Formerly known as Baroque Music Beside the Grange, NORTH WIND CONCERTS is a Toronto presenter of concerts and educational events with a three-pronged presentation goal: concerts of early, classical and new music with a soft focus on wind instruments; our Encircling the World concerts which bring together players of similar instruments from differing cultures; and educational events of various kinds. You can check out the North Wind Concerts official website here: http://northwindconcerts.com

Up first in 2024-25 is AQUIESCENT: The French Baroque in China. Curated and performed by harpsichordist Louise Hung along with colleagues Jin Cho, traverso, Matt Antal, viola, and Margaret Jordan-Gay, cello, this immersive program blends music by Rameau and Blavet with projected visuals, soundscapes, and first-hand accounts of how this music was received at the 18th-century Chinese Imperial Court. An intriguing and thought-provoking exploration of the ideas of music and ‘otherness’ – and some beautiful music! SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., at the Heliconian Hall in Toronto.

And following: on October 25, 2024: Pop-Up Pot-Pourri; on November 9, 2024: Encircling the World – Drums; on January 26, 2025: Brahms Plus; and on February 7, 2025: Vice & Virtue, a co-production with Capella Intima (Hamilton, ON) and The Gallery Players of Niagara (St. Catharines, ON).

Past concerts:

PUZZLE ME THIS on January 20, 2024. Recorder consort music from the Renaissance and modern era with Colin Savage, Avery MacLean, Tatsuki Shimoda and Alison Melville.

INNOVATORS & INFLUENCERS on November 24, 2023. Louise Hung, harpsichord and virginal; Matt Antal, viola; Margaret Jordan-Gay, cello; Colin Savage, recorders; Alison Melville, traverso and recorders.

TRAVERSO-PALOOZA on June 2, 2023. Jin Cho, Les Allt, Laura Chambers, Anthea Conway-White, Alison Melville and Emily Richardson, Baroque flutes.

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL on May 21, 2022. Marco Cera, oboe; Cristina Zacharias, violin; Alison Melville, recorder & traverso; Kerri McGonigle, cello; Christopher Bagan, harpsichord. You can catch a sample of that show, part of Chédeville’s arrangement of Vivaldi’s Spring concerto from the Four Seasons, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3tTqM9hS9g

ENCIRCLING THE WORLD: Zithers! on November 30, 2019. 7:30 p.m. at the Heliconian Hall. With George Sawa, qanun; Amin Reyhani, santour; Bill Parsons, kacapi; Lina Cao, guzheng. An evening of musical exploration of music and instruments from around the world, the second in our Encircling the World series. Encircling the World: Flutes happened in March 2019, with Deepankar Ganguly, bansuri; Ernesto Cardenas, sikus and quena; Dora Wang, dizi; Kianoush Khalilian, ney: Alison Melville, recorder.

HOW SWEET IS THE PASSION: Love Cantatas of the Italian Baroque on MARCH 5, 2020. 7:30 p.m. Heliconian Hall. Marco Cera, oboe; Agnes Zigovics, soprano; Christopher Bagan, harpsichord.