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SekouMcMiller and Friends, Marielys Molina. Photo: Elyse Mertz

Fall for Dance North Announces 11th Annual Festival Lineup

By Newswire on 23 June 2025 Dance, Newswire, Scena Arts, Toronto

TORONTO, ON – Fall for Dance North (FFDN) unveils its 11th annual lineup, featuring a vibrant mix of more than 30 Canadian and international artists across eight distinct mixed programs, from October 15-26, 2025. Under the festival’s new leadership of Co-CEO’s, Festival Director Lily Sutherland and Artistic Director Robert Binet, and co-curated with FFDN 2025 Artist-in-Residence Esie Mensah and renowned Toronto Kathak dancer Tanveer Alam, FFDN’s 2025 season builds on its roots with an exciting new vision. Grounded by three dynamic signature mixed programs and supported by a series of intimate performance offerings, this year’s festival increases accessibility for the…

Brenna McFarland and cast in Opera 5's Elegies. Photo: Emily Ding Photography

Review | A Very New York Elegies at Toronto Opera Festival

By John Gilks on 16 June 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Elegies: A Song Cycle, by William Finn, is a series of songs in a musical theatre idiom dealing with bereavement and mourning. It’s a 2003 piece and firmly rooted in the trauma of the AIDS epidemic and 9/11. It’s very New York. Opera 5’s production (seen June 15) at Factory Theatre is fully staged (by Jessica Derventzis) and performed by artists from Opera 5’s Portfolio Artist Internship Program who mostly hail from McGill University. The extensive musical theatre training they have received is very evident in both their command of the required vocal style and their easy and energetic movement…

Photos left to right: Shoestring Opera; Georgina Rossi; SHHH!! Ensemble

Toronto Summer Music Announces Programming of their 20th Anniversary Free Concert Series

By Newswire on 14 June 2025 Newswire, Toronto

TORONTO (June 13, 2025) – Toronto Summer Music (TSM) announced programming details for the TSM Free Concert Series, presented by TD Bank Group (TD) at the 2025 Toronto Summer Music Festival, which runs July 10 to August 2. The TSM Free Concert Series, features 25 free events including Kids Concerts, Noon concerts, Masterclasses, Sensory-Friendly Concerts, Shuffle Concerts, and more. “We are grateful to TD for their continued and generous support of Toronto Summer Music which makes it possible for us to offer this diverse series of free concerts to residents and visitors to our city,” said Jonathan Crow, Artistic Director,…

Stewart Goodyear. Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Review | Stewart Goodyear’s Exuberant Caribbean Callaloo with TSO

By Andrea Rush on 2 June 2025 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Piano, Strings, Toronto

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra continues to thrive, playing to a packed Roy Thomson Hall on May 28, each part of the program receiving multiple standing ovations. Wednesday evening ticket holders could also enjoy a pre-concert offering with TSO Chamber Soloists Eri Kosaka, violin; Theresa Rudolph, viola; and Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron, cello. They were joined by the main concert’s soloist and Toronto native, pianist Stewart Goodyear to perform two of his own compositions, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and Piano Quartet. Goodyear’s trademark versatility and musicality opened the evening and shone throughout the rest of the night. As a whole, the program…

Michael Bridge, accordion. Photo: Sam Gaetz

Michael Bridge: Accordion Virtuoso

By Justin Bernard on 1 June 2025 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Popular Music, Toronto

One must have several talents to be an accomplished artist: technical skills that make you rare and sought-after, perseverance, vision, a sense of showmanship to give the audience an exceptional experience—and, in addition, the ability to adapt to life’s circumstances. In a nutshell, this is the philosophy and work ethic of Michael Bridge, who though Calgary-born and Toronto-based, has dedicated himself to the most Latin of musical instruments! “I’m generally the only one doing what I do,” he says of playing the accordion. And Bridge does it well. In June, he kicks off his summer tour in Edmonton at the…

Festival Bites: Insiders Dish on the Best Summer Festival Food Spots

By Kaitlyn Chan on 30 May 2025 Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, West

As the season of music festivals arrives, it is time to start planning transportation, lodging and, most importantly, where to eat. Eight artistic directors and performers weigh in on the best local spots. Here are our insiders’ picks of their favourite restaurants, cafés, and bars at summer music festivals across Canada. Early Music Vancouver’s Summer Festival Selections by Artistic and Executive Director Suzie LeBlanc www.earlymusic.bc.ca Favourite Spot for a Meal: Maenam “They have excellent food, ambience and service. A great place for a healthier meal with friends and collaborators.” Favourite Spot for a Drink: Notch8 Restaurant & Bar “(This is) a…

Samuel Mariño with Tafelmusik. Photo Dahlia Katz

Review | Samuel Mariño Caps Tafelmusik Season with Sheer Joy

By Michelle Assay on 27 May 2025 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

“I want to thank the musicians, and I want to thank you for accepting me for who I am … . When I’m in Canada, I always feel accepted, and free.” Samuel Mariño’s speaking voice is boyish, pure, and ever-so-melodious, and his words went down a storm. But it was his singing that had drawn the audience to the first of his three Koerner Hall concerts alongside the early-music ensemble, Tafelmusik on May 23. Venezuela-born and now based in Berlin, Mariño has that rarest of voices: the male soprano. As an adolescent his voice never fully broke, making him the…

The Royal Conservatory Mourns the Passing of John Perry

By Newswire on 25 May 2025 Classical Music, Piano, Toronto

TORONTO, May 23, 2025 The Royal Conservatory mourns the passing of accomplished pianist and longtime faculty member, John Perry. Known for his warm interactions with students, Mr. Perry was a beloved teacher and colleague at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School (GGS). His insight and passion for teaching made his master classes popular with students and members of the public alike. He also regularly served on juries for major piano competitions. Shortly after GGS was established in 1997, Peter Simon, the then President of the RCM, brought Perry into the fold. “John Perry was a pianist and pedagogue of extraordinary…

Asitha Tennekoon. Photo: Simon Karmal

Review | Asitha Tennekoon Interrogates the Immigrant Experience at WMCT

By John Gilks on 9 May 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Piano, Strings, Toronto, Vocal

Tenor Asitha Tennekoon’s May 8th recital at the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto explored the idea of Belonging. The first set, Vaughan Williams’ setting of six poems from Housman’s On Wenlock Edge explored a geographically settled but psychologically unsettled sense of self. The accompaniment of piano quintet (Steven Philcox, piano; Yolanda Bruno and Aysel Taghi-Zada, violins; Laurence Schaufele, viola and Amahl Arulanandam, cello) provided lots of colour for these sometimes lyrical, sometimes dramatic, but always death-obsessed poems. Tennekoon sang them with perfect diction and great expressiveness, navigating the tricky dialogue in “Is my team ploughing?” very effectively. Ian Cusson’s Where…

Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Gimeno. Photo: Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Review | Toronto Symphony Orchestra Explores AI

By Andrea Rush on 9 May 2025 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Toronto

Roy Thomson Hall was filled from the main floor to the choir loft on May 7. The concert program features two mammoth works. The first, a contemporary premiere exploring artificial intelligence. The second, a treasure that highlights the everlasting capability of music to express emotional intelligence . A pre-concert program offered in the lobby included Schubert’s Trout Quintet performed by members of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. The quintet is a challenging work. Kudos to the dedicated TSYO faculty coaches, performer members of the TSO who are also dedicated teachers: Shane Kim and Peter Seminovs (violin), Ivan Ivanovich (viola), Lucia…

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