Pianist and composer Dinuk Wijeratne joins the Canadian Chamber Orchestra for his electrifying solo piano and string orchestra piece Gajaba Vannama. Inspired by Sri Lankan ritual and the majesty of the elephant, this vibrant East-meets-West score pulses with dance rhythms, jazz inflections, tonal clusters, and dazzling colour. In works for chamber orchestra by George Walker, Caroline Shaw, and Philip Glass, CCO traces a compelling musical arc from luminous lyricism to shimmering textures and hypnotic rhythmic drive. 

“An exhilarating journey into a strange new world of joyous energy.” — Winnipeg Free Press

Having delighted Music Toronto audiences with “one of the best recitals of 2025” (LudwigVan), Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko returns to Music Toronto with a program shaped by the spirit of fantasy. From Beethoven’s Quasi una Fantasia and Schumann’s visionary Fantasy in C to the evocative works of Ukrainian composer Viktor Kosenko and Liszt’s electrifying Dante Sonata, Ovcharenko explores music where imagination, poetry, and virtuosity unfold in thrilling freedom.

“An artist of rare sensitivity and dazzling virtuosity.” — International Piano

Featuring Meagan Milatz, piano

In What Makes It Great?, master communicator Rob Kapilow and brilliant Canadian pianist Meagan Milatz explore Beethoven’s electrifying Appassionata Sonata, revealing how the composer transforms simple musical ideas through bold and imaginative variations. Part of our Sunday afternoon MUSE (Music Unveiled, Stories, Explorations) series, this illuminating event readies listeners for Danny Driver’s performance of Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations in March 2027.

“Kapilow is the ideal guide—erudite, engaging, and endlessly illuminating.” — The New York Times

One of Canada’s pre-eminent chamber ensembles, Duo Concertante—violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves—is celebrated internationally for its expressive depth and remarkable musical unity. They open the program with Luigi Dallapiccola’s Tartiniana Seconda, a brilliant reimagining of Baroque violin music, and a sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven in this Beethoven anniversary year.

Vince Ho’s playful Donut Suite adds dazzling wit before the second half, when they join the dynamic Dior Quartet for the sweeping romanticism of Ernest Chausson’s magnificent Concerto for violin, piano, and string quartet.

Returning to Music Toronto for a third appearance, British pianist Danny Driver brings his exceptional artistry to a program of waltzes and variations spanning three centuries. George Frideric Handel’s elegant Suite No. 5, Maurice Ravel’s shimmering Valses nobles et sentimentales, and Morton Feldman’s spare Variations lead to the evening’s centerpiece, Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations. Rarely heard in concert, this astonishing cycle of 33 variations transforms a simple waltz into an imaginative and profound work in the piano repertoire, offering a special experience in a Beethoven anniversary year.

“Impossible to overestimate Driver’s impeccable technique and musicianship.” — Gramophone

Cellist Karen Ouzounian, acclaimed for her work with the Silkroad Ensemble and the Aizuri Quartet, joins composer-pianist Lembit Beecher to close the season’s MUSE series with Mayrig, an immersive multimedia program centered on the human voice. Voices of Ouzounian’s mother and grandmother weave through Armenian music from Anatolia, songs of Lebanon, and the music of Charles Aznavour, alongside new works exploring memory, heritage, and resilience across generations.

The program spans centuries and cultures, opening and closing with Marin Marais’s Les Voix Humaines. Traditional Armenian songs and early Anatolian recordings appear alongside arrangements of music by Charles Aznavour and Ashot Satyan. Original works by Lembit Beecher are joined by contemporary voices including Layale Chaker, Nathalie Joachim, Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and Karen Ouzounian, interwoven with recorded voices from Ouzounian’s family. Blending voice, memory, and music, Mayrig unfolds as a deeply human meditation on identity, inheritance, and the passage of time.