{"id":119107,"date":"2025-11-03T11:03:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T16:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=119107"},"modified":"2025-11-03T11:03:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T16:03:41","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-november-3-november-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/11\/03\/critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-november-3-november-9\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC\u2019S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: November 3 \u2013 November 9"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): TwoSet Violin (Photo courtesy of the artists); violinist Kyung Wha Chung (Photo courtesy of the artist); The Glenn Gould School Opera (Photo courtesy of GGS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between November 3 and 9, 2025. For more of what\u2019s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Toronto Symphony Orchestra. TwoSet Violin: Sacrilegious Games<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $94+<\/p>\n

The sacred sarcasm in classical music still manages to thrive despite the weight of the genre\u2019s self-promoted seriousness, and TwoSet Violin \u2014 Brett Yang and Eddy Chen \u2014 embodying the ridiculous, hilarious, and the human side of this art, is in town this evening, joined by the TSO. Formed in 2013, TSV built their fanbase, now over 9.5 million followers, with their self-deprecating humour and short, witty social media presence. Their live shows and online episodes feature many fictional and real characters, including the fearsome Ling Ling, a true child prodigy who practices 40 hours a day, a Tiger Mom, and Hilary Hahn and Ray Chen. With these characters, along with Brett and Eddy, set against the reality of practice, auditions, and performance-related skits, the TSV has created a unique niche for itself \u2014 a real hoot for those in the know, and those who can smell the know. The cavernous Roy Thomson is nearly at full capacity already (this is still nothing compared to their 2022 Singapore concerts, where Brett and Eddy were loaned two Strads: Empress Caterina, and Regent Superb, from Tarisio New York, as it sold out in the first 2 minutes of the ticket release), so get your tickets ASAP and see what TSV is up to, on this world tour. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir: Brahms: A German Requiem<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
\nGeorge Weston Hall, Meridian Arts Centre; Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m., Koerner Hall. $39.95+<\/p>\n

The oldest and the largest choir in Canada (and perhaps the best in the country), the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir returns to the stage with its charismatic director, Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e, to sing one of the most unique and beautiful of requiems: A German Requiem by Brahms. Written in the common language (German, instead of Latin), from the Lutheran Bible, Brahms intended this work to console the living in the midst of the loss and pain of death. As we live in a culture where birth is celebrated, but the journey to death is hidden under hushed tones, where illness and aging are made to be targets to be defeated, this beautiful work, celebrating life along with death, still remains uniquely humane. Please join the TMC, musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and soloists Russell Braun and Charlotte Siegel for this timely reflection as the season cusps into the dark winter, and the pale autumn light sets a just little earlier everyday. TMC will also premiere Stephanie Martin\u2019s new work, ECHO, in this 90-minute, no intermission program. Read our Preview here<\/a>. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Toronto Symphony Orchestra. E.T. in Concert<\/h3>\n

Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 8, 2 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $57+<\/p>\n

One of the best films of the 1980s, with possibly the best of John Williams\u2019 scoring, E.T. occupies a special place in many people\u2019s hearts. Innocence, the loss of innocence, the trial and struggle of growing up, and the nostalgia that we all learn to relate to \u2014 however much we protest, with its peak set in Halloween, E.T is perhaps the perfect movie to celebrate the late fall for the boomers, Gen X, and the Xennials \u2014 and their younger family members and friends. It\u2019s difficult, even after all these years, to keep the tears away, when E.T. and Elliott learn the pain of leaving and being left. So get your tickets fast, as it will likely sell out, sink into this gentle viewing of E.T. with full orchestra, and be ready for that emotional punch \u2014 pack some Kleenex for sure. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Canadian Opera Company, Free Concert Series: SongHa, violin & Carson Becke, piano<\/h3>\n

November 7, 12 p.m.
\nRichard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre, free<\/p>\n

