{"id":120487,"date":"2025-12-22T09:55:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T14:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=120487"},"modified":"2025-12-22T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T18:00:01","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-december-22-2025-january-4-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/12\/22\/critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-december-22-2025-january-4-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC\u2019S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See From: December 22, 2025 \u2013 January 4, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): Salute to Vienna dancers (Photo courtesy of Attila Glatz Productions); the Canadian Brass (Photo courtesy of the artists); Music Around The Corner string quartet (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between December 22, 2025 and January 4, 2026. For more of what\u2019s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Roy Thomson Hall: Canadian Brass: Home for the Holidays<\/h3>\n

Monday, December 22, 8 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $53+<\/p>\n

Making history since 1970 \u2014 selling over 2 million albums globally, casually chilling at the
\nBillboard Classical Charts in the Top 25 for 8 weeks, and serenading children on Sesame Street
\n\u2014 Canadian Brass is truly an international icon. They return with their famous holiday concert
\nthis Tuesday. With Chuck Daellenbach, the sole original founding member joined by the next
\ngenerations, this is a lovely concert to hear top notch chamber playing \u2014 sure, we do have a few
\nbrass ensembles in town, but like a string quartet, hearing a tightly-knit brass quintet is a quite
\nan experience, especially at this calibre. Come on down to Roy Thomson, and lend your ears to
\nthis lovely Home for the Holidays program, crossing all genres, the best holiday classics in
\nbespoke arrangements. What a joy. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Music around the Corner<\/h3>\n

Saturday, December 27, 7:30 p.m., Youthful Vengeance, 1110 Dundas St W.
\nSunday, December 28, 2 p.m., Glad Day Lit, 32 Lisgar St., $18+<\/p>\n

Formed during the midst of the pandemic summer of 2020, Music Around the Corner strives to
\nbring live chamber music to pockets of Toronto. For this holiday season, they will take over
\nYouthful Vengeance, a great indie gallery\/cafe, and the new location of Glad Day Lit (they
\nrecently moved from Church St. to 32 Lisgar St.), presenting two new-to-us works \u2014 Francis
\nMalka\u2019s String Quartet 1, and Reena Esmail\u2019s Ragamala, along with a familiar favourite, Ravel\u2019s
\nquartet. Drag yourself out from the decadence and stupor of the holiday jollity, and experience
\nthe fresh energy of these ambitious musicians. For the Saturday concert, the quartet invites
\neveryone for a sight reading-party afterward \u2014 do bring your instruments, and take part in the joy
\nof playing great repertoire with new-to-be-friends. After all, it\u2019s sometimes more meaningful to
\ncreate, than to consume. Check out our Preview of the concerts here<\/a>. Info here<\/a><\/strong> for December 27; info here<\/a><\/strong> for December 28.<\/p>\n

Attila Glatz Concert Productions\/Roy Thomson Hall\/Canadian Opera Company: Bravissimo! New Year’s at the Opera<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, December 31, 7 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $87.50+<\/p>\n

If you are into the glam of the most beautiful arias, orchestra, and lovely voices for the last night
\nof the year, warm up the evening with Glatz Production\u2019s Bravissimo, featuring Andrea Carroll
\n(soprano), Wallis Giunta (mezzo), David Esteban (tenor), Luke Sutliff (baritone), and the
\nCanadian Opera Company Orchestra under the baton of Johannes Debus. Picking the best
\nnumbers from Rossini, Donizetti, Mozart, Delibes, Bizet, and more, the program promises
\nsumptuous and beautiful singing. And, with a 7 p.m. start, there\u2019ll be plenty of time to get to your
\nfavourite place to ring in the New Year with friends and family. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Attila Glatz Concert Productions\/Roy Thomson Hall: Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert
\n2026<\/h3>\n

Thursday, January 1, 2:30 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $94+<\/p>\n

If you prefer to ring in New Year\u2019s day with a hint of European charm, there\u2019s the Salute to
\nVienna concert, inspired by Vienna’s unrivalled tradition of Neujahrskonzert. Strategically placed
\nat a friendly matin\u00e9e start of 2:30 p.m., AGCP invites you to come down with a blank canvas, to
\nbe filled with this mixed program of singers, dancers, and orchestra. There\u2019s something
\nincredibly beautiful to see dancers live, moving across with live music \u2014 let their elan and grace
\ninspire us for this brand new day with a hint of freshness, and hope for a gentle new year for
\nevery single one of us. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Li Delun Music Foundation: New Year’s Concert 2026<\/h3>\n

Sunday, January 4, 3 p.m.
\nGeorge Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge St., $40+<\/p>\n

Another New Year\u2019s tradition, Li Delun Music Foundation presents a great mix of Chinese and
\nWestern classical favourites. Continuing the pioneering spirit of Li Delun, the founder of the first
\nprofessional symphony of the People\u2019s Republic of China, his two grandchildren, Kemin
\nand Rosalind Zhang, pulled together a lovely group of musicians deeply connected through
\nmusical, cultural, and immigration webs in Toronto, to share music, and the joy of community
\nbuilding. The program ranges from well-known favourites including a Strauss Waltz, to the
\nYellow River Piano Concerto, and the Yellow River Cantata. Toronto is a lovely place, and one of
\nthe special riches we have access to is the cultural commitment and diversity of many ethnic
\ngroups. Despite the noise we hear from the media against immigration and emigration \u2014 usually
\nout of desperation and misunderstanding \u2014 a place where such rich cultural experiences remain
\nso accessible is hard to find. So get your shoes on, and head to North York to get a dose of
\nrepertoire beyond the usual classical top 100. You might finally recognize that lovely sound from a
\npipa, erhu, or a suona \u2014 all familiar through many soundtracks \u2014 yet still elusive to many
\nCanadians. Read our Preview with Kemin and Rosalind Zhang here<\/a>. 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 holiday weeks of December 22, 2025 to January 4, 2026. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":120490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,42533,76,19,3895,38,43,63],"tags":[9799,7183,41653],"yst_prominent_words":[6711,6681,6672,33864,15245,33863,6680,15246,7162,7192,6843,6674,6683],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-2025-12-22T095357.670.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vll","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120487"}],"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=120487"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120493,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120487\/revisions\/120493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120487"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=120487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}