NAC Southam Hall

The Music of John Williams

Jun 19 – Jun 21, 2014

You’ll savour these live performances of fabulous John Williams scores, including E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones and Harry Potter movies, War Horse,...

Mozart and Mahler

Jun 11 – Jun 12, 2014

At 18 years of age, Jan Lisiecki is in the spotlight for Mozart’s Ninth Piano Concerto, called “one of the greatest wonders of the world”....

A Postcard "From the New World"

Jun 5

Superstar Leila Josefowicz (“a superb fiddle player” ~ Chicago Tribune) plays Stravinsky’s 1931 Baroque-inspired concerto, a brilliant combination of energy, wit, and charm—a perfect match...

Roald Dahl’s Little Red Riding Hood

May 31

Not your grandpa’s Little Red Riding Hood! Rest assured, the familiar cast of characters is all here: wolf, grandma, and the girl in a red...

Fauré's Requiem

May 28 – May 29, 2014

Saint-Saëns’s Third Violin Concerto—from its flights into the stratosphere of the violin’s register, to the finale’s whimsical flourishes—showed the composer to be a master of...

Mixed Repertoire

May 21

A newly invigorated Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to the NAC with a dynamic evening of high-octane works, including Far But Close, a recent commission...

Mendelssohn's Double

May 14 – May 15, 2014

Beethoven’s playful Eighth Symphony is known for its “metronome” movement—a tribute to a then-new time-keeping gadget (there’s an app for that, you know). So keep...

Coppélia

May 1 – May 3, 2014

One of the world’s most beloved story ballets, Coppélia sparkles with wit and charm. Featuring a voluptuous score by Léo Delibes, a flirty, feisty heroine...

Madama Butterfly

Apr 19 – Apr 26, 2014

One of the most famous and beautiful operas of all time, Madama Butterfly is set in Japan in the late 1880’s. It tells the hauntingly...

Pirates of Penzance

Apr 19 – Apr 26, 2014

Come sail the seas with the infamous Pirate King! This witty Gilbert and Sullivan operetta has been cleverly abridged for families making it the perfect...

Dancing With Beethoven

Apr 10 – Apr 11, 2014

After a brilliant debut with NAC Orchestra last season, Juraj Valcuha returns….Béla Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto reflects the composer’s Hungarian heritage, including a set of...

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Apr 9

On the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s much-anticipated annual visit to Southam Hall, GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Richard Goode joins Maestro Peter Oundjian and the TSO when they...

Tango Pasión

Apr 8

Back at the NAC by popular demand, Argentina’s internationally-renowned Tango Pasión brings an unforgettable mix of music, song and dance in a brand new production....

Zukerman and Bronfman in Recital

Mar 31

Pinchas Zukerman and one of his favourite musical partners, Yefim Bronfman, get together for a recital of intimate chamber music repertoire. You’ll marvel at the...

Rodin/Claudel

Mar 27 – Mar 29, 2014

Rodin/Claudel is a story of passion, obsession and betrayal that vividly portrays the intimate lives of two people entangled in love and artmaking. Inspired by...

Songs of the Wanderers

Mar 21 – Mar 22, 2014

A masterpiece of imagination and timeless inner tranquility, this visually stunning paean to spiritual pilgrimage is a signature work of Taiwan’s leading contemporary dance company....

Hr?ša Conducts Eroica

Mar 19

Named as a conductor “on the verge of greatness” by Gramophone and praised for his “…penetrating musicianship and with the technical means to achieve it”...

Forsyth's Double Concerto

Mar 6

Italy’s sun-drenched landscapes and joie de vivre of its people prompted Mendelssohn’s spirited symphony, one of the most beloved in the repertoire (he himself referred...

Brahms' Third Symphony

Feb 26 – Feb 27, 2014

A concert inspired by the forces of destiny and love. In just nine minutes Brahms’s profound choral masterpiece Song of Destiny, set on Friedrich Hölderlin’s...

Denzal Sinclaire Sings the Nat King Cole Songbook… and More

Feb 20 – Feb 22, 2014

Take Denzal Sinclaire—Canada’s most popular jazz vocalist—add the great classics from the songbook of the extraordinary Nat King Cole and other favourites, plus conductor Jeff...

Symphonic Mozart and Schubert

Feb 12 – Feb 13, 2014

Principal Oboe Charles Hamann takes the spotlight amongst his NAC Orchestra colleagues for Vaughan Williams’s rarely heard jewel of a concerto, which charms the ear...

Peter and the Wolf

Feb 8

Without upsetting the maestro, symphony musicians and a conductor’s assistant must outwit a powerful wolf who challenges orchestra and audience alike. The concert hall becomes...

Parker Plays Mendelssohn

Feb 5 – Feb 6, 2014

Inspired by his sunny sojourn in Italy (and a brief infatuation with a young pianist), Mendelssohn composed an equally unclouded piano concerto, brimming with free-flowing...

