Victoria Symphony

Messiah by Candlelight
2025-12-14 14:30 - 16:30 (America/Vancouver) | Christ Church Cathedral, 930 Burdett Ave
“Hallelujah!” In 1741, Handel composed his great oratorio Messiah in just three weeks, and its message continues to reign forever and ever, enthralling audiences annually. Victoria’s magnificent Christ Church Cathedral will be the candlelit setting as the VS, local choirs, and four leading soloists share a story rich in complex emotions and human drama. Lift your spirits once again!

Christmas Pops with the VS (Sidney Matinee)
2025-12-16 15:00 - 17:00 | Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 1W9, Canada
Santa Claus isn’t the only one coming to town! Maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia and your Victoria Symphony return to the West Shore for the third annual Christmas Pops with the Victoria Symphony, this year joined by local vocal specialist Mandy Bryant. Bringing you music for “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, from Frozen to The Nutcracker to holiday classics and spirited renditions of favourite carols, join your Victoria Symphony for a festive celebration without having to make the drive downtown!

Christmas Pops with the VS (Sidney Evening)
2025-12-16 19:30 - 21:30 | Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 1W9, Canada

Christmas Pops with the VS (West Shore)
2025-12-17 19:30 - 21:30 | Dogwood Auditorium, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Rd, Victoria, V9C 3E9, Canada
Santa Claus isn’t the only one coming to town! Maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia and your Victoria Symphony return to the West Shore for the third annual Christmas Pops with the Victoria Symphony, this year joined by local vocal specialist Mandy Bryant. Bringing you music for “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, from Frozen to The Nutcracker to holiday classics and spirited renditions of favourite carols, join your Victoria Symphony for a festive celebration without having to make the drive downtown!
Royal Roads University uses Robbins Parking on campus. Parking is restricted to designated parking zones, as shown on the campus map. There are multiple ways to pay for parking, including onsite payment at parking meters or through the Honk or Pay by Phone apps. Please visit the parking page on the Royal Roads website for more information.

Elf in Concert
2025-12-20 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-21 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler, and raised among Santa’s elves. This holiday season Buddy travels to New York—with a live symphony orchestra! Experience John Debney’s wonderful score as the full film plays on the big screen.
ELF and all related characters and elements © & ™ New Line Productions, Inc. (s25).
Not included in subscription purchase discount.

Elf in Concert – JUST ADDED!
2025-12-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St

New Year's Day Celebration
2026-01-01 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Treat yourself, family, and friends to this musical toast as VS rings in 2026! Overtures, arias, choruses, and dances will thrill while the soprano voice of Claire de Sévigné will sparkle like a fine champagne in this most favourite New Year’s Day tradition – which has sold out two years in a row!

The Planets – Symphony in Space
2026-01-24 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-01-25 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Prepare to blast off as VS brings you music from out of this world. Expect to visit a few of The Planets as depicted by Gustav Holst, Mozart, and Strauss. Enjoy favourite themes by John Williams from Star Wars, recall the drama of Apollo 13, relive Star Trek through the years, and more! From concert classics to inspired film scores, your imagination will take flight.

Kluxen – Grieg's Peer Gynt
2026-02-01 14:30 - 16:30 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
Follow the exploits of the charming, arrogant title character Peer Gynt, a Norwegian peasant who travels the world in search of his true self. Theatre Director Antony Ernst condenses Ibsen’s monumental story into an enchanting concert-length performance. You will recognize Grieg’s “hits”—Morning Mood, The Hall of the Mountain King, and Solveig’s Song—as you meet Peer, his mother, Åse; the eternally faithful Solveig, and several other famous characters. All the roles will be played by three actors, supported by the members of the Victoria Choral Society and the VS, led by Christian Kluxen.

