The Festival’s second all-Martinů event opens with one of the composer’s greatest choral works. A Czech-language cantata written to honor the Czech volunteers who fought in the French army, Martinů’s Field Mass had him blacklisted by the Nazis. Set to texts by Jiří Mucha, passages from Bohemian folk poetry, and lines from psalms and the liturgy, this powerful anti-war protest anticipates such later works as Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem and Leonard Bernstein’s MASS. Folk poetry is also the basis for Martinů’s Brigand Songs, which use Moravian tales of feudal tyranny to address the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The program concludes with the world premiere of the original French version of Martinů’s one-act opera Mariken de Nimègue (“Mary of Nijmegen”). Based on a medieval Dutch miracle play, and better-known in the later Czech version for which he won the Czechoslovak State Prize for Composition, Martinů’s original is set to French text by Henri Ghéon and features different orchestration as well as extensive original musical material that has never previously been published or performed.

Two of Bach’s most beloved cantatas, BWV 140 “Wachet auf” and 147 “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”, are paired with Telemann’s exuberant concerto for 3 oboes and 3 violins.

Two of Bach’s most beloved cantatas, BWV 140 “Wachet auf” and 147 “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”, are paired with Telemann’s exuberant concerto for 3 oboes and 3 violins.

Two of Bach’s most beloved cantatas, BWV 140 “Wachet auf” and 147 “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben”, are paired with Telemann’s exuberant concerto for 3 oboes and 3 violins.

The Johnstown Symphony’s season finale celebrates the strength of this community in overcoming adversity, and the way that beauty and faith guide us forward. Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony is his last symphonic statement, a work that is stunningly beautiful and expressive. Fauré’s Requiem is one of the most beloved choral works ever written – songful, soulful, and bringing us to a place of peace. The central movement, the Pie Jesu, will feature Piper Parlock, a young singer from the region.

“In the beginning…” Drawing on biblical texts from Genesis and the Psalms, as well as John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, Haydn moulded his gloriously tuneful and optimistic oratorio The Creation. Out of the chaos of darkness emerges light, heaven and earth, plants, animals, and humankind. Sung in English by a stellar cast of soloists and choristers, this milestone musical work from the Age of Enlightenment continues to enthral audiences, as joyful and life-affirming as a walk in a garden.

Continuing the tradition of an RES & ESO co-production. Messiah is a winter seasonal favourite. Tracing the life story of Jesus Christ in three sweeping sections to bring you comfort and joy.

Continuing the tradition of an RES & ESO co-production. Messiah is a winter seasonal favourite. Tracing the life story of Jesus Christ in three sweeping sections to bring you comfort and joy.

Experience the grandeur and glory of the holiday season with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra’s timeless presentation of Handel’s Messiah. Join us in St. John’s at the breathtaking Basilica of Saint John the Baptist for an unforgettable evening of musical splendor.

Experience the awe-inspiring oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn. Akin to an opera in its narrative power, Elijah features riveting choruses, soul-stirring arias, and intricate orchestration. From challenging kings to his ascent to heaven on a flaming chariot, Elijah’s story is filled with tenacity, courage, and drama. This performance showcases our chorus at their best, featuring thrilling and dramatic Bible scenes accompanied by beautiful music.

Experience the awe-inspiring oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn. Akin to an opera in its narrative power, Elijah features riveting choruses, soul-stirring arias, and intricate orchestration. From challenging kings to his ascent to heaven on a flaming chariot, Elijah’s story is filled with tenacity, courage, and drama. This performance showcases our chorus at their best, featuring thrilling and dramatic Bible scenes accompanied by beautiful music.

Experience the awe-inspiring oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn. Akin to an opera in its narrative power, Elijah features riveting choruses, soul-stirring arias, and intricate orchestration. From challenging kings to his ascent to heaven on a flaming chariot, Elijah’s story is filled with tenacity, courage, and drama. This performance showcases our chorus at their best, featuring thrilling and dramatic Bible scenes accompanied by beautiful music.

Hanns Eisler (1989-1962) was an important German composer whose work is seldom heard in the US. His story reflects the multiple and sometimes competing perspectives of 20th century history and politics. A German pre-war Communist who frequently collaborated with Berthold Brecht, Eisler emigrated to the US after his work was banned by the Nazi Party in 1933. In 1948 Eisler was blacklisted and deported from the US. He eventually settled in East Germany and would go on to write its national anthem, but would often find himself persona non grata again, writing music that was too experimental, too difficult, and too political for the Communist regime.

Among his peers, Berlioz was by no means the only eminent writer on music. Robert Schumann, whom he befriended in Germany, was a similarly influential critic with a comparably vibrant literary style; Ferdinand Hiller, Berlioz’s close friend for 40 years, corresponded with all the leading musicians of Europe; American pianist-composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk was another early memoirist; and Fanny Mendelssohn, as her correspondence reveals, was an astute commentator on musical life in Berlin. Felix Mendelssohn, with whom Berlioz made friends in Italy, was a true man of letters who met and impressed Goethe as a child, became a skilled amateur poet, and wrote some 8,000 letters in German, French, and English.

