Toronto 
Events Description
Celebrate the New Year with a breathtaking east-meets-west concert featuring the Toronto Festival Orchestra!
Celebrate the New Year with a breathtaking east-meets-west concert featuring the Toronto Festival Orchestra! Experience the virtuosity of pianist Eric Guo, and the soaring vocals of baritone Feng Zhang, as well as erhu and guzheng performed by Snow Bai and Lina Cao, respectively. Conductor Yongyan Hu joins us from China as he brings to life a stunning program including “Yellow River Piano” Concerto, “Horse Racing”, Jay Chou’s “Chysanthemum Terrance”, as well as “Tales from Vienna Woods” from Johann Strauss II, “Sabre Dance” by Khatchaturian, and closing off with the finale of Shostakovich Symphony No. 7!
Who is it for?
All ages
HOW MUCH
Tickets : $48.00 – $138.00
additional fees may apply
How to get tickets?
Phone: 416-366-7723 | 1-800-708-6754
Email: boxoffice@tolive.com
WHEN & WHERE
Date: Sunday January 4, 2026 | 3 pm
Venue & Address
Meridian Arts Centre – George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6R8
Wheelchair accessible
Accessible by Public Transport
Favorite Classics
Sunday, January 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. | George Western Recital Hall
The New Year’s concert East Meets West: Favorite Classics was a thoughtfully curated and enjoyable program, bringing together musicians and musical traditions from around the world. It was a meaningful and uplifting way to begin the new year, and the overall selection of pieces felt inclusive and well balanced.
The speaker did a commendable job introducing most of the works, offering helpful background about the composers and the context of the music, which greatly enriched the audience’s experience. However, I would like to note one important omission. When Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance was performed—immediately following the horse-racing piece (program No. 4)—the introduction did not mention the composer, his Armenian heritage, or the cultural and historical significance of the work. The only connection made was a brief visual association with horses running, which felt insufficient and missed an opportunity for proper acknowledgment.
In a concert that otherwise embraced inclusivity so well, I hope that in future performances all composers and works are presented with equal care, research, and respect. Recognizing each piece’s origin and history honors both the music and the diverse cultures it represents.
Thank you for a well-prepared concert, and I look forward to future programs.