Swan Lake

Jan 30 – Feb 1, 2014

A classical ballet masterpiece brought to life by ingenious choreographer James Kudelka. His provocative, passionate ideas and dynamic choreographic palette heighten the ballet’s mingling of...

Louis Lortie Plays Wagner

Jan 27

101 years after the birth of Richard Wagner, Louis Lortie presents this homage to the iconic opera composer. The pianist considers it “a nice challenge...

Legendary Singer-Songwriters

Jan 16 – Jan 18, 2014

Michael Cavanaugh, charismatic voice of the Rock & Roll Songbook, joins Jack Everly and the NAC Orchestra in his much-anticipated return to the NAC to...

The Hockey Sweater

Jan 11

What’s it like to have to wear a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater in a hockey-crazed Quebec town where everyone is a Montreal Canadiens fan? That’s...

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto

Jan 8 – Jan 9, 2014

“The heart’s jewel” …that’s what Mendelssohn’s genially-inspired Concerto has been called. Among the most popular in the repertoire it not only lets soloists display technical...

Measha's Magical Christmas with the NAC Orchestra

Dec 20

Celebrate the joys of Christmas! Alain Trudel and the NAC Orchestra are joined by stellar soprano Measha Brueggergosman who will add sparkle along with the...

Handel's Messiah

Dec 17 – Dec 18, 2013

Handel’s Messiah—composed in an astonishing three weeks—is the inspired and inspiring meditation on the prophecy and fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem the world through...

Barenaked Ladies: Hits and Holiday Songs

Dec 12 – Dec 14, 2013

What a way to get into the holiday spirit! Winner of eight Juno Awards, 15 million record sales, and 20 years of entertaining fans across...

Nutcracker

Dec 4 – Dec 8, 2013

The perfect holiday treat for the whole family! RWB’s Nutcracker updates the best of the original ballet with uniquely Canadian elements such as a snowy...

Mozart and Shostakovich

Nov 28 – Nov 29, 2013

Young piano phenom Conrad Tao, who amazed audiences during last season’s Beethoven Festival, returns to play a Mozart piano concerto that has a sunny disposition,...

One Thousand Pieces

Nov 23

Resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s magical One Thousand Pieces – the company’s first-ever full-evening work – was created in celebration of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s 35th...

Barber's Violin Concerto

Nov 20 – Nov 21, 2013

What could be more romantic than being awakened by a birthday serenade played by 13 musicians on Christmas morning? That was Wagner’s gift to his...

Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery

Nov 16

Vivaldi, Venice, and Violins! You’ll be intrigued by Classical Kids Live’s award-winning story of Katarina, a gifted girl sent to study music at the Pietà...

All-Beethoven Celebration

Nov 13 – Nov 14, 2013

An all-Beethoven celebration! The brilliant Third Piano Concerto is a showcase for the prodigious talents of Dejan Lazi?, marking his debut with the NAC Orchestra....

Warner Bros. presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

Nov 7 – Nov 9, 2013

What could be more entertaining than watching beloved classic cartoons, starring that “Wascally Wabbit” Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters on a giant screen...

Symphonie fantastique! Casual Fridays

Nov 1

When Berlioz fell for Shakespearean actress Harriet Smithson, he fell hard, and the world benefitted. The resulting Symphonie fantastique is a work of marvelous orchestral...

Symphonie fantastique!

Oct 31

You’re in for a wild ride when Cameron Carpenter ("smasher of cultural and classical music taboos" L.A. Times) brings his staggering talent – and sequined...

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Oct 29

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra and violinist Viviane Hagner (“rich, burnished tone, crystalline articulation and subtle expression” Washington Post) present Prokofiev’s tour-de-force First Violin Concerto, with...

Zukerman, Mozart and Brahms

Oct 1 – Oct 2, 2013

Pinchas Zukerman conducts and solos in Mozart’s sparkling Violin Concerto No. 3, whose ethereal middle movement “could have fallen straight from heaven,” as a commentator...

Zukerman and a Romantic Concerto

Sep 26

Bruch is best known for his romantic First Violin Concerto, whose lyricism and bravado have made it a perfect showcase for a virtuoso like Pinchas...

An Evening with Renée Fleming

Sep 24

Called “The people’s Diva” (The New York Times), soprano Renée Fleming is one of today’s most beloved and celebrated opera superstars – and a recent...

NAC Gala with Paul Anka

Sep 21

From "teen idol" to universally adored singer-songwriter who’s never stopped thrilling us, Paul Anka comes home for this season’s NAC Gala. And you’re invited to...

Beethoven's Fifth

Sep 20

Beethoven intended his Piano Concerto No. 2 as a display piece for himself; now hear distinguished pianist Christian Zacharias’ commanding interpretation. And with one of...

Opening Night with Tchaikovsky

Sep 19

From bold opening chords to dazzling pyrotechnics to soaring melodies, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto always brings cheering audiences to their feet, especially when superstar pianist...

