TORONTO (April 3, 2025) Roman Borys, Artistic and Executive Director announced details of Music TORONTO’s 2025-26 Season today. The season programming fulfills Music TORONTO’s commitment to three pillars – concerts, artistic development, and community engagement and education.
“In addition to presenting great concerts featuring celebrated musicians and early career artists who are capturing the world’s attention, Music TORONTO’s investment in artist and audience development initiatives ensures that chamber music remains essential within the performing arts ecology of our very culturally diverse city,” said Roman Borys, Artistic and Executive Director.
New this season, Music TORONTO launches the MUSE series (music unveiled, stories, explorations) with three presentations on Sunday afternoons that take audiences on a journey of musical discovery and deeper learning.
Community Engagement and Education initiatives for the 2025-26 Season include school concerts, Listen Up! elementary school residency program in partnership with the Gryphon Trio and Chamber Factory, seniors’ concerts in partnership with Concerts in Care, and Rob Kapilow’s engaging What Makes it Great? presentations. Artistic Development activities for 2025-26 include Master Classes at U of T and RCM, performance opportunities for emerging artists in the COSE(Celebration of Small Ensembles) Series, and career development workshops through COSE Residences. Visit www.musictoronto.com for full details.
Music Toronto 2025-26 Season
Download Repertoire
Ehnes Quartet
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Lauded by The Strad as an “all-star quartet” with an “extraordinary sense of oneness” the Ehnes Quartet, established in 2010, features renowned violinists James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron. The quartet’s highly refined, seamless and expressive performances have captivated and delighted audiences across North America, Europe and Asia.
Tetzlaff/Tetzlaff/Doerken Trio
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This acclaimed European ensemble unites Christian Tetzlaff, one of Europe’s leading violinists, with his sister, cellist Tanja Tetzlaff, and the dazzling Kiveli Doerken for an evening of piano trio favorites. Originally formed in 2004 with pianist Lars Vogt, the trio found new energy when Doerken joined after Vogt’s untimely passing in 2022. This marks Music TORONTO’s first chance to experience this remarkable new incarnation.
Michelle Cann
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Grammy-Award winning pianist Michelle Cann is one of the most sought-after artists of her generation, lauded for her “sterling artistry” by Gramophone and described as “technically fearless” and “a compelling, sparkling virtuoso” by critics. ). Since her Music TORONTO debut in 2022, she has been named the inaugural Christel DeHaan Artistic Partner of the American Pianists Association and received the Sphinx Medal of Excellence. This program explores the intertwined lives and works of Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms—three composers whose deep artistic and personal connections shaped the Romantic era.
J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow
MUSE Series
Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
In his late teens, J.S. Bach was as fiery as he was gifted. Determined to hear the great organist Dietrich Buxtehude, he set off on foot from Arnstadt to Lübeck —a staggering 400 km journey! CBC’s Tom Allen hosts a presentation featuring harpist Lori Gemmel, pianist Jamie Parker, accordionist Michael Bridge, violinist Yolanda Bruno, cellist Kevin Fox, and the genre-expanding soprano Patricia O’Callaghan in a thrilling, wide-ranging performance. Allens’ captivating production blends music and storytelling to bring this chapter of young Bach’s story to vivid life.
What Makes It Great® with Rob Kapilow, Isabella Perron violin with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra
MUSE Series
Sunday, December 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Rob Kapilow has rightfully earned the unlikely title of “celebrity music educator”! With sharp insights, boundless curiosity, and a deep appreciation for music’s emotional power, he has inspired audiences for decades. This time, he explores Spring and Summer from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, a masterpiece of musical storytelling. Rob’s gift for making music accessible – revealing hidden details – captivates novices and seasoned enthusiasts alike.
Gryphon Trio with Nordic Voices
Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Canada’s acclaimed Gryphon Trio teams up with the exceptional Norwegian a cappella ensemble Nordic Voices for an evening of musical exploration, featuring new works by living composers from Canada and around the world. This unique, once-in-a-lifetime concert presents four commissioned pieces by some of today’s most compelling and emotionally resonant composers, including world premieres by Andrew Balfour, Norbert Palej, and the North American premiere of Will Sing Life Again by Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak, a powerful setting of texts by Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Amelina. The program concludes with Scar Tissue—a major work created by Music TORONTO’s longtime composer-in-residence, Jeffrey Ryan, in collaboration with Giller Prize-winning author and poet Michael Redhill.
