After last year’s successes and adventures, it’s on to a new season! Enjoy six concerts featuring Toronto-based musicians, distinctive and thoughtful programming, a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, and affordability for everyone. Admission to individual concerts is pay-what-you-wish.
Guarantee yourself a seat for all six concerts for the low subscription price of $149 (less than $25 per show). https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1071
Single concert tickets are also on sale at bemusednetwork.com.
CANIS FAMILIARIS – Sunday October 4, 2026 – 3 p.m. @ Heliconian Hall.
It was Frederick the Great who first referred to one of his greyhounds as his ‘best friend,’ and Voltaire who later praised the dog as the most faithful of all the animals. Join us as we begin the 2026-27 season with a musical and mixed-media celebration of the dog, with effervescent music by Charpentier, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Purcell, Rameau, Sweelinck and Bull. You’ll enjoy it even if you’re a cat person. =>
Louise Hung, harpsichord; Cristina Zacharias & Patricia Ahern, violins; Matt Antal, viola; Felix Deák, cello; Jonathan Stuchbery, theorbo. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1072
BY STARLIGHT – Saturday November 21, 2026 – 7:30 p.m. Church of the Redeemer.
With its earlier sunsets and cooler temperatures, November is a month for introspection and preparations for winter celebrations. In a program of musical gems from Medieval and Renaissance Europe and a few additional surprises, The Musicians of the Egg present a celebratory and evocative introduction to the season. November 21 is also National Gingerbread Cookie Day; related treats will be on hand!
The Musicians of the Egg: Michele Deboer, Laura Pudwell, Cory Knight, Olivier Laquerre, voices; Jonathan Stuchbery, lutes; Alison Melville, flutes; Ben Grossman, hurdy gurdy, percussion. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1073
SEVENTH HEAVEN – Saturday January 23, 2027 – 7:30 p.m. Church of the Redeemer.
The colourful and seldom-heard Septets for winds and strings by Ludwig von Beethoven and Franz Berwald, in all their tuneful glory. Beethoven’s septet enjoyed immense popularity across Europe long after its premiere in 1800 and inspired Berwald’s creation for the identical instrumentation. Rich in humour, melodic invention and transparency of
texture in a mini-orchestra format, it’s music guaranteed to warm up a January evening with hummable earworms.
Colin Savage, clarinet; Elke Eble, horn; Ondrej Golias, bassoon; Elizabeth Andrews, violin; Matt Antal, viola; Mary-Katherine Finch, cello; and Natalie Kemerer, bass. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1074
APOLLO’S VENGEANCE – Friday February 26, 2027 – 7:30 p.m. Metropolitan United Church.
A 17th-century Roman serenata featuring instrumental works, operatic excerpts, games, readings and canzonettas, all imagined in the spirit of Queen Christina of Sweden’s Roman patronage. NWC is delighted to be presenting this artistic co-production by the Gallery Players of Niagara (St. Catharines) and Hamilton’s Capella Intima, with the assistance of Metropolitan United Church. The last collaboration between these groups in February 2024 was a brilliant musical success, and this event promises to be just as grand!
Sheila Dietrich & Len Torrie, sopranos; Laura Pudwell, alto; Bud Roach, tenor & Artistic Director; David Roth, baritone; Patricia Ahern & Michelle Odorico, Baroque violins; Alison Melville & Romina Abadi, recorders; Margaret Gay, baroque ‘cello & Artistic Director; Jonathan Stuchbery, theorbo; Borys Medicky, organ/harpsichord. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1075
CHAMBER OF WONDERS 1 – Friday March 19, 2027 – 7:30 p.m. Heliconian Hall.
An exploration of the unexpected and fascinating connections between the French Baroque and traditional music from Korea, and the use of Baroque and traditional instruments in modern musical idioms. This new spin on our ‘Encircling the World’ concert theme features solos, duos and trios including traditional Korean melodies, French Baroque suites, examples of early music’s influence on gaming/movie soundtracks, and more, with a Q&A/discussion with audience.
Jin Cho, Baroque flute, daegeum(Korean flute); Roa Lee, gayageum (Korean zither); Louise Hung, harpsichord. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1076
DEAR DIARY – Friday April 30, 2027 – 7:30 p.m. Heliconian Hall.
A program of elegant and whimsical music from cosmopolitan late 17th-century London, artfully blended with readings from the writings of Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn and Roger North. Music was a respite from the stresses of life and a restorer of the soul for these three, and their musical observations about London’s musical life are entertaining and informative in equal measure. A recorder player himself, Pepys would likely have relished this mix of music by Purcell, Keller, Corelli, Finger, Hart, Paisible and others.
We welcome acclaimed Canadian writer Martha Baillie (There is No Blue, The Incident Report) as our reader. Alison Melville & Colin Savage, recorders; Louise Hung, harpsichord; Felix Deák, bass viol. https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1077