The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir will open its 40th season in the Annex with a fall social on Sept. 15 in Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre that will feature a concert followed by refreshments in the garden.

Tafelmusik is a type of German music that was played at feasts and banquets in the mid-sixteenth century, and the orchestra and choir specializes in baroque, classical era music, and reinventions of classics from that era.

“It is exciting to be doing this,” said Sarah Baumann, the organization’s marketing director. “We have not done a concert like this at the beginning of the season before; some of the members of the orchestra live in the area, so it will be a good opportunity for us to give back to the community. We hope that the community will enjoy it as well.”

Then there’s Tafelmusik’s Mozart 40 at Koerner Hall from September 20 to 23. Music director Elisa Citterio will take centre stage as the soloist when the orchestra launches a new cycle of Mozart concerts with its first ever performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto in D Major. Mozart’s arresting 40th symphony is the centrepiece of the program, though, and will take listeners on a journey of great beauty, urgency, and passion. This music, which pushed the boundaries of the classical style, still feels bold and extraordinary today.

This is at the heart of Tafelmusik’s mission. While the orchestra plays on period instruments and according to the style of the time, it still aims to perform in a way that’s fresh and modern.

“Tafelmusik is different from a large symphony orchestra. It is a chamber-sized orchestra; for baroque music you’ll usually see 15 to 20 musicians on stage. For baroque orchestral programs, we are usually directed by a violinist. For programs with our choir, and for later classical/romantic programs, we work with a conductor,” explained Baumann.

Tafelmusik has a global reach thanks to its television broadcasts and recordings, but still performs over 80 concerts a year in and around Toronto, with half performed at Trinity-St. Paul’s.

The fall social begins at 4 p.m. and tickets are at heavily discounted prices of $5. For further information on Tafelmusik or any of its performances, please visit www.tafelmusik.org.

—Temi Dada and Laura Philips/Gleaner News