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The Orchestre Métropolitain and María Dueñas
In November, the illustrious Yannick Nézet-Séguin will interpret Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 with his Orchestre Métropolitain. Known as the Leningrad symphony, the piece became a symbol of hope during the Second World War. Also on the program is Halvorsen’s Violin Concerto, which will be interpreted by the young Spanish violinist, María Dueñas (Nov. 17 and 18). www.orchestremetropolitain.com
Gala des Jeunes Ambassadeurs et Ambassadrices Lyriques
The Gala des Jeunes Ambassadeurs et Ambassadrices Lyriques will take place in the Concert Hall at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal (4750 Henri-Julien Ave.). This benefit concert will feature the laureates of the JAL program, as well as young international singers, accompanied by the OperaLAB Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Louise-Andrée Baril. Following the gala, 12 directors of international opera companies will offer the young performers auditions, concerts, internships, and engagements at their opera houses (Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m). www.l20.ca
Ladies’ Morning Musical Club
This December, the Ladies’ Morning Musical Club welcomes the Hermitage Piano Trio to the stage. Named after the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the ensemble captures the grandeur and esteem of the institution—and their Russian lineage—with their interpretations of Russian masterworks, in the central-European style, alongside contemporary commissions. Based in New York, the trio has recently signed with Reference Recordings. Violinist Misha Keylin, cellist Sergey Antonov, and pianist Ilya Kazantsev are sure to delight Montreal audiences with their program, which is yet to be announced (Dec. 3). www.lmmc.ca
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal presents three particularly exciting events before the new year. First up, Rafael Payare and the orchestra will be joined by pianist Javier Perianes for a program of South American music. In the first half, audiences will be treated to Argentinian Ginastera’s Variaciones concertantes, Op. 23, and the Montreal première of Jimmy López Bellido’s piano concerto, Ephemerae. The evening will conclude with Ravel’s Boléro, and Hector Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas brasileiras No. 8 (Nov. 22 and 23). Come December, the orchestra will perform Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, conducted by Payare, featuring guest artist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who will take on the work’s complex, virtuosic piano part (Dec. 5 and 6). Finally, Hervé Niquet will conduct a holiday special. Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ will feature tenor Cyrille Dubois in the role of the Narrator, Julie Boulianne as Ste. Mary, baritone Gordon Binter as St. Joseph, bass-baritone Robert Gleadow as Herod, and bass Tomislav Lavoie, singing A father of the family. The OSM chorus will round out the evening, prepared by chorus master Andrew Megill (Dec. 19). www.osm.ca
GALILEO
Conducted by Daniel Constantineau, Galileo, formerly known as the Orchestre symphonique de la Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent, specializes in the historically informed performance of symphony works from the 1730s to the 1930s. They bring this repertoire to the Montérégie-West region, in configurations ranging from 15 to 55 musicians. This year, they will perform Haydn’s Creation as a holiday treat. Led by Constantineau, the performances at Église Sainte-Rose-de-Lima in L’Île-Perrot will feature Jean-Pascal Hamelin as co-director, alongside soprano Andréa Núñez, tenor Philippe Gagné, and baritone Dion Mazerolle (Dec. 23). www.orchestregalileo.com
Orchestre symphonique de Québec
In November, conductor Clemens Schuldt will lead the Orchestre symphonique de Québec in two programs. On Wednesday evening (Nov. 29), the orchestra, pianist Claire Huangci, and students from the University of Laval and Conservatoire de musique de Québec will interpret Clyne’s Masquerade, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan.” The following morning, they will perform Rachmaninoff’s Preludes No. 2, 5, and 7, paired with the “Titan” Symphony, at the Grand Théâtre de Québec (Nov. 29 and 30). www.osq.org
Orchestre symphonique de Laval
