Singer

Rejoice greatly! Jean-Sébastien Vallée leads your TSO and the vibrant voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir along with four outstanding soloists in a resplendent rendition of Handel’s beloved oratorio. Gather friends and family for Toronto’s grand musical holiday tradition—a majestic performance that will leave you singing "Hallelujah!"

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Messiah

David Pecaut Square

No festival would be complete without a generous sampling of Bach’s matchless vocal music, and our final concert How Brightly Shines will not disappoint. We’ll hear two settings of the beautiful chorale “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” (“How brightly shines the Morningstar”), one by Johann Kuhnau, Bach’s predecessor at the Thomas Kirche, and one by Bach himself. The artistry of guest soloist Yeree Suh will be featured in several arias, and there will be other cantatas to bring the festival to a joyous conclusion - not to be missed!

How Brightly Shines

Eastminster United Church

When Bach arrived in Leipzig in late May of 1723 he came prepared to show the city what he could do as the director of music. The high point of the 2023 festival will be a celebration of the first cantatas that Bach performed in the principal churches of the city in the weeks after his arrival. As these works amply demonstrate, it was an auspicious beginning to a period of extraordinary creative output which saw the composition of over 100 cantatas in the course of the next  four years. Join us as we celebrate this turning point in Bach’s life with some of his greatest cantata creations - not to be missed!

Leipzig Cantatas

Nicholas Burns, Voice

Trinity-St. Paul's United Church

A warm welcome back to Dutch soprano Josefien Stoppelenburg, who first performed at the Festival in 2018 in the role of Angelica in the semi-staged performance of Handel’s Orlando. Josefien is joined by the exciting young Canadian countertenor Nicholas Burns—who regularly performs across Europe and North America—for some truly divine music, including the famous aria “Piangerò” from Giulio Cesare and duet “Io t’abbraccio” from Rodelinda.

The Festival’s artistic director Elizabeth Blumenstock provides lively and entertaining narrative throughout the performance to share the stories of the opera extracts.

Festival Finale: A Handel Gala

St. Mark Presbyterian Church

The Early Baroque era of Italian music brought a zenith of dramatic and technical display in the hands of new generations of virtuoso singers and instrumentalists. Composers and performers united in their course of revealing new depths of expression, color, and theatrical effects through music that is immediately thrilling and enthralling.  From the delicate and spatial interplay of three violins in Marini’s Sonata in Ecco to the full-throated and lovelorn dramatic vocal works of Monteverdi — including two epic narratives from his Madrigals of Love and War — this is a program that moves from mystery to magic and from the sacred to the secular.  Headliner works are Isabella Leonarda’s entrancing Sonata XII, Monteverdi’s Magnificat a 6 from the Vespers of 1610, and the same composer’s powerfully arresting setting of Torquato Tasso’s Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. An ensemble of evocative ABS artists brings this passionate music to light in a program featuring vocal and violinistic fireworks. 

Nicholas Burns

Countertenor

Events

Past events

17 - 22 Dec, 2024

Messiah · Toronto Symphony Orchestra

May 26, 2024

How Brightly Shines · Toronto Bach Festival

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