The Toronto Symphony Orchestra & More Lead BroadwayWorld's Hot Classical Musical Picks This Season

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As the weather gives us a reprieve from the summer heat and the seasons change, so begins another symphony season. From the poignant passion of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty performed by the distinguished Toronto Symphony Orchestra to the celestial chords of Audra McDonald in San Francisco, this season boasts an array of unforgettable performances.

Whether it's the illustrious Lang Lang taking center stage at the iconic Carnegie Hall or the heartwarming narrative of Itzhak Perlman's life journey, there's a symphony of experiences waiting for every music aficionado.

Dive deep into this musical mosaic with BroadwayWorld's guide to the most anticipated classical events of the season.

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Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty

Toronto - November 29th through December 3rd at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Experience the dramatic fantasy of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty with your Toronto Symphony Orchestra as compiled by guest conductor Maxim Emelyanchev! From ballet to orchestral suite, Tchaikovsky’s score for The Sleeping Beauty is one of his most beloved compositions and most difficult to edit down due to the massive volume of cherished numbers created. Revered for its dramatic fantasy and colourful orchestration, take delight in Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty to see how it got its enduring charm. Pairing this is Toronto Symphony Orchestra Principal Bassoon Michael Sweeney’s performance of the hauntingly beautiful Bassoon Concerto by Italian-Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich, which was written specifically for him. 

“Sweeney played with all the agility the music required and was especially impressive in drawing such a rich, burnished tone from the bassoon's lower register in the slow passages.”—The Toronto Star

This piece was commissioned and premièred by Sweeney in 2003. Don’t miss out on this intriguing soundscape, which merges new concepts with the familiar.

For tickets: click here.

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Beethoven’s Seventh

Toronto - October 25th through 29th at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Jonathan Crow takes on the fascinating Violin Concerto of György Ligeti in honour of the 100th anniversary of the composer’s birth. The work explores the outer limits of instrumental sound, combined with a hint of humour and the folk tunes of Ligeti’s native Transylvania. Opening the performance is the Canadian Première of Olga Neuwirth’s rhythmic, one-movement Dreydl, underlining the passage of time and destiny. Finally, Beethoven’s celebratory Seventh Symphony rounds out the program with an animated, harmonically energetic interpretation of unabashed joy, one that the composer himself described as “one of the happiest products of my poor talents.

For tickets: click here.

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An Evening with Lang Lang

New York - October 12, 2023 at Carnegie Hall

Orchestra of St. Luke’s kicks off its 2023–2024 Carnegie Hall series in very special fashion, with pianists Lang Lang and Gina Alice Redlinger joining in an eclectic program conducted by Jahja Ling. The orchestra shines in the energetic overture to Rossini’s Semiramide and Kodály’s quintessentially Hungarian Dances of Galánta, while the piano takes center stage in works by Saint-Saëns. His virtuosic Second Piano Concerto, performed here by Lang Lang, is arguably his most popular, and Carnival of the Animals is one of the most constantly delightful works in the classical repertoire.

For tickets: click here.

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Violinist Itzhak Perlman in Concert

New Jersey - October 8, 2023 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

Get a glimpse behind the music that defined a generation. Itzhak Perlman has solidified his place as the world's reigning violin virtuoso with performances in everything from Schindler's List to Sesame Street, and even the inauguration of President Obama. An Afternoon with Itzhak Perlman is a multi-media program hosted by Perlman that leads the audience through his life with personal photos, clips, and music. Accompanied by longtime friend and collaborator, pianist Rohan De Silva, Perlman shines as he shares the compelling story of a young boy who became a household name.SUN Nov 5 @ 3:00 p.m. Midori and Festival String Lucerne Midori began her meteoric career as a violin prodigy. By age 12, she had left audiences around the globe standing and cheering. And The New York Times has declared "she is an artist of inspiring gifts." See the breathtaking Midori perform Schumann's romantic Violin Concerto with Festival Strings Lucerne in this concert also featuring music of Beethoven.

For tickets: click here.

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Violinist MIdori in Concert

New Jersey  -  November 5, 2023 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

SUN Nov 5 @ 3:00 p.m. Midori and Festival String Lucerne Midori began her meteoric career as a violin prodigy. By age 12, she had left audiences around the globe standing and cheering. And The New York Times has declared "she is an artist of inspiring gifts." See the breathtaking Midori perform Schumann's romantic Violin Concerto with Festival Strings Lucerne in this concert also featuring music of Beethoven.

For tickets: click here.

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Celebrity Series of Boston Presents Renée Fleming

Boston - November 12th at the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Renée Fleming is one of the most acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s greatest opera houses and concert halls. Her voice—full of richness, warmth, and complexity—has been compared to single-malt Scotch and wildflower honey, and, in recent seasons, she’s lent it to a fascinating array of projects, from Carousel on Broadway to Nixon in China in Paris to a Grammy-winning album about humanity’s relationship to the natural world. Don’t miss an evening of artistry with one of the great voices and arts ambassadors of our time!

For tickets: click here.

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Audra McDonald and the SF Symphony

California - San Francisco - November 29, 2023 through November 29, 2023 at Davies Symphony Hall

Acclaimed vocalist, actor, Grammy winner, and record-breaking six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald joins the San Francisco Symphony for a performance showing off her stratospheric talents. Experience this Broadway legend’s incomparable gift for dramatic storytelling in a must-see musical event.

For tickets: click here.

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Michelle Cann, Piano: The Women of Chicago's Black Renaissance

California - Los Angeles - January 17, 2024 at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Bram Goldsmith Theater

Making her recital debut at The Wallis, Michelle Cann performs a program of works by African American women composers. Sharing her passion for what she calls the “fantastic and beautiful music” of Florence Price, Cann will also play a suite by Margaret Bonds, the first African American to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and works by Irene Britton Smith and Betty Jackson King. It’s an inspirational evening as a world-class pianist introduces nearly forgotten gems of Chicago’s Black Renaissance. “A compelling, sparkling virtuoso” - Boston Music Intelligencer

For tickets: click here.