Carmen

Sep 7 – Sep 14, 2013

A soldier with a past is seduced by a beautiful gypsy who cares only for her own freedom. Passions and jealousy build in sultry Seville,...

Ax Performs Mozart

Jun 13 – Jun 14, 2013

Elgar — Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, “Enigma Variations” Frequently described as one of this generation’s greatest artists, celebrated piano giant Emanuel Ax...

Glory of the Baroque

Jun 5 – Jun 6, 2013

Maestro Zukerman conducts and performs a program devoted to the glory Baroque, an era that saw the dawn of the orchestra and produced countless virtuosic...

Schubert's "Great"

May 15 – May 16, 2013

Latvian conductor Ainars Rubikis makes his NACO debut leading Schubert’s “Great” Symphony, a work of unyielding melody and majesty cementing the composer as Beethoven’s successor...

Yannick Conducts Strauss

May 8 – May 9, 2013

Newly-appointed music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and conducting phenomenon, Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the combined forces of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Montreal’s Orchestre...

Legendary Itzhak Perlman in Recital

May 6

Praised for decades as one of the greatest musicians of his generation, violinist Itzhak Perlman continues his reign as the undeniable virtuoso of the violin....

Scheherazade and Resin

May 4

Making their hotly anticipated NAC debut, Alonzo King LINES Ballet boasts a company of the most gorgeous and technically fearless contemporary ballet artists touring today....

Tchaikovsky's "Little Russian"

Apr 24 – Apr 25, 2013

Rising English conductor Alexander Shelley conducts Tchaikovsky’s exuberant “Little Russian,” a work full of lively folk melodies from the Ukraine, a country referred to as...

Love Lies Bleeding

Apr 19 – Apr 20, 2013

The undeniable joy of pop-rock meets the breathtaking athleticism of ballet in the sequined spectacle, Love Lies Bleeding. Alberta Ballet’s artistic director Jean Grand-Maître, choreographer...

Mendelssohn's "Reformation"

Apr 17 – Apr 18, 2013

Described by London’s Evening Standard as “a true poet of the keyboard,” Inon Barnatan will display his impeccable technique with Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2,...

The Sleeping Beauty

Apr 4 – Apr 6, 2013

The Sleeping Beauty is considered the most grand and intimate of the great ballets – a fairytale where good triumphs over evil with a single...

Autorretrato

Mar 27

Internationally renowned Flamenco artist María Pagés is a bold, uninhibited innovator, recognized for infusing contemporary movement and music into the traditional dance form. Her Autorretrato...

LA TRAVIATA

Mar 21 – Mar 23, 2013

Verdi’s musical masterpiece is based on Alexandre Dumas’ novel and play, La Dame aux Camélias. It tells the bittersweet story of the doomed love affair...

Shostakovich's Cello Concerto

Mar 14 – Mar 15, 2013

Praised for his rich, gorgeous tone and playing that can range from lovely and elegant to a vigorous rock star energy, German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser...

Mozart's Requiem

Feb 27 – Feb 28, 2013

The enormity of Mozart’s legacy is on display with two of the composer’s final and greatest compositions. First, the Orchestra will perform Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony,...

Finnish Landscapes

Feb 21 – Feb 22, 2013

The wintry and majestic landscapes of Finland continue to be a muse for classical composers. Finnish conductor John Storgårds makes his first appearance with the...

Angela Hewitt in Recital

Feb 19

The Ottawa Citizen declares that “one of the best ways to attract a large audience in Ottawa is to have Angela Hewitt on your program....

Herman Schmerman, 1st Flash and Petite Cérémonie

Feb 12

Under the new artistic direction of Emily Molnar, Ballet BC returns to the NAC to present a program of ambitious contemporary ballets from the world’s...

Bronfman Plays Brahms

Feb 6 – Feb 7, 2013

Over the years, the NAC Orchestra and Maestro Zukerman have developed a special fondness for the compositions of Johannes Brahms and devote an entire program...

Romeo and Juliet

Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2013

Artistic Director Karen Kain commissioned a fresh interpretation of Shakespeare’s timeless tale from superstar Alexei Ratmansky, resident choreographer of American Ballet Theatre. His Romeo and...

Tchaikovsky's Pathétique

Jan 24 – Jan 25, 2013

Astounding audiences and winning multiple international competitions including the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, pianist Daniil Trifonov makes his NAC Orchestra debut with Liszt’s demanding...

West Side Story with the NAC Orchestra

Jan 17 – Jan 19, 2013

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic winner of 10 Oscars® – the NAC Orchestra plays Leonard Bernstein’s score live with the re-mastered film (directed...

Legendary Russians

Jan 9 – Jan 10, 2013

Legendary Russian pianist and Van Cliburn Competition Winner Alexander Toradze returns to perform Rachmaninoff’s beloved and technically demanding Piano Concerto No. 3....