{"id":112004,"date":"2025-02-20T12:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T17:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=112004"},"modified":"2025-02-20T13:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T18:00:02","slug":"preview-toronto-symphony-orchestra-announces-2025-26-concert-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/02\/20\/preview-toronto-symphony-orchestra-announces-2025-26-concert-season\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | The Toronto Symphony Orchestra Announces 2025\/26 Concert Season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gustavo
Gustavo Gimeno conducts the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Photo: Allan Cabral, courtesy of the TSO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced details of the organization\u2019s 2025\/26 concert season. Taking inspiration from Toronto\u2019s upcoming role in the World Cup, Music Director Gustavo Gimeno\u2019s programming emphasizes cross-border connections.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a varied season and line-up that offers both crowd pleasers and new voices, a friendly space for young audiences, and more.<\/p>\n

Highlights include a gala where Lang Lang<\/strong> will perform Beethoven\u2019s \u201cEmperor\u201d Concerto, and the Canadian Premi\u00e8re of a new, TSO co-commissioned Concerto for Orchestra written and conducted by Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cGustavo Gimeno has programmed a truly exceptional 2025\/26 season, highlighting the power of music to transcend borders and transform listeners,\u201d says Mark Williams<\/strong>, Beck Family CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. \u201cThere is something for everyone at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and together we will enjoy the wide variety of classical, Pops, film, and family concerts that bring us together as a community of music lovers all season long and community is what it\u2019s all about. Your presence, your energy, and your love for this orchestra \u2014 your orchestra \u2014 are what make everything we do possible. Whether you are a donor or a long-time subscriber, or are attending for the first time, I encourage you to explore what our 2025\/26 season has to offer. There is something extraordinary waiting for you, and we would love for you to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gustavo
Gustavo Gimeno conducts the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Photo: Allan Cabral, courtesy of the TSO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Masterworks Series (Curated by Gustavo Gimeno)<\/h2>\n

\u201cIn the same spirit of excellence and passion that drives the international athletes vying for the World Cup, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is poised to present music that resonates on a grand and global scale throughout our extraordinary 2025\/26 season,\u201d says Gustavo Gimeno<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cForming an emotional and celebratory arc, the year begins with the exhilarating drama of Carmina Burana and concludes with Beethoven\u2019s glorious \u2018Ode to Joy\u2019, and along the way we explore enduring works and compelling premi\u00e8res by living composers. Yet, what excites me most is the diversity of the programs we have crafted \u2014 there is something for every listener to discover and enjoy. The magic of live music is in the shared moment, the way it connects us to something greater, and I am greatly looking forward to exploring that connection with our wonderful audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blockbuster opener spotlights Carl Orff\u2019s Carmina Burana. Gimeno and the orchestra will be joined by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir<\/strong>, the Toronto Children\u2019s Chorus<\/strong>, and three soloists: soprano Julie Roset<\/strong> (an Operalia winner in her TSO d\u00e9but), tenor Andrew Haji<\/strong>, and baritone Sean Michael Plumb<\/strong> (also in his TSO d\u00e9but). Also on the program is the Canadian Premi\u00e8re of a jazz-infused Concerto for Orchestra by the legendary Wynton Marsalis, co-commissioned by the TSO.<\/p>\n

Other major works presented in this series:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Mahler\u2019s Symphony No. 9;<\/li>\n
  • Ravel\u2019s Bol\u00e9ro;<\/li>\n
  • Tchaikovsky\u2019s Symphony No. 5;<\/li>\n
  • Rachmaninoff\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 3;<\/li>\n
  • Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Symphony No. 7;<\/li>\n
  • Music from Wagner\u2019s The Flying Dutchman and G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung;<\/li>\n
  • Prokofiev\u2019s Symphony No. 3 and a suite from his ballet Romeo and Juliet (both recorded live for release on the Harmonia Mundi label);<\/li>\n
  • Sibelius\u2019s Symphony No. 5; Mendelssohn\u2019s Violin Concerto (with Concertmaster Jonathan Crow as soloist);<\/li>\n
  • Vivaldi\u2019s The Four Seasons; and six Beethoven symphonies, the iconic Ninth to end the regular season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Jonathan Crow<\/strong> curates the TSO Chamber Soloists performances, which offer early audience members five pre-concert performances at select concerts in the Masterworks series.<\/p>\n

    \"L:
    L: Pianist Bruce Liu; R: violinist Joshua Bell (Photos courtesy of the TSO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    TSO\u2019s 2025\/26 Spotlight Artists<\/h2>\n

    The TSO\u2019s 2025\/26 Spotlight Artists are Bruce Liu<\/strong> and Joshua Bell<\/strong>. Gustavo Gimeno selects the Spotlight Artists each year based on both technical virtuosity and versatility. Each will perform two programs.<\/p>\n

    Canadian pianist Bruce Liu performs Mozart\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 23 and Rachmaninoff\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 2 in his highly anticipated return to the TSO stage after his acclaimed 2022 debut.<\/p>\n

    American violinist and conductor Joshua Bell will both perform and lead. He\u2019ll perform the Canadian Premi\u00e8re of a recently rediscovered Violin Concerto by mid-20th-century Ukrainian composer Thomas de Hartmann. He\u2019ll lead and play Florence Price\u2019s Adoration and Bruch\u2019s Violin Concerto No. 1, and in the same program, he\u2019ll conduct Beethoven\u2019s overture to Egmont and Symphony No. 7.<\/p>\n