January in Victoria: Holst's Planets, a zombie opera and Bach in dialogue with Khayyam

January in Victoria turns out to be a good month for concerts that don't fit neatly into a category.

The most unusual is Constantinople's Bach and Khayyam at First Church of Christ, Scientist, which sets arrangements of Bach's spiritual songs and arias in dialogue with the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. Pacific Opera Victoria goes somewhere else entirely with Zombie Blizzard, an intimate jazz-trio collaboration with soprano Measha Brueggergosman at the McPherson.

If you want a straightforward first orchestral concert, take the Victoria Symphony's The Planets – Symphony in Space at the Royal Theatre. Sean O'Loughlin pairs Holst with John Williams' Star Wars themes, and the connection between the two is genuinely audible — Williams knew his Holst very well.

Also worth knowing about: the Victoria Baroque Music Society brings Metropolitan Opera soprano Mireille Asselin and baritone Jesse Blumberg to St John the Divine for Of Gods and Lovers, and the UVic Symphony closes the month at the Farquhar.

This is the same lineup that went out in this month's newsletter, adapted here in case you'd rather browse than scroll an inbox. If you're new here, Discover is the editorial side of Allegro — a little more opinionated than the full listings. Subscribe below and I'll send the next one straight to your inbox.