Toronto’s winter calendar gets a vibrant jolt of holiday cheer when Orchestra Toronto joins forces with the Billboard-charting, 3x JUNO-nominated Sultans of String for Celebrate the Season — a one-afternoon-only musical event that blends symphonic power with global rhythms from around the world. The festive performance takes place Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 3:00pm at the George Weston Recital Hall inside the Meridian Arts Centre.
It’s the kind of concert you only find in a city like Toronto: seasonal classics, lush orchestral arrangements, and an exhilarating international flair that pulls influence from jazz, Jewish, Turkish, and Caribbean musical traditions. Expect familiar melodies — Silent Night, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, and Little Drummer Boy — reimagined with a multicultural twist that reflects the spirit of the holiday season in a truly global city.
A Cross-Cultural Holiday Experience
For Orchestra Toronto’s Music Director Michael Newnham, this concert is designed to be both nostalgic and refreshingly new.
“We are thrilled to enter this joyous time of year with a selection of seasonal favourites that honours and celebrates a variety of cultures from around the world,” Newnham says. “We are confident this cross-cultural holiday celebration will bring the warmth and energy of the season, with a fresh perspective on familiar melodies.”
This year, the orchestra welcomes the incomparable Sultans of String, known for their boundary-pushing collaborations and genre-hopping sound that blends Celtic reels, flamenco, Django-jazz, Arabic, Cuban, and more. Led by violinist and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Chris McKhool, the group’s Christmas Caravan program promises fiery energy, infectious rhythms, and a musical fusion that’s impossible to sit still through.
Joining McKhool and the orchestra on stage are special guests Ken Whiteley, Rebecca Campbell, Saskia Tomkins, Aviva Chernick, and Alberto Suarez, each bringing their own colour, voice, and tradition to the performance.
New Music and Inspired Arrangements
Fans can look forward to a world premiere performance of the orchestral arrangement of The Light of Christmas, written by guest artist Ken Whiteley and newly arranged for this concert by Ben Bolt-Martin.
McKhool shares his excitement about returning to orchestral performance:
“We will be playing some fiery fiddle tunes, a Caribbean sleigh ride, as well as some well-known gems with inspired twists. Having grown up playing in orchestras, performing with Orchestra Toronto brings our music full circle.”
About the Performers
Orchestra Toronto, founded in 1954 and now approaching 100 musicians strong, is one of Canada’s largest volunteer orchestras. Their mission emphasizes accessibility, community engagement, and musical education — making this holiday concert a natural extension of their mandate.
Sultans of String continue to be one of Canada’s most celebrated world-music ensembles, with multiple JUNO nominations, six Canadian Folk Music Awards, and #1 national radio chart placements. Their music is known for its dazzling virtuosity, cultural curiosity, and ability to connect audiences through shared rhythms and global storytelling.
If You Go
📅 Sunday, December 7, 2025 – 3:00pm
🎶 Christmas Caravan: Global Grooves & Holiday Cheer
📍 George Weston Recital Hall, Meridian Arts Centre
5020 Yonge Street, North York
💬 Pre-concert chat with Michael Newnham at 2:15pm
🎟 Tickets:
- Adults: $55
- Seniors (60+): $39
- Youth (16–29): $25
- Children (5–15): $15
👉 More info & tickets: https://www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Sultans-of-String-2025
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