Classical Music Concerts: Montreal, Quebec & Ottawa – February/March 2026
The winter‑spring concert season across Montréal, Québec City and Ottawa is buzzing with high‑profile performances, ranging from chamber ensembles and opera productions to major symphonic works.
Montréal
Ladies’ Morning Musical Club (LMMC)
The LMMC continues its series at Concordia’s Oscar Peterson Hall with the American Dover Quartet on 8 February, presenting music by Schubert, Haydn and Mendelssohn. The quartet, founded at the Curtis Institute of Music in 2008, will return as a faculty ensemble in 2020.
Following that, Scottish pianist Steven Osborne appears in a solo recital on 1 March, and the Czech Trio Bohémo makes its LMMC debut on 22 March with works by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Schubert.
More details are available at www.lmmc.ca.
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Barbara Hannigan returns with mezzo‑soprano Marie‑Nicole Lemieux for two concerts dedicated to operetta and dance on 4–5 February. tickets are limited. Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 537 (“Coronation”) while Leonard Slatkin conducts Tchaïkovski’s Symphony No. 1 on 26 and 28 February.
Subsequent highlights include Jaeden Izik‑Dzurko’s Grieg Concerto on 5 March under Jessica Cottis, Rafael Payare’s Mozart Figaro Serenade on 18 and 20 March, and Kent Nagano’s Brahms Requiem for Easter 2026. The full program is listed at www.osm.ca.
University orchestras
McGill’s Symphony, led by Alexis Hauser on 14 February, will showcase recent laureates including composer Jonas Regnier and pianist Peter Zhou. The University of Montréal’s Symphony presents Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on 28 February, followed by a Beethoven 9th at the Maison symphonique.
Additional university events feature the Conservatoire’s Romeo & Juliette benefit concert on 29 March and opera productions at McGill, the University of Montréal and the Conservatoire throughout February and March.
Visit www.mcgill.ca/music, www.musique.umontreal.ca and www.conservatoire.gouv.qc.ca for schedules.
Other Montréal ensembles
Francis Choinière conducts the Philharmonic Orchestra and Mélomanes Choir in Respighi’s Pini di Roma and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé on 1 March (www.opcmelomanes.ca). Matthias Maute leads Ensemble Caprice in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mozart’s Mass on 5 March (www.ensemblecaprice.com).
Opera at the universities
McGill’s Opera and Baroque Orchestra present Handel’s Alcina on 20‑22 March. The University of Montréal’s Atelier stages Offenbach’s Orphée aux enfers in early February and will close the season with a gala on 18 April. The Conservatoire’s Atelier offers Mozart’s pastiche Le jardin secret from 26 February to 1 March.
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Directed by founder Tõnu Kaljuste, the choir celebrates Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday with concerts in Toronto (14 February) and Montréal (15 February). The program pairs Pärt’s works with pieces by Veljo Tormis, Luciano Berio, Evelin Seppar and Philip Glass.
Details are posted at www.traquenart.ca.
Québec City
Stabat Mater at the OSQ
The Orchestre symphonique de Québec presents Dvořák’s Stabat Mater on 19 February with an all‑Canadian solo cast: soprano Sarah Dufresne, mezzo‑soprano Allyson McHardy, tenor Éric Laporte and bass‑baritone Daniel Okulitch. Lighting designer Nyco Desmeules will enhance the performance.
Later, conductor Christoph Koncz opens his season with Wagner’s Mastersingers, followed by Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (soloist Michelle Cann) and Samy Moussa’s Elysium, culminating in Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite.
Program information is available at www.osq.org.
Violons du Roy
The ensemble’s “Muses of Mozart” concert on 12 February honors the three Weber sisters, featuring soprano Sarah Dufresne alongside musicians from the Agora Orchestra under Nicolas Ellis.
Bernard Labadie will conduct Mozart’s Requiem with La Chapelle de Québec on 26‑27 March, featuring soloists Magali Simard‑Galdès, Alex Hetherington, Andrew Haji and bass‑bassist Kevin Deas.
Visit www.violonsduroy.com for tickets.
Tempêtes et Passions – Puccini tribute
On 22 February the company presents a Puccini program at the Séminaire de Québec chapel, covering highlights from Turandot, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, Le Villi, La Rondine, Gianni Schicchi and the café scene from Bohème.
More information can be found at www.tempetesetpassions.ca.
Ottawa
National Arts Centre Orchestra
John Storgårds conducts Debussy’s Prélude à l’après‑midi d’un faune and Saint‑Saëns’s Concerto L’Égyptien with pianist Jean‑Yves Thibaudet on 11‑12 February. Troupe Vertigo will combine circus acrobatics with orchestral music from Wicked and Harry Potter between 19‑21 February.
Jaeden Izik‑Dzurko returns for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on 18‑19 March under Gemma New, while Andrey Boreyko leads works by Shostakovich, Ravel and Jolivet in early April. Joshua Bell’s “The Elements” project is slated for 8‑9 April.
Full details are listed at https://nac-cna.ca/fr/.
Ottawa Symphony Orchestra
On 29 March the orchestra presents “A Day at the Farm,” a family‑friendly show that introduces children to orchestral instruments through narration by Yvonne Gillespie.
More information is available at www.ottawasymphony.com.
Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra
Composer‑conductor Dinuk Wijeratne debuts with “Gajaga Vannama” on 6 March, blending Sri Lankan rhythms with Mozartian color, featuring tabla virtuoso Shawn Mativetsky. Subsequent concerts include Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder (6 March) and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (3 April).
Program details can be found at www.thirteenstrings.ca/fr.
Ottawa Chamber Music Festival
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Canadian Guitar Quartet open the festival on 14 February, concluding with Patrick Roux’s “La valse des temps nouveaux.” Pianist Angela Hewitt returns on 6 March for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18, part of a tour that includes New York, Milan, London and Brussels. On 25 March, Marc‑André Hamelin and Charles Richard‑Hamelin will perform a two‑piano arrangement of Mozart’s Figaro overture and Sonata.
Visit https://www.chamberfest.com/fr/ for the full schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Dover Quartet perform in Montréal?
The Dover Quartet is scheduled to play at Concordia’s Oscar Peterson Hall on 8 February, featuring works by Schubert, Haydn and Mendelssohn.
Which concert features a full Canadian solo cast at the OSQ?
The Stabat Mater by Dvořák on 19 February includes soprano Sarah Dufresne, mezzo‑son McHardy, tenor Éric Laporte and bass‑baritone Daniel Okulitch.
What family‑friendly event is offered by the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra?
“A Day at the Farm” on 29 March introduces children to orchestral instruments through a narrated farm-themed performance.
Which upcoming concert are you most eager to attend, and why?