{"id":122161,"date":"2026-03-02T09:53:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122161"},"modified":"2026-03-02T09:53:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:53:32","slug":"critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-march-2-march-8-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/02\/critics-picks-classical-music-events-absolutely-need-see-week-march-2-march-8-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CRITIC\u2019S PICKS | Classical Music Events You Absolutely Need To See This Week: March 2 \u2013 March 8 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R
L-R (clockwise): Violinist and Music in the Afternoon Artistic Director Amy Hillis (Photo: Brent Callis); Ensemble Contretemps (Photo courtesy of the artists); Ukrainian quartet DakhaBrakha (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 March 2 and 8, 2026. For more of what\u2019s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Array Space: Ensemble Contrechamps with Daniel Zea and Nicole Liz\u00e9e<\/h3>\n

Monday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.
\nArray Space, 155 Walnut Ave., $25\/Pay What You Can<\/p>\n

Contrechamps, a group of dedicated musicians fearlessly performing and promoting contemporary music, make a long trek from Switzerland to Toronto this Monday night, to present two major works with music and integrated video. Since 1977, the group has worked with many avant-garde musicians, including Pierre Boulez, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Rebecca Saunders. And though the idea of video and live music has been in place since the first days of the silent cinema, it is astonishing how effective the pairing can be, especially with top-notch performers and tech team. Come to this double bill to experience what classical music can be with video, as both creators, Daniel Zea, and Nicole Liz\u00e9e, are on top of their game. Don\u2019t really know what to expect? Even bigger reason to come out! Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Massey Hall\/Small World Music: DakhaBrakha<\/h3>\n

Tuesday, March 3, 8 p.m., Massey Hall, $46.70+<\/p>\n

Rescheduled from November, I am thrilled that I can make it to the show for this second date. At the turn of the 20th century, classical composers were digging deep into folk music; perhaps the truth is that folk music, keeping its identity distanced from the fast-moving urban mashing of all previously unrelated things \u2014 largely due to geographical and economical restrictions \u2014 was one of the few things that was kept genuine by accident. DakhaBrakha, a Ukrainian folk music quartet, draws their inspiration from the great ethnic heritage of the wide and varied lands of Ukraine and beyond. The vibrancy and immediacy of their music is still relatable to many of the classical top 100 favourites of the late 19th\/early 20th century, despite the influence and bleeding-blending edges of the internet age. Come out and experience this continuously evolving spirit, which has inspired, and will continue to inspire, many. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Trinity Bach Project: Bach & Triumph<\/h3>\n

Wednesday, March 4, 8 p.m. St. Matthew\u2019s Anglican Church Riverdale;
\nSaturday, March 7, 8 p.m. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church, $10+<\/p>\n

Post Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, with Purim, Pesach and Nowruz on the horizon, the cyclic nature of the year is suggesting contemplation of death after the long winter, in preparation for the renewal, rebirth, and resurrection that is Spring. This lovely chamber group is bringing great works of Bach across town, this time focusing on BWV 4 Christ lag in Todesbanden, and BWV 67 Halt im Ged\u00e4chtnis Jesum Christ. With the noise and craziness of the world \u2014 which feels worse and worse as the media continues to lose its objectivity and perspective \u2014 reflections of human nature and its definitive limits are perhaps the best antidote, to bring both the solemnness of inevitability and the joy that comes with the infinite possibilities of life. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s Musical Club of Toronto: Music in the Afternoon: VC2 Cello Duo with Amy Hillis<\/h3>\n

Thursday, March 5, 1:30 p.m.
\nWalter Hall, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, $50, free for students with ID, and caregivers<\/p>\n

Exciting to hear Amy Hillis, the new director of the WMCT, on violin, as Toronto\u2019s own VC2 Cello Duo brings rarely heard music to the stage. Strangely, despite the magic of solo cello and cello ensembles, the idea of duo cellos remains largely unexplored; but fear not, as Bryan Holt and Amahl Arulanandam of VC2 have been busy actively promoting the possibilities. Arrangements of familiar favourites, VC2\u2019s own creation \u2018Incipio\u2019, with works created by Andrew Staniland, Dinuk Wijeratne, Fj\u00f3la Evans, Giovanni Sollima, and Matt Brubeck \u2014 a world premiere \u2014 are an ideal chance to sink into this peculiar combination. Info here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tallis Choir of Toronto: Songs of Sorrow<\/h3>\n

Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.
\nSt. Patrick’s Catholic Church (Toronto), 131 McCaul St., $15+<\/p>\n

TCT brings a varied collection of sorrowful lamentations from Bach, Elgar, and Herbert Howells for this Saturday evening. This 36-voice a cappella ensemble have been honing their craft since 1977, having brought many intimate concerts over the years, and St. Patrick\u2019s, nestled (quasi-hiding) from the bustle of University Ave and Spadina, where the city never sleeps, feels like an ideal combination to bring some reflection and stillness into our lives. Join in as that most magical and accessible soundscape of the human being \u2014 the voice with nothing else \u2014 tells stories that cannot be spoken simply through words. 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 March 2 to 8, 2026. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":122163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,74,10,11,76,19,3895,21,38,63,72],"tags":[41983,4559,6554,40498],"yst_prominent_words":[8345,17730,27118,6616,10330,7650,12857],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-CRITICS-PICKS-2026-03-02T095256.180.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vMl","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122161"}],"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=122161"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122165,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122161\/revisions\/122165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122161"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=122161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}