This year’s Toronto Summer Music festival is titled Voices Within and includes the expected eclectic mix of vocal and chamber music with a few surprises.  There’s also the Academy Program, the Shuffle concerts, Community Choir and so on.  Last night the main stage line up was officially announced.  It’s quite exciting.

There are four concerts at Koerner Hall of which the opening night is the big event in my book.  July 11th sees Bill Christie, les Arts Florissants , Compagnie Käftig and some very good soloists in a fully staged performance of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.  Off with a bang!

The other Koerner concerts feature Ukrainian pianist Vadym, Kholodenko in a Prokofiev heavy programme (July 18th), the Canadian Brass (July 25th) and an all Beethoven concert under the baton of Simon Rivard featuring the Violin Concerto in D Major and the “Eroica” Symphony (Aug 1st).

The Art of Song mentors this year are Dame Sarah Connolly (recently awarded a D.MUs honoris causa by my alma mater) and Joseph Middleton.  They have a recital in Walter Hall on July 16th featuring Mahler’s Rückert Lieder as well as songs by Berg, Schoenberg and more.  Also very exciting.  There’s also an appearance at Walter Hall on July 15th by the New Orford Quartet with Mozart and Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” plus the premiere of a new piece by Ian Cusson.

Other Walter Hall concerts include Brahms and Schoenberg sextets on July 12th, Trio Zimbalist on July 17th, an all Schubert concert on July19th, music for piano quintet on July 26th, Jonathan Crow and Philip Chiu (of course) on July 29th with a programme including works by Raum and Saariaho, a recital by Centre Stage winner Elisabeth St. Gelais with Louise Pelletier (and more Ian Cusson!) on July 30th, the Pacifica Quartet on July 31st with a program of Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Dvořák and finally a concert for chamber orchestra on August 2nd featuring works by Beethoven and Causson.

The less orthodox stuff includes Breathings on July 22nd at Walter Hall.  Constantinople and Indigenous guests explore “breath” as the centre of the musical act.  The following night, at Walter Hall, Schmaltz and Pepper (TSO clarinetist Eric Abramowitz and friends) present a programme of original Klezmer and Yiddish music.  The following night at Church of the Redeemer violinist David Baik headlines a concert of baroque concerti.  That’s a lot of music.

The tough bit is going to be deciding what I don’t have the energy to go to!  There’s way more information including ticketing details at https://torontosummermusic.com/