Program Eight brings these and other composers into focus through works including Mendelssohn’s posthumously published Second String Quintet and Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été. Set to poems by Berlioz’s friend Théophile Gautier, the cycle—a jewel of the art song repertoire—will be heard in its first incarnation, with each song sung to piano accompaniment by a different vocal soloist.

Musicologist Byron Adams explores the rich variety of songs heard in the Parisian salon. Featured composers range from Giacomo Rossini, the leading light of Berlioz’s youth, to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whom he met late in life in Russia; younger scions Georges Bizet and Gabriel Fauré; and Pauline Viardot, the mezzo-soprano who created the female lead in Meyerbeer’s Le prophète (SummerScape 2024’s mainstage opera) and whom Berlioz originally envisioned as Les Troyens’ Dido. He himself is represented by three songs from Irlande, a collection reflecting his feel for the cadences of Gaelic‐inspired verse.

Program Two helps contextualize Berlioz among his predecessors, mentors, and peers. One of his little-known chamber works will be heard alongside examples by Luigi Cherubini, under whose headship he chafed at the Paris Conservatoire, and Elias Parish Alvars, whom he considered “the Liszt of the harp.”

Also featured are Carl Maria von Weber’s Invitation to the Dance–the piano piece Berlioz orchestrated for his French adaptation of Der Freischütz–and operatic excerpts by his early composition teacher Jean-François Le Sueur, fellow Prix de Rome winner Ambroise Thomas, and Italian opera composer Gaspare Spontini, whom he dubbed “the genius of the century.”

The program’s centerpiece is the substantial yet underrated C-minor String Quartet of Berlioz’s Czech-born teacher, Anton Reicha.

Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan and collaborative pianist Erika Switzer perform a recital of Ludwig van Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte, Lieder by Robert Schumann and a song cycle by Canadian composer Jeffrey Ryan; Everything Already Lost commissioned by and written for these artists. Join us for an afternoon of heartfelt emotion and artistic mastery as this music is brought to life by Canada’s most sought-after recitalists.

The Elora Festival’s 45th Season opens with The Creation, Joseph Haydn’s masterpiece for choir and orchestra, that transports you to the dawn of time. Cheerful hosts of “cooing” birds, calls of tender doves, “nimble stags”, “sprightly steeds,” and “cattle in herds” make this the perfect work for Opening Night in the Elora Festival’s Gambrel Barn! The Elora Singers are joined by sensational soloists Claire de Sévigné (Gabriel & Eve), Isaiah Bell (Uriel), and Tyler Duncan (Raphael & Adam) and Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Bach’s cantatas are an endless source of inspiration, comfort and joy. We live in challenging times, and listening to Bach makes everything better. Join us for an afternoon with America’s leading baroque oboist, Debra Nagy, and two renowned Bach singers, Tyler Duncan and Clara Rottsolk, accompanied by a stellar band of baroque specialists. In these cantatas we’ll invite you to sing along in the chorales. Tekla and Debra conclude the program with Bach’s beloved concerto for oboe and violin.

North/South Consonance, Inc presents a special concert featuring first performances of four recent works by Christopher James.

Performers include baritone Tyler Duncan, violinist Claudia Schaer, pianists Marc Peloquin and Erika Switzer, as well as members of the North/South Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Max Lifchitz.

Admission is free.

The Amadeus Choir celebrates its 50th anniversary season with one of history’s most beloved oratorios, Haydn’s Creation.

We’ll be joined by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and incredible soloists for this unforgettable performance, which will be sung in English, Come and be swept away in the pure magnificence of this choral masterpiece.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a whirlwind of love, desire, and witty schemes set in opulent 18th-century Spain. The story follows the complex web of relationships between the Count, his young wife Rosina, their clever and charming valet Figaro, and his betrothed Susanna. As the plot unfolds, a series of passionate encounters, hilarious misunderstandings, and daring disguises ensue, all driven by a desire for forbidden romance and social equality.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a whirlwind of love, desire, and witty schemes set in opulent 18th-century Spain. The story follows the complex web of relationships between the Count, his young wife Rosina, their clever and charming valet Figaro, and his betrothed Susanna. As the plot unfolds, a series of passionate encounters, hilarious misunderstandings, and daring disguises ensue, all driven by a desire for forbidden romance and social equality.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a whirlwind of love, desire, and witty schemes set in opulent 18th-century Spain. The story follows the complex web of relationships between the Count, his young wife Rosina, their clever and charming valet Figaro, and his betrothed Susanna. As the plot unfolds, a series of passionate encounters, hilarious misunderstandings, and daring disguises ensue, all driven by a desire for forbidden romance and social equality.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is a whirlwind of love, desire, and witty schemes set in opulent 18th-century Spain. The story follows the complex web of relationships between the Count, his young wife Rosina, their clever and charming valet Figaro, and his betrothed Susanna. As the plot unfolds, a series of passionate encounters, hilarious misunderstandings, and daring disguises ensue, all driven by a desire for forbidden romance and social equality.

Works by Beethoven, Iman Habibi, Jocelyn Morlock, and Jeffrey Ryan. 

Works by Beethoven, Iman Habibi, Jocelyn Morlock, and Jeffrey Ryan.