Ty Pennington offers tips at the National Home Show.
FEBRUARY 19 TO 28 Find all of the decorating, remodeling and landscaping tools you’ll need for your next big project or mini-makeover at the National Home Show. North America’s largest home design and renovation expo boasts more than 700 exhibitors as well as themed stage shows, eco-friendly displays and a lush 32,000-square-foot garden. Even reluctant rehabbers are sure to be inspired after touring the impressive modular dream home created by top Toronto designers. And don’t miss on-stage appearances by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition star Ty Pennington and experts from HGTV, who share tips on the hottest interior design trends throughout the week. Direct Energy Centre, admission $11 to $15; call 416-644-5400 or click here for more information.
Eric Clapton
FEBRUARY 21 Guitar legends and long-time chums Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck take to the stage for an extraordinary musical collaboration. Currently working as solo artists, but with individual careers spanning more than four decades—including stints in some of rock ‘n’ roll’s seminal bands—the British axemen earned rave reviews when they performed together last year in Tokyo, Japan. Toronto is one of only three scheduled dates for the duo and promises the best that both Clapton and Beck have to offer. Each guitarist is slated to play a solo set before joining forces for a special finale. Air Canada Centre, 8 p.m., $69.50 to $225; call 416-870-8000 or visit Ticketmaster for tickets.
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (photo by Cylla von Tiedemann)
This month, Roy Thomson Hall hosts show-stopping performances by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a renowned European ensemble. Call 416-593-4828 for information, times and tickets to all performances.
FEBRUARY 10 & 11 Canadian conductor Douglas Boyd leads an evening that pairs two Beethoven masterpieces—Symphony No. 5 and the overture from Fidelio—with the North American premiere of A Table of Noises, a percussion concerto by British composer Simon Holt.
FEBRUARY 18 & 20 Soprano Michele Crider and tenor Maxim Aksenov are joined by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for a sublime choral rendition of Verdi’s Requiem, considered by many to be the Italian composer’s greatest work.
FEBRUARY 24 The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra graces the stage with works by Messiaen, