{"id":120867,"date":"2026-01-12T10:45:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T15:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=120867"},"modified":"2026-01-12T13:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T18:00:02","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-january-12-january-18-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/01\/12\/critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-january-12-january-18-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC\u2019S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: January 12 \u2013 January 18 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): Pianist Gabriela Montero (Photo courtesy of the artist): pianist Mao Fujita (Photo courtesy of the artist); The Happenstancers (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 January 12 and 18, 2026. For more of what\u2019s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Canadian Opera Company: Instrumental Series \u2014 Master and Pupil<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, January 14, Noon
\nFour Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, free<\/p>\n

Out of all chamber ensembles, the string quartet, in my mind, rules supreme \u2014 its individual voices morph into and out of one another; a great group creates magic where four disappears to become one, just to unfurl into four, yet again. The COC String quartet, Marie B\u00e9rard and Aaron Schwebel (violins), Sheila Jaff\u00e9 (viola), Guillaume Artus (cello), is taking the lovely stage of the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre for their official debut concert, with two canonic works by Haydn and Beethoven. Come out and hear these players, often hidden under the glitzy stage, down in the pit, and hear them weave beauty with one another \u2014 what a great way to pause in the midweek. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Toronto Symphony Orchestra: The Firebird<\/h3>\n

Thursday, January 15, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, January 17, 7:30 p.m.
\nRoy Thomson Hall, $72+<\/p>\n

TSO\u2019s second week program for 2026 is full of bangers. Brahms\u2019s first piano concerto needs no introduction \u2014 written at age 25, contrary to the famous picture of him in later years with a huge curly beard and sullen, careful expression. Brahms as a young man was full of youthful energy and aspiration. This dashing young man\u2019s first concerto, which also happens to be his first-performed orchestral work, is grand in scale, with plenty of drama and pathos. Mao Fujita, 2019 Tchaikovsky competition Silver Medalist, will take the helm of this majestic work with conductor Eva Ollikainen. Arvo P\u00e4rt\u2019s early work, Symphony No.1, may feel quite far from the later P\u00e4rt\u2019s compositions that we are familiar with \u2014 keep your ears open and see where it all started, leading to the amazing tintinnabuli style that became such a beloved soundscape for the masses. Stravinsky\u2019s Firebird (1919 version), will fill out the hall with golden, poetic beauty after its frenetic, grand expansion \u2014 the Berceuse and Finale is a great way to end the evening. Come out for this varied, colourful music and leave with the magic of the firebird in your heart. For Saturday, TSO Chamber Soloists will give a pre-concert performance at 6:15 p.m. of P\u00e4rt and Rautavaara\u2019s music \u2014 great stuff. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: The Happenstancers \u2014 Always Darkest \u2026 Dawn Always<\/h3>\n

Friday, January 16, 8 p.m.
\nTemerty Theatre, Royal Conservatory of Music, $21+<\/p>\n

Always hot on their own heels, the Happenstancers are an ambitious, capable, and imaginative group who\u2019ve been delivering great performances of contemporary music. What is a great performance of contemporary music? There is much caution and resistance about new music, and though it\u2019s baffling at times (after all, we do go mad on food or dance craze and fads, with abandon!), the worry is real \u2014 is it going to be weird? But please, drop the expectations, and remind oneself that all music is simply sonic events that evoke and generate reactions. And in this, the Happenstancers excel. Rather than holding up the canons of Beethoven and Brahms for comparison, do remind yourself that contemporary music speaks in different times, mediums, and philosophies, and that the aim of arts often is very simple: to experience. And, to enjoy the possibilities of new sensations \u2014 beauty, ugliness, and everything in between. Mixing up from good oldies and current avant-gardes, from Josquin de Prez, to Ana Sokolovi\u0107, and Kaija Saariaho, this is a great way to open 2026 21C Music at the RCM. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

University of Toronto Faculty of Music: U of T Opera Student Composer Collective: With the Telling Comes the Magic \u2014 Five Tales from Antiquity to the Present<\/h3>\n

Sunday, January 18, 2:30 p.m., and 5 p.m.
\nMarilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre, Canadian Stage, 26 Berkeley St., $11.30<\/p>\n

January is full of new music, and here\u2019s one of the more interesting projects in the midst of many events: one libretto by Michale Albano, and music composed by the young composers collective. Being a student\/young composer is a bit like second adolescence \u2014 you are still swimming through many things, running into many ideas, learning many concepts and things from the past, and trying to find your own voice, with all that going on. It\u2019s fascinating and exciting, as many things are open to possibilities, and there’s beauty in the process of finding oneself. So, come out and support these young composers, and their community \u2014 including hard-working students of the Opera program \u2014 and the student instrumental ensemble under the direction of Sandra Horst. Who knows, you may run into tomorrow\u2019s star just by being there. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: Gabriela Montero<\/h3>\n

Sunday, January 18, 3 p.m.
\nKoerner Hall, $45+<\/p>\n

Gabriela Montero returns to Koerner, with a feisty program of Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, and an improv to Charlie Chaplin\u2019s silent film, The Immigrant. This busy Venezuelan pianist has been thinking about immigration \u2014 departures, journeys, the world that changes you, and the realities that may reject and deject you. A fitting theme in the current climate. Come out and enjoy her brilliant playing of the Russian masters \u2014 all three experienced migration that deeply impacted their life course \u2014 and keep your ears open for the magic of improvisation, with the magic of Chaplin. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Classical music and opera events in Toronto for the week of January 12 to 18, 2026. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,76,19,3895,41306,38,43,63],"tags":[1371,41089,5644,9494],"yst_prominent_words":[7173,8465,9426,14729,24561,7065,8207,6616,12857,14728,8282,11056,7677],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-2026-01-12T104307.143.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vrt","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120867"}],"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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120867"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120874,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120867\/revisions\/120874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120867"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=120867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}