Tag Archives: Koerner Hall

Virtuoso Shunske Sato takes Tafelmusik to the next level with Beethoven & Bologne

Posted on June 1, 2026 by barczablog

Descending the stairs after the final Tafelmusik concert of the season at Koerner Hall, walking slowly behind older audience members, a woman beside me glanced over, eyes glowing, wanting to share her experience. She had to talk. And so we … Continue reading →

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JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and JS Vallée

Posted on March 27, 2026 by barczablog

Wednesday March 25th I attended the concluding performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Koerner Hall by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the TMC Baroque Orchestra led by Jean-Sébastien Vallée. This massive work is the perfect celebration of … Continue reading →

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Tafelmusik Messiah sounds new through the drama of live performance

Posted on December 20, 2025 by barczablog

While there’s something comforting in being able to return to a classic text year after year, I always hope to find ways to make it a fresh experience. Tafelmusik’s first 2025 Messiah on Thursday December 18th at Koerner Hall had … Continue reading →

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Discovering the brilliant virtuoso Tony Siqi Yun

Posted on November 24, 2025 by barczablog

“I am a lucky guy.” That’s my mantra as a person seeking to live a life of gratitude: and sometimes it has proven to be true. My friends Gary & Bill left town for a family bris, giving me tickets … Continue reading →

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Mendelssohn Choir — Brahms German Requiem

Posted on November 9, 2025 by barczablog

Friday night Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & Musicians of Kitchener – Waterloo Symphony presented Brahms German Requiem in a sold out Koerner Hall to rapturous applause. I had been initially concerned that this massive work employing a big choir & orchestra … Continue reading →

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Rethinking Mozart 40 & Schubert 5 with Rachel Podger and Tafelmusik

Posted on September 27, 2025 by barczablog

Friday night was an exciting beginning to the Tafelmusik concert season led by their charismatic Principal Guest Director Rachel Podger featuring works of Mozart & Schubert, a concert to be repeated Saturday & Sunday at Koerner Hall. The spectacular performances … Continue reading →

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Missing comes east to Toronto

Posted on July 25, 2025 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music presented a single concert performance of the opera Missing, from a libretto by Marie Clements and a score by Brian Current, to a full Koerner Hall. This was its first appearance in Eastern Canada after having been … Continue reading →

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George Li: virtuosity in the service of good taste

Posted on July 18, 2025 by barczablog

Tonight I had the pleasure of making my first acquaintance with pianist George Li, courtesy the Toronto Summer Music Festival, in an excellent concert at Koerner Hall. The four big works on the program plus the pair of encores all … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier bring David and Jonathan to Toronto

Posted on April 10, 2025 by barczablog

Opera Atelier brought their opulent 2022 Versailles production of Marc Antoine Charpentier’s 1688 opera/ballet David and Jonathan to Koerner Hall in Toronto. Artistic Director Marshall Pynkoski reminded us last night in his pre-show speech that the company began forty years … Continue reading →

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Tafelmusik get Podger who gets Mozart

Posted on September 28, 2024 by barczablog

As I look at this stylish picture of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart I wonder. Through the decades I have been listening to his music there are a variety of approaches, sometimes so respectful as to put Mozart on an impossible pedestal. … Continue reading →

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