Violinist SongHa is a 2023 laureate of the Concours musical international de Montr\u00e9al, where she was awarded Second Prize, Audience Choice Award, Best Interpretation of a Sonata, and Best Performance of a Commissioned Canadian Work. She\u2019s also first prize winner at Windsor String Competition 2022, Premio Lipizer International Competition 2020 and Yehudi Menuhin International Competition 2016, and was named a laureate at the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2024. She\u2019s bringing a program of music by Brahms (Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major, Op. 78), Tchaikovsky (Souvenir d\u2019un lieu cher, Op. 42, and Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34), and Clara Schumann (Three Romances, Op 22, Andante molto), to a free concert in the atmospheric Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. SongHa will be performing with Carson Becke, a pianist who\u2019s performed in North America and Europe as a recital and concerto soloist, chamber musician, and vocal collaborator. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: Glenn Gould School Chamber Opera: The Telephone & Baby Kintyre<\/h3>\n

Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, November 8, 7:30 p.m.
\nMazzolini Hall, $20<\/p>\n

GGS Fall Opera project is a double bill: The Telephone (Gian Carlo Menotti) & Baby Kintyre (Dean Burry). One of the major advantages of a small production \u2014 especially in a learning institution \u2014 is that they are more flexible and nimble than a huge, expensive opera house, therefore able to take the risk to feature works that are rarely mounted, as well as the super popular. Menotti\u2019s The Telephone is a very popular one-act opera, and a true American classic. Burry\u2019s Baby Kintyre, based on Toronto\u2019s own ghostly story \u2014 where a little baby was found, and buried 82 years after his death in 2007 \u2014 certainly features our own story, in our city and time. Over the years, some productions from the GGS clearly stood out with finesse and excellence \u2014 the 2024 March production of Poulenc\u2019s Dialogues des Carm\u00e9lites, was one of the best productions I have experienced. Get your tickets, and see what kind of magic they may bring to the stage this time. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: Kyung Wha Chung, Violin with Kevin Kenner<\/h3>\n

Sunday, November 9, 3 p.m.
\nKoerner Hall, $55+<\/p>\n

One of the finest of her generation, Kyung Wha Chung brings her musicality, technical mastery, and her lifelong experience and emotions to Koerner Hall for this Sunday afternoon. Being one of the very first Asian elite classical musicians in the world, one can only imagine the difficulties she must\u2019ve faced, but we are all richer for her to continue to play on the international stage. Chung was taught by Ivan Galamian, and links the golden age violinists Jascha Heifetz and Issac Stern to the modern super stars, such as Hilary Hahn and Ray Chen. For violinists, it would be particularly interesting to see how she blends the old school aesthetics with contemporary ideals. Kenner, a first prize winner of the 1990 Chopin Competition, is no wallflower; his training with Leon Fleisher and Leonard Bernstein is also an important generational link, and their collaboration on this highly emotional repertoire \u2014 Schumann Sonata 1, Grieg Sonata 3, and Franck Sonata, promises much emotional fireworks and technical brilliance. A must-attend of this week. Find our Interview with Kyung Wha Chung here<\/a>. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

New Music Concerts\/U of T Faculty of Music: Mystery of Clock<\/h3>\n

Sunday, November 9, 8 p.m.
\nThe Fleck at Harbourfront Centre, $20+<\/p>\n

This one night concert, a collaboration between New Music Concerts and U of T Faculty of Music, features power duo \u2014 Aiyun Huang and Mark Fewer. These two artists are highly dedicated to the creation and performance of new works \u2014 often incorporating theatrical, spatial, and electronic elements \u2014 a true gestalt approach, and for this evening, they will explore the nebulous nature of time and its perception. The collaboration between musicians, and Roland Auzet (Stage Direction), Denis Martin (Technical Direction), and C\u00e9dric Delorme-Bouchard (Lighting Design), promises much richness and experience that goes beyond just the sonic world. Come and see how works of Ehwa Hong (KOR\/FRA), Alexandre Singier (FRA), Julia Cauley (FRA), Menelaos Peistikos (GRC), Erik Griswold (AUS\/USA), I-Lly Cheng (TWN), Javier \u00c1lvarez (MEX), and J.S. Bach can transcend, and perhaps take us away from what could be a rigid, non-yielding grid of time, into a new space of temporality. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\nHERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Classical music and opera events in Toronto for the week of November 3 to 9, 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":119109,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,74,76,19,3895,23,38,43,49,63],"tags":[42396,42368,4206,42395],"yst_prominent_words":[7173],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-2025-11-03T110252.699.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-uZ5","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119107"}],"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=119107"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119111,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119107\/revisions\/119111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119107"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=119107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}