Quatuor Bozzini (Photo: Michael Slobodian)
This is a list of concerts we are attending, wishing we could attend, or thinking about attending between March 16 and 22, 2026. For more of what’s happening around Toronto, visit our calendar here.
Canadian Opera Company: Vocal Series: 25th Anniversary Performance of Dean Burry’s The Brothers Grimm
Wednesday, March 18, Noon
Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, free
Since its premiere in 2001, Dean Burry’s delightful Brothers Grimm has clocked over 600 performances internationally, making it one of the most beloved of Canadian classical works. Rather than altering an adult thing to fit into children’s minds, Burry created work for children — and such a concept seems so natural once it comes into existence. After all, the most honest voices are children’s voices. Its continued success is significant, moving the story between the familiar characters of Rapunzel, Little Red Cap, and Rumpelstiltskin. Come with your littles, walk into the beautiful Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre — and appreciate these fairy stories for free. Info here.
Small World Music/Constantinople: DIALOGOS: The Sultan and the Bird
Wednesday, March 18, 8 p.m.
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, $30+
The world seems to be full of conflict, especially with screaming headlines and wars that keep burning with no hope of resolution. In contrast, the renowned Holland Baroque and ensemble Constantinople are presenting a program celebrating differences, inspired by the meeting of two very different men: Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kâmil. It is easy to forget that all things came from somewhere, and nothing stands on its own. As the dark ages left Europe petrified from the horror of the Black Death, and lost in the void left by the fall of Rome, the riches that flowed from Islamic culture and the East into Europe extended European intellect and arts to new heights, and we still see the glory of such amalgamation. The incredible Mezquita-Catedral of Córdoba, and Notre Dame de Paris still stand tall to tell the glorious conversation of these differences, and they wouldn’t exist without those Muslim scholars, mathematicians, and builders. So come and sit, and experience the glories of contrast, differences, and the search for beauty. Info here.
Royal Conservatory of Music: Glenn Gould School Spring Opera: Serenata Italiana
Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 20, 7:30 p.m.
Koerner Hall, $25+
The GGS Spring Opera is a double bill of fun: La cambiale di Matrimonio, and Gianni Schicchi. La cambiale, a Rossini operatic ‘farsa comica’ is about a proper runaround between young people in love, marriage contracts, and all silly things that stem from the conflict of wills; Gianni Schicchi, a sarcastic comic opera about inheritance, forgery, and the will of … the cunning Gianni Schicchi. These little operas are a lovely break from reality. Of course, all comedy stems from the funny — and the dark — sides of life, but when the days are laden with heavy news, perhaps the appropriate option may be laughter. And a bit more laughter. Read our Interview with director Stephen Carr and conductor Gordon Gerrard here. Info here for March 18, and here for March 20.
Soundstreams: Quatuor Bozzini: With Strings Attached
Saturday, March 21, 7:30 p.m.
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts — Jane Mallett Theatre, $40+
All neophiliacs, come out this Saturday, as Quatour Bozzini brings you fantastically new works. Through the Soundstreams Bridge Composers Program, six young composers — Alexander Bridger, Ana Maria Oancea, Ho-Chi So, Justine Leichtling, Liam Ross Gibson, and Lily Koslow — will present their works along the seasoned mentors Zosha Di Castri and Cassandra Miller. In this world of reviews, reviews, and more reviews, perhaps the idea of experiencing something that doesn’t have any reviews might feel bizarre — even mildly terrifying. However, when would be the next time that one might encounter something truly new in this commodified world? Don’t snooze on this chance, and come with plenty of curiosity. Read our Preview of the concert here. Info here.
Arkel Chamber Concerts: Four Temperaments
Sunday, March 22, 6 p.m.
Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, $40
Trio Arkel hosts this afternoon’s intimate concert with three guests: Monica Whicher, Yolanda Bruno, and Theresa Rudolph. For this Sunday, Trio Arkel have programmed rich chamber music for strings and voice, hitting on all four temperaments — sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic and choleric. Paul Hindemith’s Melancholie (1917-19), is a beautiful set of four songs. Marcus Goddard’s ‘Allaqi’ for String Quartet is a St. Lawrence String Quartet commission with inspiration drawn from the Inuit throat singing: Katajjaq. Borodin’s second string quartet is a perennial favourite — a love letter to his wife, it’s considered one of the most beautiful romantic quartets of the oeuvre. And, with a gentle ending, Holst’s Four Songs for Voice and Violin, this concert is a lovely way to wrap up the week, and re-centre before the bustle of another week to come. Info here.
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Anya Wassenberg is the Toronto City Editor at Ludwig Van. Previously, she was a freelance writer with a specialty in culture and travel for three decades, and a creative writing instructor for Ontariolearn.
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