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Whether it's your first concert or your first in years, these are the upcoming shows we'd point a friend to. No homework needed. Each one comes with a quick note on what you'll hear.

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October 2026

Fri

Oct 16

7:00 PM

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot plays one of the most big-hearted concertos there is, with Gemma New conducting.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Sun

Oct 18

2:00 PM

VAM Symphony Orchestra: Ian Parker Plays Gershwin

Gershwin's An American in Paris, taxi horns and all, and his jazz-soaked Piano Concerto in F with Ian Parker. A Sunday afternoon at the Orpheum.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Academy of Music

Wed

Oct 21

10:30 AM

Music in the Morning: Isidore String Quartet

A string quartet with your morning coffee. No evening to plan around.

Vancouver Academy of Music

Music in the Morning

Fri

Oct 23

6:30 PM

Bernstein's West Side Story

Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story: "Somewhere," the mambo and the rumble for full orchestra, conducted by Alondra de la Parra.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Sat

Oct 24

7:30 PM

Tosca

Puccini's thriller: a singer, a painter, a corrupt police chief, and some of the most famous arias ever written.

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Vancouver Opera

Fri

Oct 30

7:00 PM

Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas™ in Concert

The film on screen with Danny Elfman's score played live, the night before Halloween.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

November 2026

Sun

Nov 1

3:00 PM

Luka Coetzee, cello & Jon Kimura Parker, piano

A rising cellist with a Vancouver-raised piano star. Two instruments, a Sunday afternoon.

Vancouver Playhouse

Vancouver Recital Society

Sun

Nov 8

2:00 PM

VAM Symphony Orchestra: Legends of the Console

Zelda, Mario, Skyrim, The Last of Us and Undertale for full orchestra, sequenced through three decades of game music.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Academy of Music

Sat

Nov 14

7:30 PM

Christopher Tin's The Lost Birds

A choral requiem for extinct birds by the composer of "Baba Yetu" from Civilization IV. Stream the album first, then hear it live.

St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church

Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs

Mon

Nov 23

1:00 PM

Yoon, Sarkissian & Pfau

Flute, cello and piano from Schumann to Kapustin's jazzy trio. Afternoon shows in three neighbourhoods.

Anvil Theatre

Vancouver Chamber Music Society

Sun

Nov 29

3:00 PM

Jupiter Ensemble

Thomas Dunford's young, much-loved ensemble returns with Baroque music about the Amazons.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Vancouver Recital Society

December 2026

Fri

Dec 4

7:00 PM

Philip Glass & The Firebird

Anne Akiko Meyers plays a new Philip Glass violin concerto, then Stravinsky's Firebird.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Fri

Dec 11

7:30 PM

Vivaldi's The Four Seasons

Concertmaster Nicholas Wright leads Vivaldi's The Four Seasons in the Chan Centre's much-praised acoustic.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Sat

Dec 12

7:30 PM

Handel's Messiah

The Vancouver Bach Choir's Messiah, a long-running holiday tradition. "Hallelujah" is near the end; standing is optional.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs

Thu

Dec 17

7:00 PM

Home Alone in Concert

The whole film with John Williams's score live. You know the story, so you can just listen.

Orpheum Theatre

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Sun

Dec 20

3:00 PM

Festive Cantatas: Gloria with Vivaldi & Bach

Vivaldi's joyful Gloria with the Vancouver Youth Choir, plus two Bach cantatas. Baroque Christmas done properly.

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Early Music Vancouver

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