Here is what’s coming up.  Valentine’s day sees two vocal recitals.  At noon in the RBA there’s Clare de Sévigné and Rachel Andrist with The Truth about Love; the story of a young woman’s love gone awry.  At 8pm Ian Bostridge has an all Schubert program at Koerner Hall.  Thursday is also busy with members of the Ensemble Studio in a Russian program in the RBA at noon, a Johannes Debus masterclass at UoT at 2pm and Opera Trivia at the Four Seasons Centre at 7pm.  Then on Friday at 7.30pm in Walter Hall there’s a free concert; Vocalini, from the undergrads of the UoT Opera.  Also Thursday and Friday MYOpera have a couple of opportunities to see emerging artists.  There’s a public masterclass with Philip Morehead at 6pm Thursday at the Edward Jackman Centre and a concert at 7.30pm Friday at the Vandenberg House.

There ‘s not a lot on on the holiday weekend but Whose Opera is it Anyway?! is playing at the Bad Dog on Sunday at 9.30pm.  On Tuesday 20th Jane Archibald and Liz Upchurch have a free noon hour show in the RBA which promises Strauss.  I wish I could go.  Thursday 22nd sees the first performance of Tafelmusik’s presentation of Handel’s Alexander’s Feast at Koerner Hall at 8pm.  It’s also on Friday and Saturday with a Sunday matinée.  Soloists are Amanda Forsythe (soprano), Thomas Hobbs (tenor) and Alexander Dobson (baritone).

And that about wraps it for February.

Looking further out here are a few things for the calendar.  On March 9th at Trinity St. Paul’s Soundstreams are presenting Tan Dun’s Water Passion; a reimagining of Bach for soloists, choir and a small ensemble using a wide range of musical styles from throat singing to Bach to Peking Opera.

VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert will present the world premier of Victor Davies’ The Ecstasy of Rita Joe on Saturday, March 24th at 8 pm with a further performance on Sunday, March 25th at 2.30 pm at the St Lawrence Centre for the Arts.  Based on the George Ryga play it will feature Evan Korbut, Marion Newman, Michelle Lafferty, Everett Levi Morrison, and Rose-Ellen Nichols; all Indigenous Canadian artists.  Robert Cooper conducts.

In April Essential Opera are back after something of a hiatus.  It’s single performance of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts at 3pm on April 22nd.  There’s a full line up of soloists and orchestra (Orchestra Toronto with Kevin Mallon).

And a reminder that the TSO New Creations Festival runs March 3rd to 10th and festival passes are now on sale at tso.ca