by award-winning creator Alison Mackay. Directed from the…
Find out more »TAFELMUSIK | STAIRCASES
Toronto's Baroque and Classical music specialists offer audiences a mixed program that's linked by the concept of staircases in various and imaginative ways. The musical part of this multimedia program includes pieces by Lully, Purcell, Handel, Platti, Bach, and Vivaldi, and new works by acclaimed American bass-baritone and composer Jonathan Woody, who will also act as narrator and singer in the performance. The concert incorporates poetry and images in an original program by award-winning creator Alison Mackay. Directed from the…
Find out more »TAFELMUSIK | STAIRCASES
Toronto's Baroque and Classical music specialists offer audiences a mixed program that's linked by the concept of staircases in various and imaginative ways. The musical part of this multimedia program includes pieces by Lully, Purcell, Handel, Platti, Bach, and Vivaldi, and new works by acclaimed American bass-baritone and composer Jonathan Woody, who will also act as narrator and singer in the performance. The concert incorporates poetry and images in an original program by award-winning creator Alison Mackay. Directed from the…
Find out more »