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In our 23rd season, and continuing our residency as the professional opera company at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts, Opera York offers two exciting productions for our main stage with the Opera York Chorus and Orchestra. Our season opens with great Canadian singers in a traditional production of Verdi’s La Traviata, with Natalya Gennadi – Violetta; Kijong Wi – Alfredo; Diego Catala – Giorgio. Music director is Denis Mastromonaco and stage director is Penny Cookson.

Opera York’s second half of the season is led by music director Geoffrey Butler, in a full production of Lehar’s classic The Merry Widow: Sara Papini plays Hanna Glawari, and Douglas Tranquada plays Count Danilovits. Special this season: The Opera York Children’s Chorus presents “Aladdin” in May.

Opera York continues to provide affordable and accessible lectures, operatic concerts for seniors and educational programming. Nov 1 and 3: Verdi’s La Traviata, Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts. February 28 and March 1: Lehar’s The Merry Widow, Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts.

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Opera Atelier is a world leader in the rediscovery and revitalization of period opera and ballet, particularly works from the Baroque era. Through their historically-informed productions, founding co-artistic directors Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg seek to provide a thrilling theatrical experience for modern audiences. 

Opera Atelier presents a two-opera season in Toronto, and tours internationally. The company is dedicated to the education of youth and young artists, and offers a robust slate of education, enrichment and outreach opportunities. 

Opera Atelier’s 2019/20 “Season of Saints and Sinners” features Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Ed Mirvish Theatre (October 31 to Nov 9) and Handel’s The Resurrection at Koerner Hall (April 11 to 19). Visit our website for more information.

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Celebrating its 25th anniversary season, Off Centre Music Salon re-creates the magical, inclusive atmosphere of the Viennese and Parisian Salons of the 19th century. Music is intimately shared, with each concert telling a story and creating personal connections for the audience and performers alike. Dedicated to the discovery and development of young, professional musical talent, Off Centre concerts include voice and instrumental performances. Repertoire is rarely, if ever, repeated.

The theme of our 2019/20 season is “The World of Yesterday.” We will begin with our 25th annual “Schubertiad” in October and build on the theme of waltzes in our November concert. In April, we will present a Beethoven-themed concert. We will wrap up our 25th anniversary season in June with a concert entitled “Intersections,” enabling us to reflect and explore old times through new performances.

Please join us at our home in Toronto, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre to take a slow meander through the world of yesterday.

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The Oakville Choir for Children & Youth (formerly known as The Oakville Children’s Choir) holds fast to its mission of providing world-class choral, musical and performance training to young people in Halton, where it has become a comprehensive music education program for over 260 auditioned choristers, ranging in age from four through 25 years. The OC presents three to four self-produced concerts annually for the community, each featuring all levels of choir plus a guest artist. In addition, the choir performs at workshops, provides guest appearances at community functions, collaborates with other choirs and arts groups in Ontario, and tours internationally.

Theory, musicianship, vocal coaching and workshops with professional artists are all components of the choral program. Competitions and touring also add to the choristers’ experience, as well as the choir’s wide range of repertoire, diverse concert programming and its high standard of performance.

The OC gives back to its community by developing youth, partnering with other groups, bringing music to seniors and hospitals, offering bursaries to families in need, supporting other charities, participating in community events, providing educational outreach initiatives, and encouraging volunteering.

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Entertaining Oakville, Burlington, and Mississauga since 1984, the Oakville Chamber Orchestra (OCO) performs favourite classics, contemporary music, and rare gems, in various locations, including the Oakville Centre. This season features “Beethoven & Friends” on October 5 and 6; “The Fun Classics” on November 16 and 17; “4 Elements & 4 Seasons” on February 29; and, rounding out the season, “Upbeat!” on April 25 and 26. Founded as a group of amateur string players, the OCO has steadily grown in size and quality to become the well-loved and exceptional orchestra it is today. The OCO enriches Oakville’s cultural landscape by sharing a passion for chamber music, helping local, amateur musicians of all ages develop their artistry, and promoting Canadian soloists. In addition to bringing scintillating chamber music to the doorsteps of Oakville residents, OCO musicians play at charity, private and corporate events, and participate in community outreach. OCO’s annual Youth Concerto Competition is recognized for fostering exceptional talent. Details are available on the OCO website, and tickets are available at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office.

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Nocturnes in the city, in its 19th season, started originally as concerts for the Czech community at the Prague restaurant in Masaryktown, Scarborough. After a few years of four to six classical and jazz concerts per season, the classical portion of our program moved to the cozy and acoustically superb St. Wenceslaus Church in downtown Toronto - and we present seven concerts this season.

