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Ludwig van Toronto\u2019s weekly Critic\u2019s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. This is not to say we are the provocateurs of taste, but simply seek to provide a good weekly summary. For a look at the full breadth of what\u2019s available in and around Toronto, check out our curated concert listings\u00a0here<\/a><\/span>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Given it\u2019s the Holiday Season, there\u2019s a dearth of regular classical music programming.\u00a0 I am therefore combining two weeks\u2019 worth of entries. I wish all Ludwig van Toronto readers a happy, healthy and musically rewarding Holiday Season. See you in the new year!<\/p>\n Toronto Symphony Orchestra<\/span> | Messiah 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall. $49.75-$113. Repeats 8 p.m. on Dec. 19, 20, 22, and 23 (3 p.m.)<\/p>\n The TSO mega-Messiah<\/em> is back, and this time it has a particularly wonderful quartet of soloists in soprano Karina Gauvin, mezzo Krisztina Szabo, tenor Frederic Antoun, and baritone Joshua Hopkins, joined by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Matthew Halls conducts. | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Ballet J\u00f6rgen Canada<\/span> | The Nutcracker. 7:30 p.m. Betty Oliphant Theatre, 404 Jarvis St. $45-$62 Repeats Dec. 30 (2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) at Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham, ON.<\/p>\n An alternative to the large-scale National Ballet\u2019s Nutcracker<\/em> is Ballet J\u00f6rgen\u2019s touring show, to be performed at the National Ballet School\u2019s Betty Oliphant Theatre (Dec. 18) and the Flato Markham Theatre (Dec. 30). Choreographed by Bengt J\u00f6rgen to the beloved Tchaikovsky score. | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Elmer Iseler Singers<\/span> | Season of Joy.\u00a0 12 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall. Free.<\/p>\n The 21st<\/sup> Annual Free Noon Hour Choir and Organ Concert featuring the 20-voice Elmer Iseler Singers. Doors open at 11 a.m. and early arrival recommended for this free event. | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n National Ballet of Canada<\/span> | The Nutcracker. 7 p.m. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. Continues to Dec. 30. $39-$140. Check website for dates and casting. Some performances sold out.<\/p>\n The annual family favourite from the National Ballet opened on Dec. 9 and runs to Dec. 30. This James Kudelka version of Nutcracker<\/em> is refreshingly different, and lasts two hours with a single intermission. Dec. 19 dancers are Elena Lobsanova, Naoya Ebe, and Tanya Howard. | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Toronto<\/span> | Vesuvius Ensemble Christmas Concert. 8 p.m. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave.\u00a0 $25\/$20 (sr, st)<\/p>\n The Vesuvius Ensemble (tenor Francesco Pellegrino, oboist\/guitarist Marco Cera, lutenist Lucas Harris) is dedicated to the performance and preservation of traditional folk music from Naples and Southern Italy. This Christmas concert, Quanno nascette ninno: Christmas in Southern Italy<\/em> includes a Pastorale played on the zampogna (traditional bagpipes played by shepherds on Christmas Eve) by Tommaso Sollazzo and Romina Di Gasbarro. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Quartetto Gelato<\/span> | The Magic of Christmas.\u00a0 8 p.m. Trinity-St. Paul\u2019s Centre, 427 Bloor St. W. $25-$60<\/p>\n Quartetto Gelato\u2019s Christmas Concert includes virtuosi showpieces, gypsy tunes and original compositions, plus famous Christmas songs the likes of \u201cI\u2019ll be Home for Christmas\u201d, \u201cSleigh Ride\u201d and \u201cSilent Night.\u201d | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Roy Thomson Hall<\/span> | The Barra MacNeils: An East Coast Christmas. 8 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall. $29.50-$69.50.<\/p>\n Join the five MacNeil siblings \u2013 Lucy, Boyd, Stewart, Kyle and Sheumas \u2014 for their Christmas potpourri of traditional MacNeil family favourites, on a variety of instruments including the accordion, guitar, piano, fiddle, bodhran, mandolin, banjo, Celtic harp etc. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Toronto Operetta Theatre<\/span> | Candide. 8 p.m. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. E. $49-$95. Repeats Dec. 30, 31, Jan. 5, 6, 7. Check website for details and start times.<\/p>\n Toronto Operetta Theatre presents Leonard Bernstein\u2019s masterpiece, Candide<\/em>, with Tonatiuh Abrego in the title role, joined by Vania Chan (Cunegonde), Nicholas Borg (Voltaire), and Elizabeth Beeler (Old Lady). Derek Bate conducts. | Details<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Attila Glatz Concert Productions<\/span> | Bravissimo! Opera\u2019s Greatest Hits. 7 p.m. Roy Thomson Hall.<\/p>\n For an end-of-year opera fix, you can\u2019t do better than the annual Bravissimo! Opera\u2019s Greatest Hits<\/em>, with selections from the standard repertoire. Soloists are sopranos Barbara Bargnesi and Francesca Sassu, mezzo Carolyn Sproule, tenor David Pomeroy and baritone Massimo Cavalletti. Marco Guidarini, who also conducted last year\u2019s edition, leads the Opera Canada Symphony. $85-$145. | Listing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Want more updates on Toronto-centric classical music news and reviews before anyone else finds out? Follow us on\u00a0<\/i>Facebook<\/i><\/u><\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/i>Twitter<\/i><\/u><\/a>\u00a0for all the latest.<\/i><\/p>\n Classical music and opera events happening in and around Toronto for the week of December 18 to 31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":49924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6439,3895,63],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[14866,8345,14865,6892,14781,14337,8721,8718,14430,13922,14872,14863,14873,10287,6843,6674,14868,6683,14864,14870],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/12\/CP-latedec-2017.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-cYV","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905"}],"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\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49905"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49926,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49905\/revisions\/49926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49905"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=49905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Monday 18<\/h3>\n
Tuesday 19<\/h3>\n
Thursday 21<\/h3>\n
Thursday 28<\/h3>\n
Saturday 31<\/h3>\n
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