Before looking forward to next month I want to mention a couple of things this weekend that I haven’t previously noticed.  Saturday (Jan 25th) at 12.30pm there is a Met HD broadcast of new production of Aida with a pretty interesting looking cast.  Later, at 6pm there’s a rather special concert at the Arts and letters Club to celebrate the 100th birthday of Morry Kernerman (former assistant concertmaster of both the TSO and OSM).  The concert is presented by Canzona Chamber Players and wiull feature Trio Uchida-Crozman-Chiu.And so to February which is busy.

• On the 2nd at 7pm there is OPUS VI at Eglinton St. George United Church.  It features Opus Chamber Music and the Canadian Chamber Orchestra in an all Shostakovich programme.
• On the 5th at 7.30pm at Hugh’s Room there’s a performance under the auspices of Soundstreams of Kalaisan Kalaichelvan’s new work Poitu Varen.  It’s free but registration is required.
• The 6th is opening night for the revival of Kim’s Convenience at 8pm at Soulpepper. (Previews Jan 30th to Feb 5th.  Runs to March 2nd).
• The 6th is also opening night for What We Carry at Aki Studio.  That one runs until the 9th.
• Tenor Isiah Bell performs in the RBA at noon on the 11th and later that day at 7.30 pm Rachel Fenlon performs Schubert’s Winterreise, accompanying herself.
• The 13th is crazy.  Confluence Concerts have a Valentine’s concert at Heliconian Hall at 7.30pm (also on the 14th).  The Olivier nominated play People Places and Things by Duncan Macmillan opens at Coal Mine Theatre.  Previews are on the 9th, 11th and 12th and the play runs to march 2nd.  Also that evening Vivien Chong’s one woman show Blind Dates opens at Theatre Passe Muraille.  It runs to March 9th.
• On the 18th members of the COC Ensemble Studio compete for the Quilico Awards.  That’s free at 5.30pm in the RBA.
• On the 19th, Fat Ham; a reimagining of a possibly famous play by William Shakespeare, opens at Canstage Berkeley Street.  Previews are on the 15th, 16th and 18th and it runs to March 9th.
• From the 20th to the 23rd Tapestry Opera is reviving Luna Pearl Woolf and Royce Vavrek’s Jacqueline at the Betty Oliphant Theatre.
• On the 28th U of T Music’s France-Canada Academy of Vocal Arts present a free noon hour concert in the RBA.  Later that day Toronto Operetta Theatre have the first of three performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers at the Jane Mallett Theatre.  Also March 1st and 2nd.

And, of course, La Reine Garçon and Madama Butterfly continue at the COC into February.