The Toronto Symphony’s 2024/25 season is the usual mix of mainstream symphony/concerto rep, Pops, film music, kids’ concerts etc.  My sense is that it has got more “popular” since the pandemic and that therefore there’s been less that’s caught my eye.  That’s my story anyway!

There are some concerts of interest to me though in the 2024/24 season though; curiously mostly in November.  The four that caught my eye were the following:

• November 6th and 7th: John Adams conducting a programme mostly of his own music including a vocal contribution from the excellent Anna Prohaska; the season’s featured artist, of whom I am a big fan.
• November 16th and 17th: Shostakovich and Sibelius.  It’s the respective Violin Concerto no.1 and Symphony no. 1 with Sokolović’s Concerto for Orchestra also included.  That’s a trio of composers that will get me to a symphony concert!
• November 21st/22nd/23rd: A largely Bartók programme with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
• March 20th and 22nd next year: Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Prohaska as soloist.

The full season brochure with all the concerts and subscription information is here.

VOICEBOX announced a three production season with the usual Sunday afternoon slots.  The theme is “diversity” which I suppose could be applied to any three operas with nothing in common!  They are:

• October 27th 2024: Gluck Alceste:  I have only seen Alceste in a production by Robert Wilson which may explain my impression that it’s Gluck’s most boring!
• January 12th 2025: Puccini La Rondine:  It’s decent Puccini and it’s not done as much as it might be.
• April 6th 2025: Beckwith Taptoo!:  I saw the CCOC production in 2012 and declined to write a review.  I have a lot of respect for the late John Beckwith but I would not have chosen Taptoo! to commemorate a notable career.