Attending live performances of classical music is an important part of music education. To assist parents of Suzuki students in finding concerts that may be of interest I have again collected information about orchestras, chamber groups, musicals and choral groups performing locally. I have focused on performances in Burlington and Hamilton, and also included some groups in other areas of the Golden Horseshoe. There are a wide variety of classical musical performances in the area that I encourage you to explore.
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, www.hpo.org, performs a number of concerts throughout the year including a Masterworks series of Classical pieces and a Pops series of more contemporary music.
Another orchestra to consider is Symphony Hamilton, symphonyhamilton.ca.
The Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is made up of musicians ages 9-22. They perform at various locations throughout the Hamilton area. You can find their schedule at www.hpyo.com. Check the web site or call James Dean at 905-573-9094.
The Brott Music Festival can be found at www.brottmusic.com.
The Toronto Symphony presents many concerts, including a series of Young Peoples Concerts. You can find these at www.tso.ca/en-ca/Youth-Programs/young-peoples-concerts.aspx
Please see the web site of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for their extensive schedule at www.tso.ca.
Closer to home, the Oakville Symphony, www.oakvillesymphony.com, also performs throughout the year.
The Oakville chamber orchestra, www.oakvillechamber.org, is described as Oakvilles best kept musical secret. This group of amateur musicians performs chamber music and promotes Canadian composers and soloists. Their concerts are on Saturday evenings and repeated on Sunday afternoons.
If you are interested, check Guelph's youth symphony orchestra at gyso.ca.
You may also want to consider attending a performance of the Missisauga Symphony, considered one of the finest community orchestras in the country. See www.mississaugasymphony.ca for details.
Mississauga also has a youth orchestra that performs 3 major concerts a year. You can find them at www.myomusic.ca.
orchestrascanada.org is the home page for Orchestras Canada, an organization of all orchestra. Through the Links page you can access all member orchestras in Ontario. Check here for additional groups in Toronto and other cities in Ontario.
A series of Celebrity Concerts is organized by the McMaster University School of the Arts. These Friday night concerts feature small groups or soloists. For information, call 905-525-9140 x24246 or sota.humanities.mcmaster.ca and click on School of the Arts Concert Brochure. You can download the brochure directly at sota.mcmaster.ca/events/2014-15/EnsemblePoster.pdf but beware that it is a large pdf file. They are excellent value with top-notch performers in an intimate venue. While you are looking at the McMaster concert schedule, check out the McMaster Chamber Orchestra.
Chamber Music Hamilton performances take place in the Recital Hall of the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts. They have a new website, www.chambermusichamilton.ca. Performances feature world-class string trios and quartets. Tickets are reasonable--$10 for students, $27 for adults. Call 905-528-5628 for details.
Crescendo Concerts take place in the Artsplex Theatre at Hillfield-Strathallan College. Check
www.hsc.on.ca/crescendo/crescendo-concerts-welcome.
The Bach Elgar choir performs in Melrose United Church. They will be performing the Messiah in December, among other performances. See www.bachelgar.com.
Another choral group in the area is the John Laing Singers, 905-628-5238 or www.johnlaingsingers.com. They perform in Hamilton at Centra Presbyterian Church.
Theatre Aquarius is Hamiltons only professional theatre company. They are presenting Seussical in December. In May they will present, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, a musical for families. Call 905-522-7529 or check www.theatreaquarius.org
Theatre Ancaster performs in the Ancaster High School Auditorium on Jerseyville Road. Call 905-304-7469 or look at www.theatreancaster.com.
The Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble See www.cbye.ca.
The Hamilton Childrens choir, hamiltonchildrenschoir.com
