The Royal Conservatory of Music has just announced a real live season for 2021/22. Covid restrictions will likely be in place for at least the first part of the season but hopefully will ease up at some point. There’s the usual eclectic mix of classical, vocal, jazz, world music etc so I’ll just cover the classical vocal stuff which is actually pretty exciting.  Let’s go through it chronologically.

• October 24th 2021 3pm Koerner Hall: Dover Quartet with Davóne Tines in a concert that includes Beethoven’s Op 130 quartet and Barber’s Dover Beach.
• November 6th and 7th 2021 7.30pm Mazzoleni Hall: Glenn Gould School Chamber Opera doing Ana Sokolović’s Svadba.
• November 27th 2021 8pm Koerner Hall: Stuart Goodyear with the Penderecki String Quartet, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Jonelle Sills, Beste Kalender, Zachary Rioux, and Korin Thomas-Smith in a programme that includes the world premiere of Goodyear’s Piano Quintet pus Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 in the Liszt piano transcription.

The 21C Music Festival kicks off on January 12th 2022 with Brian Current’s long awaited opera Gould’s Wall.  There are five performances in the RCM Atrium on the 12th at 8pm, 13th at 6pm, 14th at 8pm, 15th at 10.30pm and 16th at 6pm.  The other big vocal gig at 21C is on January 23rd at 3pm at Koerner Hall where Gerald Finley and Julius Drake will present the North American premiere of a new song cycle by Mark Anthony Turnage; Without Ceremony to texts by Thomas Hardy.  There’s also Schubert, Wolf and more.

And so into the back half:

• January 29th 2022 7.30pm Mazzoleni Hall: Glenn Gould School Vocal Showcase.
• March 16th and 18th 2022 7.30pm Koerner Hall: Glenn Gould School Spring Opera.  Handel’s Rinaldo.
• April 3rd 2022 2pm Mazzoleni Hall: Tenor Asitha Tennekoon in concert.
• April 19th 8pm 2022 Koerner Hall: Joyce di Donato in a programme titled Eden including songs from Purcell to a new commission by Rachel Portman.
• April 30th 2022 8pm Koerner Hall: Sir Bryn Terfel with Natalia Katyukova in a programme to be announced
• May 2nd 2022 7.30pm Temerty Hall: The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble conducted by Brian Current in a programme that includes the world premiere of Paul Frehner’s Sometimes the Devil Plays Fate for mezzo-soprano and chamber orchestra.
• May 15th 3pm Koerner Hall: Anne Sofie von Otter with Christoph Berner in a Schubert heavy programme of song.

So, all in all, a pretty exciting line up with some big names including the unmissable Bryn Terfel.  Most of the big name stuff is well into April/May next year so there’s a decent chance we’ll be back to full halls etc.  There’s full details of all the RCM’s line plus ticketing information at their website.