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Photo courtesy of VSO

Newswire | VSO Announces First European Tour

By Newswire on 4 February 2026 Arts Industry, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Newswire, Orchestral, West

Vancouver, BC — The Grammy and Juno-award winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is embarking on its first-ever European tour in April 2026 with an exclusive invitation as the Orchestra-in-Residence at the prestigious Salzburg Easter Festival. Under the leadership of Maestro Otto Tausk, the tour represents a rare and extraordinary opportunity to elevate the VSO’s international profile among the world’s great orchestras and affirm Canada’s place as a nation of music and culture. Performing at the renowned Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg during the Easter Festival will mark a milestone in the VSO’s 107-year history. The European tour will take place from…

Newswire | Concours musical international de Montréal Announces 24th Edition Violinists

By Newswire on 4 February 2026 Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Strings, Violin

Montreal, February 4, 2026 – The Concours musical international de Montréal announces the 24 violinists selected for its 24th edition, which will take place from May 27 to June 4, 2026, at Bourgie Hall and the Maison symphonique. Before a prestigious international jury, the selected artists will converge in Montreal to live an exceptional experience and the chance to distinguish themselves on the international stage. The 2026 edition brings together some of the most remarkable violinists of the new generation. This year, the Concours once again garnered considerable international interest, with 250 applications of outstanding quality received from 37 countries,…

Photo: Anna Shvets

An Open Letter from CQM: Music Education in Schools

By Caroline Louis on 3 February 2026 Arts Industry, Education, Newswire, Quebec City

Music is at the heart of our culture and plays a vital role in children’s development. Numerous studies confirm the benefits of learning music for a child’s development and the resulting psychosocial benefits such as socialization, empathy, concentration, and perseverance. Yet, its teaching in Quebec’s elementary and secondary schools is going through a critical period. For several years, the professional music community has observed a worrying decline in music education and laments its lack of value, monitoring, and documentation. Several announcements last spring attest to the decline of music education, notably the reduction of the music-study program at La Camaradière…

Newswire | Toronto City Opera Announces 2026 Macina Voice Competition Finalists

By Newswire on 2 February 2026 Art Song, Music Competition, Newswire, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Toronto, ON – Toronto City Opera (TCO) is thrilled to announce the eight finalists selected for the third annual Macina Voice Competition. The highly anticipated event, set for February 21, 2026, will feature some of Canada’s most promising young opera singers as they compete in front of a live audience for cash prizes and future performance opportunities. This year’s competition saw a record-breaking 150 video submissions from talented vocalists across the country. After careful deliberation, the TCO artistic staff has chosen the following finalists to perform in the live competition: ● Camila Montefusco – Mezzo-Soprano ● George Theodorakopoulos – Baritone…

Photo: Bobby Maruvada & Michel Cloutier

SHARON!: A Musical Revue of Sharon Azrieli’s Life

By L. I. Liganor on 2 February 2026 Montreal, Opera, Vocal

This February, soprano Sharon Azrieli is going on another adventure—a one-woman musical revue about her life called SHARON!…a musical celebration of a somewhat interesting life…mostly Canadian. Born of an idea conceived with friend, Tony Award-winner Warren Carlyle (the show’s director and choreographer), the project has been a labour of love for the past year and a half. Originally designed as a 90-minute show, it has been pared down to 60 minutes of non-stop singing and dancing. The evening will showcase phases of Azrieli’s life that has included being an opera singer, a single mother and a cantor. Various musical genres…

Claude Vivier, Dieter Ammann and Aziza Sadikova

Esprit Orchestra: Heat Efficiency

By Emma Yee on 2 February 2026 Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Contemporary, Toronto

For their March 26 program, Heat Efficiency, Esprit Orchestra offers an international bill of composers, from Canadians Nicholas Ma and Claude Vivier to the Swiss Dieter Ammann and Uzbekistani Aziza Sadikova, whose work will be heard in Toronto for the first time. The concert opens with Nicholas Ma’s Memory of a Breath, his second commission with Esprit after last season’s Hijinks, which marked the composer’s first time working with a professional orchestra. According to Ma, Conductor and Artistic Director Alex Pauk encouraged him to “push [himself] further, trying out things that [he] hadn’t done before” in an effort “to provide…

Soundstreams: Offering a Way In

By Catherine Kustanczy on 2 February 2026 Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Choral, Classical Music, Musical Theatre, Opera, Toronto

Soundstreams founding Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney admits the ensemble’s current season has its share of “big themes,” but he’s equally excited about the music by which they’ve been inspired. The Toronto-based company is presenting a series of ambitious spring concerts that mix big ideas and deep musicality. Soundstreams was founded in 1982 with a mandate “to strengthen public engagement with new Canadian music and music theatre/opera through commissioning, developing, producing, and disseminating that music.” Throughout its history, the organization has introduced audiences to a variety of new voices, showcasing Canadian composers and performers within innovative and often inspiring contexts. Much…

Sheila Jaffé: OSQ’s New Concertmaster

By Justin Bernard on 2 February 2026 Orchestral, Quebec City

On Oct. 22, 2025, Orchestre symphonique de Québec (OSQ) announced the appointment of Sheila Jaffé as concertmaster, a position previously held by Darren Lowe from 1987 to 2018. Since 2022, the position had been filled on an interim basis by Catherine Dallaire, who is none other than Jaffé’s mother’s cousin, as well as her former teacher at Conservatoire de musique de Québec during her teenage years. After a lengthy selection process and a three-week trial period, Sheila was chosen for the position. “Sheila is an artistic partner of rare sensitivity, open-minded and curious, with a remarkable stylistic richness,” says OSQ…

Jan Lisiecki. Photo: Christoph Köstlin

Pro Musica: Jan Lisiecki Traverses a World (of) Dance

By Kaitlyn Chan on 2 February 2026 Classical Music, Interviews, Montreal, Piano

For its 77th season, Pro Musica presents Les Grands Romantiques, a tribute to romantic masterpieces and the modern-day artists who bring them to life. Its three series—Cartes blanches, Mélodînes, and Sur la route—welcome seasoned and young performers, with concerts in Montreal and Bromont. The Cartes blanches series begins with Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki’s World (of) Dance (Feb. 22). This new program is inspired by dances from across Europe and Latin America. Lisiecki recently premiered the program in Steinfurt, Germany, in January. “The first time is always the one that gives you the most trepidation,” says the pianist. “It was a…

Thirteen Strings. Photo: Anastasia Krachkovskaya

Thirteen Strings: 50 Years in the Community

By Kaitlyn Chan on 2 February 2026 Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Interviews, Ottawa, Strings

Founded in 1976 by conductor Brian Law and string players from the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra celebrates 50 years of music-making this year. The 13 string players, accompanied by highly-acclaimed guests, present an innovative anniversary season, featuring new commissions and collaborations with friends of the orchestra. A proud member of the Ottawa community, Thirteen Strings keeps its local impact—and plans to build even stronger connections—the focus of its 2025-26 anniversary season. Last season, the orchestra moved to a more democratic leadership model with a committee of principal players, some board members, and Executive and Artistic Director…