Fauré Requiem & Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony
2026-02-06 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-02-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Christ Church Cathedral, 930 Burdett Ave
A musical fanfare in a venue like no other! Join VS as we gather the musical community together in Victoria’s magnificent Christ Church Cathedral. The majestic organ built by Helmuth Wolff & Associés Ltée will, of course, be featured, played by local organist Mark McDonald. From the sublime repose of Fauré’s Requiem to the thundering finale of Saint-Saëns’ “Organ” Symphony, generations of choristers, instrumentalists, and solo vocalists will inspire those in attendance.

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 & Tchaikovsky's Pathétique
2026-03-01 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Poetic and passionate performances are in store from two emerging Canadian talents. In September 2024, Salmon Arm BC-born pianist Jaeden-Izik Dzurko took top honours at the Leeds International Piano Competition—the first Canadian to do so since Jon Kimura Parker won in 1984. Nicolas Ellis is Music Director of the Orchestre National de Bretagne and Principal Guest of Les Violons du Roy. He served as Artistic Collaborator of the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin from 2018 to 2023. The intriguing title of Florence Tremblay’s work, Les détours nécessaires (The Necessary Detours), alludes to the world of video games but also suggests that sometimes, in life, the most successful path is not always the necessary or obvious one to take.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons
2026-03-06 19:30 - 21:30 | Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, British Columbia, V8L 1W9, Canada
VS presents a treat for lovers of music from the Baroque era, as Nanaimo-born violinist Aisslinn Nosky leads Vivaldi’s evergreen classic and more! The airs and dances of Rameau’s suite raise a storm among the Greek Gods, while Emily Doolittle’s work calms the waters. Nosky captivates audiences around the world with her innovative interpretations and impeccable technique. Her fierce passion for early music and skill as a soloist, director, and conductor has generated robust appreciation by press and audiences alike.
Not included in subscription purchase discount.

Dan Brown's Wild Symphony
2026-03-07 15:00 - 16:00 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
Travel through the trees and across the seas with Maestro Mouse and the Victoria Symphony for New York Times best-selling author Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony, where you’ll meet a big blue whale and speedy cheetahs, tiny beetles, and graceful swans in this fun and refreshingly real orchestra experience for children of all ages.
Not included in subscription purchase discount. Tickets available to purchase through the UVic Ticket Centre starting Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Matinee)
2026-03-08 14:30 - 16:30 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
VS presents a treat for lovers of music from the Baroque era, as Nanaimo-born violinist Aisslinn Nosky leads Vivaldi’s evergreen classic and more! The airs and dances of Rameau’s suite raise a storm among the Greek Gods, while Emily Doolittle’s work calms the waters. Nosky captivates audiences around the world with her innovative interpretations and impeccable technique. Her fierce passion for early music and skill as a soloist, director, and conductor has generated robust appreciation by press and audiences alike.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Evening)
2026-03-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

Back to the Future in Concert
2026-03-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-03-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Fans old and new will experience the thrill of Back to the Future like never before – on a big high-def screen with the Victoria Symphony performing Alan Silvestri’s dazzling musical score live in sync with the movie. Audiences will also be in for an exclusive treat: approximately twenty minutes of music added by award-winning composer Silvestri to the film’s score especially for these unique live orchestral presentations.
Not included in subscription purchase discount.
© Universal City Studios LLC and Amblin Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jeremy Dutcher in Concert
2026-03-14 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-03-15 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Singer-songwriter, composer, and musicologist Jeremy Dutcher is the first artist in history to win the Polaris Music Prize twice. The classically trained tenor is a member of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick and his debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, (2018) helped to bring the endangered language of the Wolastoqiyik people to new generations. Dutcher’s follow-up album, Motewolonuwok (2024), featuring a mixture of original songs in English and Wolastoqey, continues to preserve a language while fostering inclusivity, reclamation, and reconciliation. Unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance, Jeremy makes his VS debut with works from both of his award-winning albums.

