New to classical music in Victoria? Start here.

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.

Get our free monthly newsletter

October 2026

Thu

Oct 8

7:30 PM

Constantinople: Estuary

Persian setar meets West African kora in new music built for this tour. Nothing else this fall sounds like it.

Alix Goolden Performance Hall

New Old World Music Society

Fri

Oct 16

7:30 PM

Il trovatore

Verdi at full blast: stolen babies, burning at the stake, and the Anvil Chorus, which you already know.

Royal Theatre

Pacific Opera Victoria (POV)

Sat

Oct 24

7:30 PM

Cheng² Duo and James Campbell Concert

Sibling cello-and-piano duo plus one of Canada's great clarinetists: three players, warm sound, a converted church.

Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Victoria Conservatory of Music (VCM)

Sun

Oct 25

2:30 PM

Parameswaran & Liu — Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1

Tchaikovsky's "Winter Daydreams" is sweeping, snowy and full of tunes, and Liszt's First Piano Concerto is pure showmanship. A Sunday matinee.

Royal Theatre

Victoria Symphony

Fri

Oct 30

7:30 PM

Spirited Away – The Music of Studio Ghibli

Joe Hisaishi's Ghibli scores for full orchestra, no screen. If you know Totoro and Howl's waltz, you already know half the program.

Royal Theatre

Victoria Symphony

November 2026

Sun

Nov 8

2:30 PM

Season Special: Kluxen — Ray Chen Plays Mendelssohn

Come for Ray Chen's Victoria debut; stay for Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, which gives every section of the orchestra its own spotlight.

Royal Theatre

Victoria Symphony

Sun

Nov 15

2:30 PM

Kluxen & Choi — Prokofiev Classical & Haydn Cello Concerto

Haydn's sunny First Cello Concerto with competition winner Hayoung Choi, then Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony: fast, witty and full of tunes. A Sunday matinee.

The Farquhar at UVic

Victoria Symphony

Fri

Nov 27

7:00 PM

Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky's score played live by the Victoria Symphony while Royal Winnipeg Ballet dances a Canadian Nutcracker, with Mounties, polar bears and a hockey game. You'll know the music from the first bar.

Royal Theatre

Dance Victoria

Fri

Nov 27

7:30 PM

Jupiter Ensemble with Lea Desandre

Lutenist Thomas Dunford and singer Lea Desandre, two of early music's biggest names, in a Baroque program about the Amazons.

First Church of Christ Scientist

Early Music Society of the Islands (EMSI)

Sat

Nov 28

2:30 PM

Festive Concertos

Vivaldi and Corelli concertos and French carols led by violinist Chloe Meyers. A bright Saturday matinee.

Church of St John the Divine

Victoria Baroque Music Society

December 2026

Fri

Dec 11

7:30 PM

Messiah by Candlelight

Handel's Messiah by candlelight in Christ Church Cathedral. Listen for "For unto us a child is born" on the way to "Hallelujah."

Christ Church Cathedral

Victoria Symphony

Sat

Dec 19

7:00 PM

Home Alone in Concert

The whole film on screen with John Williams's score played live. The easiest possible first concert: you know the story, and laughing out loud is expected.

Royal Theatre

Victoria Symphony

Sat

Dec 19

7:30 PM

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

Twenty carols for string quartet in a candlelit hall. Low stakes and very pretty.

St Ann's Academy and Auditorium National Historic Site

Candlelight Concerts

Sun

Dec 20

3:00 PM

laReverdie

Medieval Advent and Christmas music from England, France and Italy. Christmas as it sounded 700 years ago.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

Early Music Society of the Islands (EMSI)

Wed

Dec 23

5:00 PM & 8:00 PM

A Child's Christmas in Wales

Dylan Thomas's story read aloud between carols, with a few sing-alongs. Gentle, funny and short on formality.

St. Mary's Anglican Church (Saanichton)

Vox Humana Chamber Choir

February 2027

Sat

Feb 6

2:30 PM

Victoria Choral Society presents Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs

Ola Gjeilo's glowing choral music, some of the most-performed new choral writing anywhere, in the cathedral's big acoustic.

Christ Church Cathedral

Victoria Choral Society

Not ready to book yet?

Sign up for our free monthly newsletter on what's coming up in Victoria's classical music scene.

Already know what you like? See every concert in Victoria