Sunday, January 11th, 3:30pm, Trinity St. Paul’s:

Over at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre, Mezzo-soprano Whitney O’Hearn and tenor Bud Roach join the Talisker Players for “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, a selection of songs from Irving Berlin’s extensive songbook. There are actually two dates for this recital, the second being Tuesday, January 13th at 8:00pm. Pre-show talks happen at 3pm on January 11th and 7:15pm on January 13th. Full details and ticket info available here.

Saturday, January 17th, 1-4pm, Walter Hall:

The Canadian Opera Company’s Opera Exchange is a chance to dive deep into selections from the operatic repertoire. This month’s event is called Directors Take the Stage: Debating Regieoper, and presenters include directors baritone Russell Braun, Against the Grain Theatre’s Artistic Director Joel Ivany, Opera Canada editor Wayne Gooding, and Dmitri Tcherniakov (whose Don Giovanni we’ll see at the Four Seasons Centre in a few weeks). The idea of regieoper is a polarizing topic, and one I look forward to pulling apart over an afternoon. More details available here.

Sunday, January 18th, 3pm, Hart House:

Come to the Hart House Theatre and hear the University of Toronto Opera team as they present Brush Up Your Shakespeare, an afternoon of operatic selections based on our beloved William Shakespeare. West Side Story, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Macbeth and others are on the menu. Admission is free! More details here.

Thursday, January 22nd, 8pm, Roy Thomson Hall:

From January 22nd-25th, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents a cool program, which includes excerpts from two of Mozart’s less-performed operas, Lo sposo deluso and Zaide, plus his stunning Mass in C Minor, K. 417a/427. Singers include soprano Hélène Guilmette, mezzo Julie Boulianne, tenors John Tessier and Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure, and bass-baritone Gordon Bintner. Paul Goodwin conducts. Find more details and tickets right here.

Friday, January 23rd, 7:30pm, Arts & Letters Club:

Opera 5 starts off 2015 with Modern (Family) Opera, a double-bill of Wolf-Ferrari’s Il segreto di Susanna and the world premiere of Canadian composer Darren Russo’s opera, Storybook. The creative team features artistic directors Aria Umezawa and Grace Smith, and music director Evan Mitchell. Modern (Family) Opera runs January 23-25th at 7:30pm at the Arts & Letters Club. For details and tickets, click here.

Saturday, January 24th, 7:30pm, Ernest Balmer Studio:

Tapestry Opera presents Songbook V as part of their 35th anniversary season. Come and hear Tapestry’s huge and fascinating collection of Canadian opera, performed by pros, and by some of the young artists in Tapestry’s New Opera: 101 program. You know I’m a big fan of Tapestry’s; if you’ve not seen their work yet, Songbook V is a great way to get up-to-speed. For details and tickets, click here.

Tuesday, January 27, 7:30pm, Four Seasons Centre:

The Canadian Opera Company presents Mozart’s Don Giovanni, January 24th-February 21st. It stars Russell Braun in the title role, with Jennifer Holloway (Donna Elvira), Jane Archibald (Donna Anna), Michael Schade (Don Ottavio) and Kyle Ketelsen (Leporello). Dmitri Tcherniakov directs this juicy-looking production, and maestro Michael Hofstetter conducts. I love me some Mozart, and with a cast like this, my curiosity is totally piqued. For details and tickets, click here.