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Quebec
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal will begin their season with Rafael Payare conducting Schoenberg’s Guerre-Lieder. This musical saga with narratives of jealousy, damnation, and salvation opens OSM’s 90th season with a post-Romantic staple. October brings the melodic lyricism of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 as Osmo Vänskä returns to the podium. Concerts on Oct. 30 and 31 leave the 20th century and return to the core of Romanticism with Simon Trpčeski performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto and Sibelius’s first symphony, both conducted by Vasily Petrenko. The monumental works continue in November—now paying special attention to the climate crisis—with Bruce Liu presenting Scriabin’s piano concerto alongside Canadian Iman Habibi’s Jeder Baum spricht (Every Tree Speaks) and Strauss’s Alpine Symphony. January sees Payare return to the podium to conduct pieces by Gustav and Alma Mahler. Tchaikovsky’s works star in the next concerts, with Sergey Khachatryan making his OSM debut playing Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto and Tianyi Liu returning to conduct Tchaikovsky’s tormented Symphony No. 5. Payare ends the season with a return to the notion of human impact and existence, premièring OSM’s commissioned work by Andrew Balfour, Ian Cusson, and Ana Sokolović. Their Work for Voices and Orchestra concerns the fragility of human life and is sung in Indigenous languages. The world première is followed by Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, continuing to sound perpetual dreams of renewal. www.osm.ca
Orchestre Métropolitain marks director Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s 25th season as artistic director in 2024-25. The season’s title Here to Play highlights this quarter-century of togetherness. This notion of triumph is not lost in the season opener when Nézet-Séguin and the orchestra embark on a Beethoven Marathon. Four concerts over three days will explore all of Beethoven’s symphonies, rounded out with a première piece from a winner of the Beethoven Heritage Competition. November brings Virginia Woolf’s timeless character Orlando to life through a theatrical adaptation directed by Lorraine Pintal, featuring music from across history. Timelessness is revisited in March 2025 when Christian Blackshaw performs the clear—yet emotionally profound—Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24. This anniversary season comes full circle with a final concert on June 15 programming Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” symphony, a piece from Nézet-Séguin’s debut program 25 years ago. www.orchestremetroplitain.com
The 41st season of I Musici de Montréal promises to bring audiences on an exhilarating voyage through musical landscapes. Beginning on Sept. 26, Maxim Rysanov leads a program starring the viola in J. Woolrich’s Ulysses Awakes for Viola and Ten Solo Strings followed by Mozart’s Symphony No. 25. The latter half of the season promises a plethora of key and exciting works with Bartók’s Divertmento for String Orchestra on Jan. 30 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition on March 6. The season closes with a verve similar to when it opened, featuring Julie Triquet as soloist in Vivaldi’s renowned Four Seasons. www.imusici.com
Orchestre symphonique de Québec launches their season with Clemens Schuldt conducting a program featuring Bruce Liu performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, followed by Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Anna Sułkowska-Migoń will take the podium in October for a concert of Verdi, Grieg, and Mendelssohn. A monumental concert is set for Nov. 6 and 7 including Schubert’s “Unfinished” symphony and Mozart’s Requiem. Prior to a holiday show on Dec. 13 and 14, whirling dervish and Sufi musicians join the orchestra for works by Makdissi-Warren, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, and Vézina on Dec. 4 and 5. The spring concerts will feature a host of renowned musicians, including Louis Lortie playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 (Feb. 19 and 20), Jean-Guihen Queyras performing Shostakovich’s Cello concerto (April 2, 3), and Marc-André Hamelin playing Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto (April 17). www.osq.org
The Orchestre classique de Montréal has announced an exciting 85th season, which pairs old favourites with new works to discover. In partnership with Opéra de Montréal’s Atélier lyrique, they will open the season with an operatic program which includes Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, and Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium (Oct. 8). Next up, they will present works by Fauré and Ravel, in new orchestral arrangements by Francois Vallières. Led by conductor Andrei Feher, the concert will feature baritone Jean-François Lapointe (Nov. 20). The first half of the season will conclude with Handel’s Messiah (Dec. 12). In celebration of Black History Month, the OCM will spotlight the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, George Walker, and William Grant Stills in a concert with soprano Suzanne Taffot (Feb. 6). Trumpeter Paul Merkelo and conductor Adam Johnson will take the stage for an evening of jazz music (Feb. 25), while the orchestra will partner with Jeunesses Musicales Canada for an afternoon of classical music for young people (April 6). This 85th season will come to its conclusion with an homage to Leonard Bernstein (May 2), and finally, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (May 31). www.orchestre.ca
Toronto