Kluxen – Haydn & Strauss
2026-03-21 15:00 - 17:00 | Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones St, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K 1S7, Canada
This program celebrates humor, ingenuity,and the blending of styles across three distinct musical voices. HK Gruber’s Manhattan Broadcasts sets the stage with its jazzy energy, and tongue-in-cheek playfulness, drawing on urban soundscapes. Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, “Il Distratto”, follows with its brilliant theatricality, weaving a lighthearted narrative full of wit and surprising turns. The evening culminates with Richard Strauss’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme, a charming suite that fuses Baroque elegance with Strauss’s characteristic warmth and humor, evoking the whimsical world of Molière’s classic comedy. Together, these works promise an engaging and richly textured musical journey.
Not included in subscription purchase discount.

Kluxen – Haydn & Strauss
2026-03-22 14:30 - 16:30 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
This program celebrates humor, ingenuity,and the blending of styles across three distinct musical voices. HK Gruber’s Manhattan Broadcasts sets the stage with its jazzy energy, and tongue-in-cheek playfulness, drawing on urban soundscapes. Haydn’s Symphony No. 60, “Il Distratto”, follows with its brilliant theatricality, weaving a lighthearted narrative full of wit and surprising turns. The evening culminates with Richard Strauss’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme, a charming suite that fuses Baroque elegance with Strauss’s characteristic warmth and humor, evoking the whimsical world of Molière’s classic comedy. Together, these works promise an engaging and richly textured musical journey.

Kluxen & Brantelid – Prokofiev and Mendelssohn's Scottish
2026-03-29 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
The misty and melancholy atmosphere of Edinburgh’s Holyrood Palace provided the initial inspiration for Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony. Its triumphant finale parallels the conclusion of Beethoven’s Egmont – a tragedy that ends in victory. The Symphony-Concerto in E minor is one of Prokofiev’s final works, created in consultation with soloist Mstislav Rostropovich. It is one of the most demanding works in the cello repertoire. To interpret it, Maestro Christian Kluxen welcomes his Danish compatriot, Andreas Brantelid.

Kluxen & Min – Rachmaninoff & Shostakovich
2026-04-04 19:30 - 21:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
A hometown favourite, the globe-trotting pianist Lorraine Min is featured in one of Rachmaninoff’s most challenging and best loved works. This concert is sure to delight, especially listening to the sublime Variation 18! Shostakovich and Britten were near contemporaries, and equally precocious. Jaunty fiddle tunes from Quebec inspired Britten, while the Symphony No. 1 was Shostakovich’s graduation project from the Leningrad Conservatory. It brought him instant international fame.

Season Special: The Choir of King's College, Cambridge
2026-04-12 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
Founded in the fifteenth century, The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge is undoubtedly one of the world’s best-known choral groups. While the Choir exists primarily to sing the daily services in King’s College Chapel, its worldwide fame and reputation, enhanced by its many recordings, has led to invitations to perform around the globe, and to an extensive international tour schedule. They’ll be travelling 7600 kilometres from Cambridge to Victoria to perform Mozart’s Requiem with our VS musicians.
Not included in subscription purchase discount.

Platypus Theatre – Bach to the Future
2026-04-18 15:00 - 16:00 | Farquhar at UVic, University Farquhar Auditorium, Ring Road, Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada
“A school project about classical music?!” wails Corky, “What do I know about classical music?” Uncle Siegfried to the rescue! But when Corky accidentally combines the ingredients of a magical musical spell her uncle is working on, she finds herself on an adventure with some of the world’s most fascinating composers – Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvořák, Shostakovich! Join Corky as she attempts to recreate the musical formula that will bring a happy ending to a time travel experiment gone awry.
Not included in subscription purchase discount. Tickets available to purchase through the UVic Ticket Centre starting Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

Queens of Soul
2026-05-02 19:30 - 21:30, 2026-05-03 14:30 - 16:30 | Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St
An evening featuring hits made famous by the reigning divas of Soul and R&B: Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and Adele. Featuring three female singers performing popular hits made famous by these powerful and soulful songstresses. Songs include Proud Mary, At Last, Rolling in the Deep, A Natural Woman, and more!
All arrangements licensed by Schirmer Theatrical, LLC.
