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Montreal
Jeunesses Musicales
Jeunesses Musicales’ 2025-26 season is full of original children’s programming. Opéra Bon-Bon, an operatic retelling of the story of Hansel and Gretel, will be performed on Oct. 26. On Nov. 16, Rythmo-Rigolo, an interactive percussion concert, will get children drumming in a variety of ways.
Penguin musicians set the stage for this year’s Christmas concert, Le grand bal de Noël, on Dec. 7. On Feb. 8, La forêt des mélomanes takes children on a musical walk through an enchanted forest.
On March 22, three musicians and their puppets help children navigate the complex world of friendships—and the conflicts they may bring—in Et l’amitié, mes amours? The season caps off on May 10 with Koperkus par Duo Airs, a dreamlike concert for children ages 1 to 4 based on the music of French-Canadian composer Claude Vivier. www.jmcanada.ca
Tigouli
Tigouli, the brainchild of cellist Emmanuelle Lizère, is a company specializing in musical workshops and artistic performances for very young children. Le chemin aux mille pousses is a contemporary dance and music performance portraying a fantastical walk through nature. It receives several performances in various Maisons de la culture throughout the city.
Babula Laina, a show designed for babies (before walking age), will be performed as part of La Semaine des tout-petits on Nov. 20 at Chapelle Saint-Antoine in Longueuil. www.tigouli.com
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
The OSM’s season includes four concerts geared toward youth. On Oct. 26, young audiences are invited to experience the macabre melodies of Saint-Saëns and Grieg in a Halloween-themed concert. On Jan. 25, Olympic Symphony introduces audiences to the relationship between music and sport. Bal des Enfants on Feb. 14 is a day-long program of orchestral immersion, while OSM Carnival on March 22 explores the fascinating world of animals and insects through music. www.osm.ca
Place des Arts
Place des Arts’s two children’s series, Sons et Brioches (for ages 3 to 8) and Place des Arts Junior (for ages 5 to 12), combine theatre, circus, puppetry, music, and poetry. Aside from the already sold-out La forêt des mélomanes on Nov. 23, another musical show is Babouche on Feb. 1, which features four musical clowns, a cart full of instruments, and plenty of musical and verbal acrobatics. www.placedesarts.com
Quebec City
Grand Théâtre du Québec
Grand Théâtre du Québec has a vibrant selection of music, storytelling, dance, and theatre performances for youth this year. Musical offerings include: BAM Percussion on Oct. 19, which combines music and theatre to create a rhythmical new language; Nicolas Noël, a Christmas concert full of holiday songs, on Dec. 20 and 21; Sherloconte on Jan. 10, an interactive mystery tour in a 360-degree dome that guides children through visual, musical, and mathematical puzzles; and La Raviolimanie on Jan. 24, a musical in which Maria Cannelloni helps an injured restaurateur concoct the perfect sauce. www.grandtheatre.qc.ca
Ottawa
National Arts Centre
The NAC offers a variety of classical and contemporary children’s programming this year. On Oct. 5, children will be introduced to West African drumming by Fana Soro, a master of the craft. Music Under a Midnight Moon, on Feb. 15, is a theatrical concert artfully depicting a night in a junkyard, full of the catchiest orchestral hits. Why Sci-Fi, on May 3, features space-themed compositions performed by the NAC Orchestra, accompanied by galactic visual projections displayed on the NAC’s immersive NACOtron screen. Also on the program is the classic Peter and the Wolf on Nov. 16, as well as Jeunesses Musicales productions on Jan. 11 and June 14. www.nac-cna.ca
Toronto
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has several concerts for children, each offering a “relaxed” version specifically tailored to neurodiverse audiences. On Oct. 26, the TSO’s Halloween concert, Tricks, Treats n’ Tunes, offers a selection of spooky music. The Composer is Dead, on Nov. 16, is a musical mystery tale based on the writing of Lemony Snicket and contemporary composer Nathaniel Stookey. On April 19, She Holds Up the Stars invites listeners to experience the coming-of-age journey of a young Indigenous girl. Let’s Dance, on May 24, is an interactive performance inviting children to get up and move. For younger children, Symphony Storytime runs throughout the year and pairs TSO musicians with children’s books at various libraries across the city. www.tso.ca
Music and Truffles
Taking place at the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall, Music and Truffles is the ideal concert series for introducing children (ages 6 to 11) to classical music. The shortened (one-hour) concerts feature accessible repertoire and highly sought-after performers. This year, star cellists Bryan Cheng and Leonard Disselhorst perform a selection of world music in CelloFellos on Sept. 27. On March 22, TSO clarinetist Eric Abramovitz joins his colleagues in a program for clarinet and string quartet. www.mooredaleconcerts.com
Dan the Music Man
Dan the Music Man is a one-man musical band who sings about all kinds of child-friendly topics such as the alphabet, bubbles, and holes in the tub. This year, he will be performing at the Cabbagetown Festival in Toronto on Sept. 6 and 7. www.danthemusicman.com
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