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra kick-starts the 2024-25 season with an invigorating program: Carlos Simon’s Wake Up! Concerto for Orchestra is set to be conducted by Gustavo Gimeno alongside works by Beethoven and Mussorgsky. October brings a spirited collection of pieces by Rossini, Stravinsky, Mozart, and Strauss before Jukka-Pekka Saraste steps up to the podium conducting Mozart’s Requiem (Oct. 9-12). Guest conductor John Adams will conduct his own works in November alongside Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso. Bartók’s works then take centre stage as the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir joins the TSO for a program featuring the little-known pan-tomime ballet The Miraculous Mandarin (Nov. 21-23). The TMC and TSO collaborate again in December for five nights of Handel’s Messiah (17-18, 20-22). The new year begins with the “New World” as Anja Bihlmaier takes the podium to conduct Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (Jan. 9, 11-12). Esteemed pianist Emanuel Ax will then perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 on a program also including Tippett and Strauss. A February highlight includes Jan Lisiecki undertaking the formidable task of performing all five of Beethoven’s piano concertos (Feb. 5, 6) before returning later in the month to play Chopin’s first piano concerto in a program with Lutosławski and Bruckner (Feb. 21, 22). In March, Gimeno returns for a program featuring Paradis, Mozart, Haydn, and Mahler (March 20, 22), prior to a concert in April including Takemitsu, Kevin Lau, Saint-Saëns, and Ravel (April 9, 11). A highlight toward the season’s end features Beatrice Rena presenting Ravel’s piano concerto and Gimeno conducting Mozart’s “Jupiter” symphony (June 4, 5, 7, 8). www.tso.ca
Rachel Podger
Tafelmusik opens by welcoming new Principal Guest Director, Rachel Podger, with an all- Mozart Program (Sept. 27-29). Amandine Beyer arrives to lead a concert of Lalande, Muffat, Jacquet de la Guerre, and Rameau in October, followed by Ivars Taurins directing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in late November. After the holidays, the quintessential baroque spirit is captured in a concert including Handel, Purcell, Bach, and Reichenauer. Then, the power of the oboe is unleashed as Alfredo Bernardini leads an oboe-forward concert of Fasch, Telemann, Handel, and Bach (Feb. 21-23). The May concerts spotlight Tafelmusik’s musicians in a program of Telemann, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Bach (May 2-4). Finally, Samuel Mariño returns after a successful 2023 debut to lead opera arias and orchestral sinfonias by Mozart, Bologne, Salieri, Haydn, and Gluck (May 23-25). www.tafelmusik.org
Espirit Orchestra’s devotion to presenting new orchestral music continues in 2024-25 with an opening concert on Nov. 27, including two Canadian premières of works by Gabriella Smith and Julian Andersen alongside the North American première of Bent Sorensen’s It is pain flowing down slowly on a white wall. Feb. 23 sees a number of exceptional Toronto soloists return to Koerner Hall. This concert will also host the Canadian première of Steve Reich’s Runner. Espirit’s Spring New Music Festival covers the remainder of their season, highlighted by a visit to Toronto by esteemed guest composer Vito Žuraj from Slovenia and North American première of the Esprit co-commissioned Anemoi. The festival closes on April 17 with a world première of James O’Callaghan’s new work for orchestra, electronics, and projected video. www.espritorchestra.com
The Royal Conservatory of Music is bringing another jam-packed season to its audience with more than 80 scheduled events. Orchestral highlights include a visit by the Czech Philharmonic playing Dvořák and Mahler, and concerts by the Royal Conservatory Orchestra featuring Chopin, Mussorgsky, Brahms and Sibelius. Guest conductors include Tania Miller and Naomi Woo.www.rcmusic.ca
Ottawa
The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra has two major concerts set for their 2024-25 orchestra series. The first concert on Sept. 22 welcomes Sean Rice to the podium for a set of pieces by Barber, Bartók, and Haydn. Thaddeus Morden will take a soloist role for Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2. In February, conductor Jean-Michel Malouf will be joined by the future winner of the 2024 Senécal prize to stage Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. www.ottawasymphony.com
The National Arts Centre Orchestra will welcome several esteemed artists to the stage this season. First, Jeremy Dutcher and the orchestra celebrate five years of Dutcher’s award-winning album (Sept. 13). Soprano Renée Fleming then brings her album Voices of Nature to life with the NAC on Sept. 20. Renowned violinist Hilary Hahn plays Brahms’s violin concerto in November alongside works by Saariaho and Nielsen, then pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins conductor John Storgårds for works by Polevá, Beethoven, and Elgar (Feb. 5, 6). On May 1, Gemma New makes her NAC debut for a concert of Fisher, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky. These soloist-forward concerts are just a sampling of what the NAC has on offer this upcoming season. www.nac-cna.ca
Western Canada
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra begins their season with pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko making his ESO debut playing Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto. October follows with a program all about new music, with live performances from Sarah Slean’s Juno-nominated album Ecstasy. Then, Jessica Cottis takes the podium for a program of Romantic staples including Vaughan Williams, Schumann, and Hahn. In the new year, ESO welcomes Naomi Woo for a program of Mozart, Sibelius, and Zosha Di Castri. In May, Karen Kamensek makes her ESO debut with a collection of heralded pieces by Tchaikovsky, Bartók, and Clyne. www.edmontonsymphony.com
An unlikely pairing starts the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s season as Steve Hackman presents his unique fusion of Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony and more than 20 songs by Canadian rapper Drake (Sept. 7). The orchestra then celebrates Bruckner’s 200th birthday with Rune Bergmann taking the podium for Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 and Bernstein’s Serenade (Oct. 18, 19). Mozart’s birthday is then spotlighted as an aptly named program showcases his 38th symphony and the Mass in C Major. In April, Naomi Woo leads a concert of Schubert, Vaughan Williams and Gipps, followed by a grand season finale where Rune Bergmann conducts Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony. www.calgaryphil.com
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is set to offer a plethora of concerts this upcoming season. Highlights include VSO Music Director Otto Tausk conducting Morlock, Rachmaninoff, and Stravinsky in September. Alpesh Chauhan steps up to the podium to lead a concert with works by Zoltan Almashi, Chopin and Elgar in March. Tausk returns in May for a concert featuring Kelly-Marie Murphy, Bartók, and Beethoven. These concerts are a mere glimpse of VSO’s 2024-25 offerings. www.vancouversymphony.ca
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