What Makes It Great® with Rob Kapilow, Gryphon Trio and Friends
MUSE Series
Sunday, February 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM
With infectious curiosity and a gift for revealing the deeper meaning within great works, Rob Kapilow has captivated audiences for decades. This time, Rob explores Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81, one of the most beloved works in the chamber music repertoire. The Gryphon Trio, joined by friends on violin and viola, brings this rich, folk-infused masterpiece to life as Rob unpacks its melodies, structure, and emotional depth.
Leonkoro Quartet
Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Described by critics as “perfectly unanimous, colourful and original” with “an enormous stage presence”, notable for their “freshness and fearlessness”, Berlin’s Leonkoro Quartet makes their Toronto debut. Brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, are joined by Amelie Wallner (violin) and Mayu Konoe (viola). Together they have garnered a series of prestigious accolades, solidifying their place among the most celebrated ensembles of their generation. They will perform a program of Haydn, Bosmans and Schubert.
Louis Lortie
Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has earned international acclaim for the fresh perspective and individuality he brings to the grand masters of the piano repertoire. For more than 30 years he has performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras in major concert halls, and he continues to be in high demand on five continents. Louis Lortie returns to Music Toronto with a captivating program featuring the piano ballade. Popularized in the 19th century, the piano ballade is a single-movement work that often incorporates a dramatic narrative arc. The form is remarkably flexible, so while the genre remains consistent, the emotional depth and variety of the compositions — as well as Lortie’s performance — will make for fascinating and a deeply satisfying evening. This concert features masterpieces by Fauré, Debussy, Brahms and Liszt.
Gryphon Trio, Hilario Duran Trio and Friends
Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Special Concert at Hugh’s Room (296 Broadview Avenue)
An evening of collaborative music-making focused on the vibrant Cuban tradition, where irresistible rhythms, fiery passion, and the visceral interplay between Classical and Jazz com to life. A revival of Music TORONTO’s previous Chamber at Lula collaborations.
Steven Isserlis and Connie Shih
Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Renowned British cellist Steven Isserlis teams up with Canadian pianist Connie Shih in this concert featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann, Kabalevsky and the Ritournelle by Czech composer Vítězslava Kaprálová. Frequent musical collaborators, the duo have captivated audiences at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Concertgebouw. Isserlis is acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, and he enjoys a unique and distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster. At the age of 9, Shih made her orchestral debut with the Seattle Symphony and later studied with the Curtis Institute of Music. She has since appeared extensively with orchestras throughout Canada, the US and Europe. She has given many solo recitals in North America, Iceland, Europe, Japan and China.
Penderecki Quartet 40th anniversary concert with Shad (the rapper) and Roman Borys, cello
Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:30 PM
One of the most celebrated chamber ensembles of their generation, The Penderecki String Quartet is renowned for its “technical excellence and emotional sweep” (The Globe and Mail) and as a devoted champion of the music of our time, having premiered more than 100 compositions. The PSQ has performed worldwide and toured extensively throughout Mexico, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil and across Canada. Since 1991, they have served as Quartet-in-Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University, helping shape one of Canada’s premier string programs. The concert program includes a world premiere created and performed in collaboration with Juno Award winners rapper Shad and composer Nicole Lizée. Roman Borys, cellist of the Gryphon Trio and Artistic Director of Music Toronto, joins the quartet to close the program with Schubert’s sublime Quintet in C Major.
All concerts (with the exception of the March 27 performance) are presented in the Jane Mallet Theatre of the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, ON M5E 1B4.
Subscriptions are on sale as of April 1 and start at $160 for a 3-concert series. To purchase subscriptions visit www.Music-Toronto.com or call the TOLIVE box office at 416-366-7723, 1, 1. Flex packages go on sale July 2. Single tickets go on sale August 5. Single tickets are $60 to $65. Students and minors can request free tickets at [email protected]. Adults accompanying minors 50% off. Additional service charges may apply to single tickets and subscriptions for telephone or internet sales. Single ticket orders can be made as of August 5 by calling the Box Office at the TOLIVE box office at 416-366-7723, 1, 1 or by visiting www.Music-Toronto.com.
Music Toronto receives essential funding support from Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Temerty Foundation, Azrieli Foundation, NAE Fund, and Ihnatowycz Foundation.
