In The City: Musical May

Thought I would compile a list of music events happening In The City this month.

This list includes an array of musical artists and styles that I think will appeal to many of you.

TO Live

Dream House Quartet
Wed, May 3, 2023 – 8 pm
Meridian Arts Centre | George Weston Recital Hall

Formed in 2018, Dream House Quartet fuses decades of musical mastery of classical and contemporary forms. Legendary duelling pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque alongside pioneering composer-guitarists Bryce Dessner (The National, Cyrano) and David Chalmin (“Innocence,” La Terre Invisible) perform unparalleled works by visionary composers from the past half-century.

The quartet’s Toronto premiere will feature new works by Thom Yorke, Philip Glass, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Bryce Dessner, and more.

Celeigh Cardinal and Logan Staats
Fri, May 12, 2023 – 8pm
St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts | Jane Mallett Theatre

2020 Juno Award winner and Métis singer-songwriter Celeigh Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion, and love. Logan Staats “wanted to bring [his] songwriting back to the medicine inside of music, to the medicine inside of reclamation.”

This double bill features two award-winning Indigenous-Canadian artists whose musical stylings straddle folk, pop, country, and roots.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Gimeno Conducts Messiaen’s Epic Turangalîla
Thu, May 4 & Fri, May 5, 2023
Roy Thompson Hall

Experience the colossal “hymn to joy” that is Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie, described as “a love song, a hymn to joy’ by Olivier Messiaen himself.

You can be part of this Live Recording performance by the TSO this weekend.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – In Concert
Thu, May 11 – Sat, May 13, 2023
Roy Thompson Hall

In Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

This concert is part of the Film with Live Orchestra series, which are absolutely fun and fabulous.

Small World Music

Medusa – EP Release Concert
Thu, May 11, 2023 – 8pm
Small World Centre

Medusa is Georgia Hathaway, Lea Kirstein, Marta Sołek, and Saskia Tomkins. With their forthcoming EP, the band’s dynamic arrangement style cross-pollinates the sounds of Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, and Eastern European music, as well as original tunes, to create something previously unheard.

Alliance Française Toronto

ILAM
Sat, May 13, 2023 – 8pm
Spadina Theatre

ILAM sings in Wolof, Peulh, French, and English. Born in Dakar, Senegal, ILAM draws from his Fula roots to propose a musical style inspired by Sahel blues and afropop, with accents of reggae, jazz, and soul.

Additional Events Across the GTA

The Garden Little Night Orchestra
Presents The Legend of Huli
Mon, May 8, 2023 – 7:30pm
City Playhouse Theatre, Thornhill, ON

Led by composer, arranger, and guitarist Roman Smirnov, The Garden Little Night Orchestra is a four-member ensemble also includes acclaimed Chinese pipa virtuoso Wen Zhao; oud, lyra and percussion player Demetrios Petsalakis; and David Giller as dancer.

The musical and dance suite ‘A Legend of Huli’ is a captivating performance that draws inspiration from the eastern tales of the Celestial Fox. The show features original music and arrangements of folk and classical pieces, brought to life through the choreography of the talented dancer David Giller.

Upper Canada Choristers and Cantemos
Our Voices Together: Corazones al Unisono
Fri, May 12, 2023 – 7:30pm
Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto, ON

This spirited mixed-media event will feature a new work, old favorites, visual art and dance. A highlight for the concert will be the world premiere of El pájaro que espero (The Bird I Await), a new work commissioned by Venezuelan composer Cesar Alejandro Carrillo.

Audiences may also watch the live stream through the choir’s website or directly on YouTube. There is no charge for the stream, but donations are welcome.