Classical Music Ottawa

Le Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau between December and June offers over 60 student concerts, professional concerts, and master classes. While some of the events will be listed on this site, all of them can be found at their calendar by clicking on this link

2 (Tuesday): The Ottawa Choral Society presents its special Christmas concert, featuring Donna Brown, soprano, Brian Doyle, raconteur extraordinaire, Matthew Larkin, organ, and the children's choirs of Christ Church Cathedral
3 (Wednesday): DOFMS presents Le beau voyage d'esprit, beautiful melodies by Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss and Denis Bédard performed by Montreal soprano Kripa Nageshwar and pianist Chad Heltzel. See FULL PROGRAM and notes at this link; At Christ Church Cathedral the Theatre of Early Music choir and orchestra joins forces with the University of Toronto Schola Cantorum to present a re-creation of the magnificent coronation service of King George II that includes the music of Gibbons, Purcell, Tallis, and Handel
5 (Friday): CAMMAC members perform the Messiah; The Nepean Choir presents Songs of Light and Joy: Music for Christmas; Le Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau presents Noël a cappella et symphonique, featuring the music of Handel, Leroy Anderson, and others
5 - 6 (Friday and Saturday): Coro Vivo Celebrates 30 Christmases at Orleans United Church, featuring John Armstrong's Gold and Glory, a work commissioned by Coro Vivo Ottawa to mark thirty years of singing and community involvement
6 (Saturday): The Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa presents a concert; The Ewashko Singers offer an Olde Tyme Christmas with a Twist, featuring Baritone Jonathan Estabrooks and organist Jennifer Loveless; The Stairwell Carollers perform O magnum mysterium, an evening of carols, old and new at Église du Sacré Coeur in Ottawa; A VERY SPECIAL CONCERT: Requiem for Fourteen Roses, created by local composer Elise Letoureau, is a work to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the École Polytechnique tragedy of December 6,1989 in Montreal More information here; The Chœur classique de l'Outaouais presents Missa Kreyòl, an homage to Haitian music and culture
6 and 7 (Saturday and Sunday): The Goulbourn Male Chorus presents Welcome Christmas, a community Christmas concert featuring the Polished Brass Quintet
6 and 14 (Saturday and a week Sunday): The Strings of St. John's joins forces with the choirs of Woodroffe United Church and the Church of St John the Evangelist to offer a program of Christmas music, including Vivaldi's Gloria
7 (Sunday): The Ottawa Classical Choir/ Choeur classique d'Ottawa and the Societé Philharmonique du Nouveau Monde join forces to perform Finest Moments from Messiah/Les plus beaux moments du Messie at the Canadian Museum of History; As part of the Concerts Ponticello series, the pianist Mauro Bertoli performs transcriptions of Beethoven's Emperor concerto and Dvorak's string quintet; The Ottawa Gay Men's Chorus presents "Mary" Noel; The Stairwell Carollers perform O magnum mysterium, an afternoon of carols, old and new at the National Gallery of Canada; The choir of St. Barnabas presents From Darkness to Light, an Advent procession with carols; Voices in Harmony (formerly Orpheus Choral Group) presents a Christmas concert to benefit Twice Upon a Time, a new Ottawa not-for-profit group that seeks to bring books, and the joy of reading, to less privileged Ottawa children
8 (Monday): Musica Viva Singers presents a seasonal concert with choral works from near and far, including Haydn's glorious Little Organ Mass, as well as Baroque Christmas gems from Buxtehude and Hasse See poster here
9 (Tuesday): The Cumberland Community Singers presents its Christmas concert; The Gloucester Community Concert Band presents its Glorious Christmas Concert Blessing
10 (Wednesday): DOFMS presents pianist Sara Rezki in a classic piano recital featuring works by Mozart, Debussy, Schumann, and Liszt. See FULL PROGRAM and notes via this link.; Advent Healing Service at Christ Church Bells Corners with music by Vocata
12 (Friday): The Ottawa-Carleton Male Choir and the Akord Ukrainian Men's Choir present a Christmas concert A Wreath of Carols; The Stairwell Carollers perform O magnum mysterium, an evening of carols, old and new at Knox Presbyterian Church; Under the direction of Roland Graham, the new Ottawa Folklore Centre Choirs and the Southminster United Church Choir join forces to perform Vivaldi's Gloria (RV 589). Also performing are sopranos Browyn Thies-Thompson and Isabelle Lacroix, mezzo-soprano Lydia Piehl and organist Jennifer Loveless; The Capital Chamber Choir presents Noëls modernes, a concert featuring Christmas music by such modern composers as Pärt, Tavener, and Whitacre