We’ve presented singers such as Eva Urbanová, Zdenek Plech, Gustáv Beláček, and John Holland; pianists Antonin and Karolina Kubalek, Adam Piotr Żukiewicz, Boris Krajný, Martin Karlíček; clarinetists Joaquin Valdepeñas and Peter Stoll; the Kocian, Prazak and Zemlinsky quartets; great jazzmen such as Emil Viklický, George Grosman, Drew Jurecka, Miro Letko, Joe Musil and Martin Kratochvíl; conductors Jiří Bělohlávek and Kerry Stratton, as well as music lectures by Iain Scott and Catherine Belyea.

The highlights of the next season include: violinist Ivan Ženatý; the Dvořák piano quartet with Slávka Vernerová Pěchočová; and a solo recital by pianist Radka Hanáková.

It is one of the least expensive concert series (a subscription for all seven concerts is only $100) and great catering will be provided after the concerts. Visit our website for all of the information.

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Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation marks its 26th season under the continuing leadership of artistic director Eric Robertson. Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation has presented a rich variety of concerts for Toronto audiences, including its popular weekly recital series, as well as international groups such as King’s College Cambridge Choir, Clare College Singers and St. John’s College Choir. It has also featured Canadian artists including Erica Goodman, Colin Fox, Beverley Johnston, John McDermott, Sharlene Wallace, Anne Lindsay, John Johnson, the True North Brass, the Gryphon Trio, and NEXUS.

Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation is also involved in the “City Carol Sing,” a large annual charity event that raises money for food banks across Canada. Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing the best in inspirational arts programming. It is governed by an elected volunteer board of directors and operates with the assistance of advisors from a variety of backgrounds, including event management, promotions, finance and business. 

Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation, in cooperation with Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, begins its 2019/20 season in September with its weekly Lunchtime Chamber Music series.

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newchoir is Toronto’s first adult rock choir. Entering our 15th season, newchoir specializes in performing choral arrangements of rock and pop songs accompanied by a rock band and other professional instrumentalists to support the sound. Members are auditioned for the ensemble and come from across the GTA to rehearse every Monday night at the Church of the Redeemer (161 Bloor West). newchoir presents two concerts each season, with the final concert of the season being at Koerner Hall. The choir invites a well-known Canadian artist to collaborate with for the Koerner Hall show. This gives the membership the opportunity to work with a professional musician and to actively support musicians in this genre of music. newchoir is committed to promoting and working with Canadian talent as an active member of the arts community.

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2019/20 begins an exciting new adventure for New Music Concerts as it embarks on its 49th season. Brian Current comes on board as co-artistic director with founder Robert Aitken and, along with new general manager Adam Scime, prepares to take us boldly into our second half century. Here are some season highlights. “Kasemets@100” is a celebration of Estonian-Canadian composer Udo Kasemets, in cooperation with the University of Toronto, Nov 12. “Aitken@80” features works written for the world-renowned flutist by a number of world-renowned composers, on December 8. “The Mouths That Roar” features Gabriel Dharmoo’s solo performance piece Anthropologies imaginaires, and works for soprano performed by 2018’s Friend of Canadian Music Award-winner Janice Jackson, on January 10. Brian Current curates “Serious Smile” on February 13 featuring György Ligeti, Alexander Schubert, Keiko Devaux, Corie Rose Soumah and Brandon Chow. The PEP ensemble (pianist Corey Hamm and erhu virtuoso Nicole Ge Li) perform works created especially for their unique ensemble on March 26. And the season concludes on May 31 with a portrait concert featuring renowned German composer/conductor Matthias Pintscher. 

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The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is a 21-voice SATB professional choir based in Toronto, dedicated to performing Afrocentric music of all genres, including classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk and blues. Founded by artistic director Dr. D. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor in 1998, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is Canada’s premier performer of Afrocentric composers and a touchstone for the education of audiences and communities regarding the full spectrum of Afrocentric choral music. The mission of the Nathaniel Dett Chorale is to build bridges of understanding, appreciation and acceptance between communities of people through the medium of music. The Chorale has a Toronto concert season, tours extensively each season and has released several CDs and DVDs.

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is artist-in-residence at the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas at York University. Membership is by audition. The 2019/20 season will include Great Joy II: Around the World - a jazz/gospel Christmas; the opera Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom by American composer Nkeiru Okoye; the premiere of God’s Trombones - a song cycle by the Canadian pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear; and collaborations with local choirs.