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CRITIC’S PICKS | Ten Musical Outings You Absolutely Must Do This Week

By Michael Vincent on January 28, 2015

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Musical Toronto’s weekly Critic’s Picks are a fully curated list of some of the best concerts happening now through the end of the week. Of course 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’s available in and around Toronto, check out the comprehensive concert listings from our friends at Wholenote Magazine.

Thursday 29

Canadian Opera Company: Chamber Music Series at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Noon. Free!

Today’s noon hour series at the COC features Artists of the COC Orchestra Academy performing with mentors of the COC Orchestra in a program of various trinkets and charms from the chamber music repertoire. Details here.

Esprit Orchestra at Koerner Hall. 8:00 p.m. $20-65

Year-over-year, Esprit Orchestra continue to show their devotion to the future voices of art music. This week they continue with a strong program with Samuel Andreyev and Robert Aitken. The main draw however, is the Canadian premiere of Over Light Earth by the young Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason, who is one of the most talked about composers in the world right now. Not to be missed. Details here.

St. Lawrence Quartet at Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. 8:00 p.m. $10-55

The St. Lawrence Quartet are back in Toronto tonight performing: Haydn Discovery with Geoff Nuttall. The concert includes a new work by John Adams commissioned for the SLSQ. Tonight will also be a good opportunity to hear their new violinist Mark Fewer, who replaced outgoing violinist Scott St John last year. Details here.

Friday 30

group of 27 at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. 8:00 p.m. PWYC

The group of 27 are taking you on a journey that promises to leave a smile across your face. The super-group are collaborating with inspiring youth from the Regent Park School of Music in a concert which includes Dvořák’s Romance, Beethoven’s 12 Contredanses, Andrew Staniland’s Voyageur and Mozart’s Symphony 35 “Haffner”. You’ll find more info here.

Emergents II at the Music Gallery. 8:00 p.m. $8-12

One of Toronto’s most fascinating new music series continues tonight in a program curated by vocalist Felicity Williams. She has gathered an eclectic mix of musicians including Toronto-based bass player and composer Dan Fortin, songstress Robin Dann and visual artist Claire Harvie. Never a dull moment at the Music Gallery. Details here.

The Musicians in Ordinary at Fr. Madden Auditorium, Carr Hall, St. Michael’s College. 8:00 p.m. $20-30

It’s proving to be a very busy Friday for music in Toronto, but there is something for everyone today. Early music purveyors The Musicians in Ordinary present: Catholic “House Music” at St. Michaels: “The Cure for Religious Melancholy”. They combine John Dowland’s Lachrimæ or seaven teares figured in seaven passionate pavans for violins and lute with lute airs from his songbooks, consort songs and his psalm settings for the death of his friend Sir Henry Noel. More info here.

Saturday 31

Canadian Opera Company: Wagner’s Die Walküre at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. 7:00 p.m. $49-424

With the launch of Mozart’s Don Giovanni last week, the COC are running full speed ahead with a another production of  Wagner’s Die Walküre. Cast includes: Christine Goerke, soprano (Brünnhilde), Heidi Melton, soprano (Sieglinde),  Clifton Forbis, tenor (Siegmund), and  Johan Reuter, baritone (Wotan). The production runs through Feb 22. Tickets are selling fast. Make sure to check back for our review following the concert. Details here.

Sunday 1

Amici Chamber Ensemble at Mazzoleni Concert Hall. 3:00 p.m. $10-45

Amici Chamber Ensemble present Bohemian Contrasts, featuring works by Brahms, Schulhoff, Liszt, and Janáček. New Orford String Quartet will also make an appearance as a special guests. More info here.

Syrinx Concerts Toronto at Heliconian Hall. 3:00 p.m. $20-25

Syrinx Concerts Toronto highlight the feminine with their concert series, Celebrating Women in Classical Music. Oddly though, there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of females on the all male playbill which includes Purcell, Berlioz, Schubert, Schumann, and Alexander Brott. Details here.

Monday 2

University of Toronto Faculty of Music: New Music Festival at Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building. 7:30 p.m. Free!

U of T’s annual New Music Festival begins this week and will conclude on Thursday, February 5th. Tonight, features a chamber music heavy program by Anthony Green, Cristina Spinei, Daniel Nass, Luci Holland, John Winiarz and others. Info here.

Michael Vincent

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