12 and 13 (Friday and Saturday): The Capital City Chorus presents A Capital City Chorus Christmas, featuring a selection of seasonal songs, both old and new, by the chorus and a number of guests, including a women's chorus
13 (Saturday): The world-famous King's Singers performs an eclectic mix of holiday music, from Renaissance motets to modern carols to little-heard folk melodies; Tone Cluster presents a concert of traditional and non-traditional holiday music; Almonte in Concert presents Christmas with Buzz, a concert by the award-winning brass quintet Buzz; The Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau presents The Magic of Disney, featuring the themes from Beauty and the Beast, Alladin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, The Lion King and many other wonderworks by Disney, all accompanied by projections on the big screen; Castenchel Choir celebrates the holiday season with their concert Christmas in Chelsea featuring traditional and contemporary Christmas songs including Carol of the Bells, Rutter's arrangement of Il est né le divin enfant and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus
13 and 14 (Saturday and Sunday): The West Ottawa Ladies Chorus presents A Garland of Carols, a concert that also features the Trinity Handbell Quartet and the West Ottawa Chorale
14 (Sunday): Thirteen Strings presents Christmas Candlelight, featuring music by Purcell and Bach and a new cantata, Rosa Mystica, by Canadian John Burge. The Choir from École secondaire De La Salle performs as well; The Ottawa Bach Choir presents Christmas around the World, with harpist, Caroline Léonardelli; Matthew Larkin performs some classical Christmas music on the Christ Church organ; The St. Luke's Recital Series presents John Dapaah on piano; At St. Basil's Church, the Bytown Voices presents Candlelight and Jingle Bells, a holiday concert featuring Christmas songs arranged by John Rutter, Philip Kern and Maurice Ravel, as well as lively Hanukkah and seasonal songs; The Ottawa Children's Choir presents Company for Christmas; The Village Voices Women's Choir presents Mystery of Christmas, featuring the Ottawa Youth Harp Ensemble; The Canterbury Trebles presents Through Winter's Window,an afternoon of wintery music with special guest Vocum
16 (Tuesday): The Canadian Centennial Choir presents Messe de Minuit pour Noël (Midnight Mass for Christmas) by Baroque composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier, featuring other seasonal works and singalong carols as well; L'Arche Ottawa is an international federation of faith-based communities founded by Jean Vanier. It provides homes and day programs with people who have developmental disabilities. This is a fundraising concert for the organization that features Marie-France Lefebvre and Jean Desmarais on piano and opera singers Isabelle Lacroix and Denis Lawlor and the Chorale Lyrica Choir (a children's choir)
16 - 17 (Tuesday and Wednesday): The Orchestra is joined by the Cantata Singers under the direction of Lawrence Ewashko for a performance of Handel's Messiah
17 (Wednesday): DOFMS presents Tidings of light and joy a contemporary take on Christmas, featuring a mix of well-known and original songs for the season by the composer and performer, Elise Letourneau, piano, flute and vocals, and Tim Bedner, guitar. See full program and notes at this link; The Stairwell Carollers perform O magnum mysterium, an evening of carols, old and new at St Columba Anglican Church in Ottawa
18 (Thursday): Centrepointe Theatres present internationally renowned tenor, star of Riverdance and PBS' Beyond Celtic, Michael Londra in Celtic Yuletide, an evening of Christmas delights straight from Ireland; At St. Aidan's Anglican Church come join us for a community carol sing in support of the Heron Emergency Food Centre; The Ottawa Regional Youth Choir performs John Rutter's Magnificat at St. Joseph's Parish
19 (Friday): Pianist Carson Becke plays the music of Mozart, Schumann, Chopin, Debussy, Scriabin, and a Christmas Carol or two at the beautiful Venturing Hills Concert Studio
21 (Sunday): The Nepean Concert Band presents its Christmas concert, otherwise known as the Super Secret Themed December Concert; Music and Beyond presents a Christmas concert, featuring Shannon Mercer, Julie Nesrallah, local youth choirs, and the Chamber Players of Canada Click here for pricing information.