{"id":111116,"date":"2025-01-20T10:45:48","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T15:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=111116"},"modified":"2025-01-20T10:45:48","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T15:45:48","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-january-20-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/01\/20\/critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-january-20-26\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC\u2019S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: January 20 \u2013 26"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): Flutist Leslie Newman (Photo courtesy of the artist); Alexey Dolgov (left) as Pinkerton in Houston Grand Opera\u2019s production of Madama Butterfly, 2015 (Photo: Lynn Lane); Accordionist Maciej Frackiewicz (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between January 20 and 26, 2025. For more of what\u2019s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Glenn Gould School: The Robert W. and G. Ann Corcoran Concerto Competition Finals<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, January 22, 7 p.m.
\nKoerner Hall. Free \u2014 register for tickets<\/p>\n

If you are in a tight financial squeeze post-Blue Monday (that is TODAY), or just need some uplifting from the drudgery of winter, this event is for you! This annual concerto competition from Glenn Gould School features finalists on various instruments vying for a chance to play a concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra in the 25\/26 season. Koerner Hall is beautiful to look at, and it sounds amazing. The youngsters are hungry and ready. Pieces they\u2019ve selected are definitely some of the best of the canon \u2014 and I hear that there will be a harp concerto, a rarity. It\u2019s open to the public for free. If you ever felt that Koerner Hall events are out of your realm, this is the perfect event to come and experience it. If you always love the Koerner Hall events, this is, well, a rich bonus. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

COC: Paraphrases on La Reine-gar\u00e7on<\/h3>\n

Thursday, January 23, Noon
\nRichard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Free.<\/p>\n

Canadian composer Julien Bilodeau has been busy, especially in Montr\u00e9al where he frequently collaborates with the Montr\u00e9al Symphony Orchestra and Op\u00e9ra de Montr\u00e9al. As the Toronto audience awaits the opening of La Reine-gar\u00e7on at the COC later this month, Adam Sherkin, a familiar pianist, who is known for his exploration of existing and new music, and the world through his own eyes as a composer, presents Bilodeau\u2019s piano music on this Thursday afternoon. A great chance to sneakpeek the soundscape of Bilodeau \u2014 the way composers write, similar to the way writers and painters express, is personal and intimate. The more familiar we become, the more we can hear and sense. A lovely way to explore an individual\u2019s voice in the intimate and familiar idiom of the solo piano. Read our Preview here<\/a>. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

COC: Madama Butterfly<\/h3>\n

Friday, January 24, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, January 26, 2 p.m., Saturday, February 1, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, January 6, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 12, 7:30 p.m., Friday, February 14, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, February 16, 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

Currently sold-out for regular seatings, with daily release of standing room tickets, and rush tickets.\u2028\u2028A staunch favourite by Puccini (Puccini was ranked no. 2 with 1,893 performances of 12 operas, during five seasons: 2008\/09, to 2012\/13, according to the Operabase, outnumbered only by Verdi), it is already nearly sold-out. A tragic love story with death, colonialism, power conflict, war \u2014 the list of challenges are endless in this particular work, especially when seen through today\u2019s eyes, but there are beautiful arias \u2014 this, no one can deny. No further words are necessary, as the Toronto audience are showing their love with their tickets in hands! If you want to check out the hype, get yourself early into the queue on performance days: standing room tickets (a real bargain at 15 dollars a spot!), or rush tickets (subjected to availability) are likely your best bet at this point. These are limited to 2 per person, and there\u2019s specific instructions<\/a> on how to obtain them \u2014 read carefully, get yourself a spot, and experience the drama. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

21C Music Festival: Continuum Contemporary Music: Spanning<\/h3>\n

Saturday, January 25, 8 p.m.
\nTemerty Theatre, Royal Conservatory of Music, $21+<\/p>\n

This is a great program of current voices through classical music. Starting with one of the most popular composers of our time, Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023), Continuum has curated an amazing variety of music, stuffed solid in this short-and-sweet 80 minutes event. These names may not be familiar yet: Anna H\u00f6stman, Kotoka Suzuki, Ana Sokolovi\u0107, Jocelyn Morlock (1969-2023), and Carolyn Chen, but trust that their ideas and expressions must be experienced live, to make sense in our own world. We now favour digital access for many things \u2014 but the media that we nurtured through the analogue world, will never be true without the sensation through our own bodies \u2014 to touch, to hold, to physically resonate, as we experience it in its entirety, including space (the live performers and the hall), and time (without the option of opting out, or being distracted). Would you rather be in a deep physical embrace with your loved ones, or select a Zoom call? How do we know what we feel, unless we\u2019ve felt it through the components that have built our lives \u2014 through touchable, passing reality? There will be plenty to take home. Drop your worries about weird music, and come. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

University of Toronto New Music Festival: Maciej Frackiewicz<\/h3>\n

Sunday, January 26, 7:30 p.m.
\nWalter Hall, 80 Queen\u2019s Park, Faculty of Music. Free.<\/p>\n

Accordion. Where would you locate in your mind? Oktoberfest? A view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the distance? Folksy bluegrass scene down south? Infectious pull of tango and cuenca? This portable, versatile machine is at home with many different styles, and its ability to evoke has cemented its place in all genres of music \u2014 including classical. Yes. Classical accordion music is a thing. It is a great pleasure to discover new things, especially when the opportunity presents one of the best international performers on stage, for free. We are very fortunate to have a rich accordion scene in Toronto \u2014 if this is news to you, please come out on this Sunday evening, and see Maciej Frackiewicz tear it up on the stage. With technique to burn and spare, and a gigantic mind and curiosity, Frakiewicz has won many first international prizes, and he\u2019s been involved with over 100 new works for the accordion \u2014 for solo, duos with cello, violin, piano, etc., and larger chamber music works. Come and hear what is possible, and put a little crack in the stereotype that we often build in our own mind. Isn\u2019t it amazing to still be able to find new things, when everything feels so saturated and familiar? Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Classical music and opera events in Toronto for the week of January 20 to 26, 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":111117,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,76,19,3895,38,43,63],"tags":[628,1436],"yst_prominent_words":[7173,16424,14729,9021,9057,9059,6606,7095,6616,10287,12857,14728],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-2025-01-20T103545.419.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-sUc","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111116"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111116"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111118,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111116\/revisions\/111118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111116"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=111116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}