Rachel Podger Extends Tenure as Principal Guest Director Through to Tafelmusik’s
50th Anniversary Season
Beethoven & Farrenc, Bach St John Passion, Telemania!, Purcell’s King Arthur, and an All-Mozart Finale
Toronto, ON (February 11, 2026) —Tafelmusik today announced its 2026/27 concert season, a boldly curated year that balances iconic masterworks with rediscovered voices, interdisciplinary storytelling, and vibrant new perspectives, performed on period instruments with the ensemble’s signature energy, precision, and expressive depth. Subscription packages are now available at tafelmusik.org.
New this season, Tafelmusik welcomes audiences into a year shaped by joy, reflection, and surprise. Acclaimed British violinist Rachel Podger has extended her tenure as Principal Guest Director for an additional three years, through to the end of its landmark 50th anniversary season. In 2026/27, Podger leads two major programs, Bach’s Coffeehouse and the season-closing Mozart’s Genius, bringing her hallmark collegiality, clarity, and brilliance to music built on conversation and exchange.
Responding directly to audience feedback, all evening concerts now begin at 7:30 pm, making performances more accessible while preserving the immersive concert experience. Tafelmusik also continues to expand access through Tafelscene, offering discounted tickets for audiences aged 35 and under, alongside free education concerts for local schools and ongoing community outreach across Toronto.
A major artistic addition this season is Telemania!, a brand-new multimedia creation by award-winning Canadian artist Alison Mackay, which brings Georg Philipp Telemann—the composer whose instrumental work inspired Tafelmusik’s name—to vivid life through music, narration, and projected imagery. The season also foregrounds historically overlooked trailblazers, including Louise Farrenc, whose work appears alongside Beethoven in a season opener led by the celebrated German conductor Jakob Lehmann, making his Tafelmusik debut.
Curated by Artistic Co-Directors Brandon Chui, Dominic Teresi, and Cristina Zacharias, the 2026/27 season comprises ten mainstage programs at Jeanne Lamon Hall (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre) and Koerner Hall, alongside touring, community chamber concerts, education initiatives, and a new recording release.
“Welcome to Tafelmusik’s 48th season, a year crafted to spark joy, reflection, and surprise. This season is about the thrill of listening, music that surprises, challenges, and delights,” says Cristina Zacharias, on behalf of the Artistic Co-Directors. “Whether it’s Bach in a coffeehouse, Telemann through story and image, or Mozart at full tilt, each program is designed to create sheer brilliance through a vivid, shared experience “Live music has a rare ability to slow us down, sharpen our listening, and bring people together in a shared moment,” says Glenn Hodgins, Executive Director. “This season offers performances that are intimate, expansive, playful, and profound, music that rewards curiosity and invites audiences to listen in new ways.”
2026/27 Season at a glance
(Unless otherwise noted, all programs take place at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre.)
Beethoven & Farrenc — Sept 25–27 (Koerner Hall)
Directed by Jakob Lehmann
Tafelmusik opens the season with two musical mavericks: Louise Farrenc, a trailblazing force in 19th-century Paris, and Beethoven, the era-shaping revolutionary. Farrenc’s Symphony no. 3, praised at its 1849 premiere for its strength and spirit, meets Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7, famous for the haunting intensity of its allegretto and its enduring cultural afterlife. Lehmann makes his Tafelmusik debut, celebrated for conducting that “vigorously shakes up our listening habits.” (Classica)
Baroque Fiesta — Oct 29 – Nov 1 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Lina Tur Bonet; featuring Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano
Sparks are bound to fly when two audience favourites return for a vivid dialogue between the old and new worlds. From European baroque fire to the rich musical cultures of Latin America, Baroque Fiesta travels across oceans and influences, featuring arias by Handel and Vivaldi, music of the Spanish Golden Age, and selections shaped by African, Indigenous, and Spanish traditions.
Vive la France! — Nov 27–29 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Ivars Taurins
No one embraced choral music more exuberantly than the French baroque masters. Enjoy a sumptuous repast of music for choir and orchestra that explores the intimacy and grandeur of expressions of faith, love, grief, passion, and of the natural world. Featuring baroque music by Lully, Charpentier, Campra, Lalande, Mondonville, and Rameau.
Handel Messiah — Dec 17–19 (Koerner Hall)
Directed by Ivars Taurins
With Myriam Leblanc, Cecilia Duarte, Jacob Perry Jr, Jesse Blumberg
Nothing says December like Tafelmusik’s Messiah, performed with stylistic insight and electrifying momentum. Handel’s message of hope and goodwill lands with renewed resonance, powered by Tafelmusik’s orchestra and choir, and a superb cast of soloists.
Sing-Along Messiah — Dec 20 (Massey Hall)
Directed by “Mr Handel”
With Myriam Leblanc, Cecilia Duarte, Jacob Perry Jr, Jesse Blumberg
A full-body tradition: Handel’s mighty choruses become surround-sound when the audience joins in, an annual celebration where the line between stage and seats disappears in shared music-making.
