Toronto Summer Music is back for real with the festival running from July 7th to 30th.  There are 26 main stage concerts plus the ReGENERATION and shuffle concerts and the community programmes.  The main stage line up has now been announced and here’s my curated pick:

July 7th at 7.30pm at Koerner Hall – Opening night: The Folk Influence

Hosted by Tom Allen, the 2022 Festival Opening Night concert features a program inspired by folk music. The lineup includes Nicolas Namoradze (piano), Yura Lee(violin), Martin Beaver (violin), Juan-Miguel Hernandez (viola), Nicholas Canellakis (cello), soprano Mireille Asselin, and Steven Philcox (piano).

July 11th at 7.30pm at Walter Hall – Appl & Rieger in recital

Baritone Benjamin Appl and collaborative pianist Wolfram Rieger with an evening of Lieder.  Further details to come.

July 13th at 7.30pm at Walter Hall  – Zuleykha

Loose Tea Music Theatre presents the world première of Zuleykha, a concert opera by Afarin Mansouri; sung in Farsi and featuring traditional Eastern music.  Set in biblical times, Zuleykha upends the traditional narrative of Potiphar’s wife as a sinner and seducer of the Prophet Joseph.

July 21st at 7.30pm at Isabel Bader Theatre – Echo Chamber Toronto: Poetry in Motion

Echo Chamber Toronto performances intertwine live chamber music and dance in new choreographed works. This evening features music, poetry and dance choreographed by choreographer William Yong.

July 26th at 7:30pm at Walter Hall – New Orford String Quartet: The Americas

The New Orford String Quartet performs with mezzo-soprano Marion Newman.The program includes works by Dvořák, Ian Cusson, Jesse Montgomery and Carmen Braden.

July 27th at 7.30pm at Walter Hal – Gryphon Trio with Marion Newman and Nordic Voices

Mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, Norway’s Nordic Voices and the Gryphon Trio present a tapestry of vocal and instrumental music including Dvořák’s DumkyTrio, Solbøn by Lasse Thoresen, a world premiere by Eliot Britton, and Carlo Gesualdo’s Renaissance masterwork O vos Omnes.

July 28th at 7.30 pm at Koerner Hall – Inspirations

Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin joins the TSM Festival Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Ellis. Ellis. They will perform a chamber version of Mahler’s 4th Symphony, along with a new commission by Keiko Devaux.

Of course there’s lots more piano and chamber music and details of the ReGEN and shuffle concerts is yet to come.  More details at torontosummermusic.com.