TSO to Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL, MESSIAH & More this Holiday Season

The TSO offers Tidings of Music and Joy this Holiday Season.

December concerts include an all-Tchaikovsky programme, Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Conductor Steven Reineke with a Pops Christmas, and the passion of Handel's Messiah.

A concert awash with the music of Tchaikovsky will warm Roy Thomson Hall on December 6 and 7. Boston Symphony Associate Conductor, maestro Marcelo Lehninger, will guide the TSO through Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, in which the composer sought to transcend the dark forces of fate and destiny. Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, awarded the Gold Medal at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition at age 22, will join the TSO for Variations on a Rococo Theme, a work inspired by Tchaikovsky's favourite composer, Mozart. For one night only on December 6, audiences will also be treated to a suite from one of Tchaikovsky's most elegant ballet scores, The Sleeping Beauty.

It's time to Deck Roy Thomson Hall with a family concert of holiday singing, dancing, and festive music! With only one performance on December 8, the colourful and energetic conductor John Morris Russell will lead the Orchestra through a medley of Christmas Carols and an exciting pocket version of the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, which features the Canadian Children's Opera Company. At intermission, audience members young and old are invited to join Avenue Road Arts School for fun and festive arts activities.

On the first day of Christmas TSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke gave to me, a TSO Pops Christmas Concert! Spread the cheer on December 10 and 11 and sing-along with the TSO and the Etobicoke School of the Arts Chorus in a collection of seasonal songs and traditional tunes, including Deck the Halls, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and Jingle Bell Rock. Special guest Ashley Brown, Broadway's original Mary Poppins, will help ring in this season with classics like I'll Be Home For Christmas and O Holy Night.

An annual holiday tradition with the TSO for over 80 years, Handel's powerful and passionate Messiah will fill Roy Thomson Hall for five stirring performances on December 17, 18, 20, 21 and 22. This season, Maestro Christopher Warren-Green, who conducted the London Chamber Orchestra at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, will be joined by the 140 voices of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, soprano Klara Ek, countertenor Lawrence Zazzo (making his TSO début), tenor John Tessier, and bass-baritone John Relyea for this joyful concert.

Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's most important cultural institutions recognized internationally as an outstanding orchestra. Currently celebrating his 10th season as Music Director, Peter Oundjian continues to lead the Orchestra with a commitment to innovative programming and audience development with performances that range from Masterworks to New Creations, Young People's Concerts to Pops, all showcasing the exceptional talents of the Orchestra along with a roster of distinguished guest artists and conductors. In addition to the concert season, the TSO serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 discount ticket programme, the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, and through music education and outreach programmes which connect students with acclaimed curriculum-based programming.

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