Bach’s Coffeehouse — Jan 28–31 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Rachel Podger
Café culture was alive and thriving long before modern coffee chains. This program channels the convivial spirit of Bach’s legendary evenings at Zimmerman’s coffeehouse in Leipzig, blending elegance and virtuosity with a distinctly intimate, “in-the-room” energy. Expect Bach favourites, showstopping concertos, and the crackle of creative exchange that made the coffeehouse a cultural hub.
Telemania! — Feb 18–21 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Created by Alison Mackay
With Blair Williams, narratorA brand-new multimedia creation celebrating Telemann, the superstar composer whose work inspired Tafelmusik’s name. With narration, projected images, and music that ranges from courtly brilliance to café-house spark, Telemania! explores a fascinating life at the centre of a vibrant musical city, and reveals why Telemann was the most revered German composer of his day.
Bach St John Passion — Mar 11–14 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Kristian Bezuidenhout
With Joanne Lunn, Nicholas Burns, James Gilchrist, Peter Harvey
Powerful, intense, and contemplative by turns, Bach’s St John Passion tells the story of suffering and sacrifice with operatic force and spiritual depth. An international cast of soloists joins Tafelmusik’s orchestra and choir for one of the season’s most profound experiences, music that moves from grief to radiance, and from public drama to private reflection.
A Feast of Sound — Apr 1–4 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Alfredo Bernardini
After a triumphant return last season, Bernardini is back with a chef’s curation of sensuous and contrasting works, music that delights in colour, texture, and surprise. From passionate Purcell to the dance-driven brilliance of Rebel, through Corelli’s structural elegance and Zelenka’s inventive edge, this program is a tour of baroque flavour at its most irresistible.
Purcell King Arthur — Apr 23–25 (Jeanne Lamon Hall)
Directed by Ivars Taurins; narrated by R.H. Thomson
With Ellen McAteer, James Reese, Parker Clements, Nicholas Higgs
A musical fairy story full of magic, humour, spectacle, and an unforgettable cast of characters. Purcell’s score brims with charming songs, spirited dances, and scenes of enchantment, while John Dryden’s Arthurian tale unfolds through narration and vivid musical storytelling.
Mozart’s Genius — May 14–16 (Koerner Hall)
Directed by Rachel Podger
Tafelmusik concludes the season with an all-Mozart celebration that pairs late-symphony brilliance with the sparkle and wit of Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 4. With Podger directing from the violin, expect performances that are elegant, exhilarating, and alive to Mozart’s humour, virtuosity, and heart, an epic season finale designed to send audiences into summer on a high.
Recording, Touring & Community
New Recording: Mozart and Schubert
Tafelmusik looks forward to a new recording release in Fall 2026: Mozart 40 and Schubert 5 with the Tafelmusik Orchestra, directed from the violin by Rachel Podger.
Touring
Touring continues with engagements in Eastern Canada and Ontario in November 2026, and additional performances in Ontario in Spring 2027.
Access, Education & Community Music-Making
Tafelmusik continues to expand access through Tafelscene (discounted tickets for ages 35 and under) and maintains its education outreach, including free school concerts in April 2026. Community chamber concerts will continue throughout the season through partnerships with the Toronto Botanical Gardens, McMichael Canadian Arts Collection and venues to be announced.
Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute
The Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute takes place June 13–26, 2026, including free public concerts (details to be announced).
Opera Atelier Partnership Continues
Tafelmusik continues its collaboration with Opera Atelier with performances at Koerner Hall:
- Charpentier: The Descent of Orpheus — October 22–25, 2026
- Handel: The Resurrection — April 15–18, 2027
Subscriptions & Tickets
- Subscriptions on sale: February 11, 2026
- Single tickets: on sale spring 2026
- New evening start time: 7:30 pm
For complete program details and updates: tafelmusik.org.
For media images, visit HERE.
Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of the Azrieli Foundation, BMO, and Power Corporation of Canada. We are also grateful to our government partners the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Arts Foundation, Toronto Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario. Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute is generously supported by Lynn & James Haight, and the McLean Foundation.
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About Tafelmusik
Brandon Chui, Dominic Teresi & Cristina Zacharias, Artistic Co-Directors
Glenn Hodgins, Executive Director
Every now and then a group of musicians comes along and changes the way we think about music. For over four decades, Tafelmusik has been synonymous worldwide with dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances informed by scholarship, passion and artistic excellence.
Performing on instruments and in styles appropriate to the era, Tafelmusik has performed in more than 350 cities in 32 countries. Its extensive discography on the Sony, CBC Records, Analekta and Tafelmusik Media labels have garnered ten JUNOs and numerous international recording prizes. From a vibrant home season in Toronto, to international tours, award-winning recordings, innovative collaborations, and inspiring education programs, Tafelmusik is a musical powerhouse with a reputation for thrilling and delighting audiences. www.tafelmusik.org
Website: tafelmusik.org
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