To celebrate the 100th birthday of the late, great Maria Callas, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval will kick off the new year with a performance of Italian operatic favourites. Conducted by Simon Rivard, the program will feature excerpts from Verdi’s La Traviata and Nabucco, as well as Bellini’s Norma. Kirsten MacKinnon will take on the responsibility of bringing these great soprano arias to life, and will be joined by tenor Matthew Dalen, bass-baritone Alexandre Sylvestre, and the Choeur de Laval, prepared by chorus master Dany Wiseman (Feb. 28). www.osl.ca
National Arts Centre Orchestra
In November, the National Arts Centre Orchestra will interpret Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration) at Southam Hall, alongside Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4, as interpreted by renowned horn player Felix Klieser. Conducted by Alexander Shelley, the program will also feature the world premières of Kevin Lau’s The Infinite Reaches and Kelly-Marie Murphy’s Dark Nights, Bright Stars, Vast Universe, both of which were commissioned by the NACO (Nov. 22 and 23). Switching things up, the NAC Popular Music & Variety program will welcome jazz singer and composer Holly Cole, who will perform seasonal favourites off two of her most well-loved holiday albums, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and Christmas Blues (Dec. 13). www.nac-cna.ca
Tapestry Opera
Toronto’s Tapestry Opera Company is halfway through its run of the award-winning Rocking Horse Winner. Composed by Gareth Williams, with libretto by Anna Chatterton, the contemporary adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s short story is directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, with musical direction by Kamna Gupta. Tenor Asitha Tennekoon will sing the role of Paul, alongside Lucia Cesaroni as Ava, Peter McGillivray as Bassett, Keith Klassen as Oscar, and Midori Marsh, Alex Hetherington, Anika Venkatesh, and Korin Thomas-Smith as “The House.” Produced in association with Crow’s Theatre, the Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning piece is not to be missed (Nov. 1-12). www.tapestryopera.com
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra kicks off its holiday season with an appearance by Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, who will lead the orchestra in a performance of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, which evokes images of the countryside, rife with Czech dances. The concert will also feature a performance by the 2022 Honens Piano Competition laureate, Ukrainian Illia Ovcharenko, who will play Liszt’s First Piano Concerto; as well as the Canadian première of Zoltan Almashi’s Maria’s City. The concert will be preceded by a performance by the Ukrainian Art Song Project, featuring mezzo-soprano Andrea Ludwig, tenor Benjamin Butterfield, and pianist Steven Philcox (Nov. 16 and 18). Later in November, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas will return to the TSO to present a program that includes Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, in C-sharp minor, alongside Berg’s Seven Early Songs, sung by TSO 2023-24 Spotlight Artist, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo (Nov. 22, 24, 25). At the end of the month, the orchestra will interpret Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, as compiled by guest conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, alongside the prelude to Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and Marjan Mozetich’s Bassoon Concerto, performed by TSO bassoonist Michael Sweeney (Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1, 3). www.tso.ca
Slow Rise Music
Sopranos Natalya Gennadi, Midori Marsh, McKenzie Warriner, and Shantelle Przybylo will join forces with VC2 Cello Duo, set designer Jessica Hiemstra, music director Jo Greenaway, and sound designer and composer Tristan Zaba to present Here Be Sirens. The concert, which will take place at Toronto’s historic Tranzac Club, is presented by Slow Rise Music, an ensemble founded by Warriner and Zaba, aimed at commissioning and performing new works by Canadian composers in the hopes of exploring the human voice. The program will highlight Kate Soper’s 2012 Here Be Sirens, alongside pieces by Ashley Seward, Kathryn Knowles, Aida Khorsandi, and Paul Lessard (Nov. 18). www.slowrisemusic.ca
Esprit Orchestra
Esprit Orchestra will close out the first half of their 2023-24 season with Circle Maps, at Koerner Hall. Conducted by Alex Pauk, and featuring soloist Kevin Ahfat, who will play Valentin Silvestrov’s Postludium, the program will include the Canadian première of Kaija Saariaho’s Circle Map, for orchestra and electronics, and Lithuanian composer Žibuoklė Martinaitytė’s Millefleur. Vito Žuraj’s Api-danza macabra, meanwhile, will receive its North American première (Nov. 30). www.espritorchestra.com
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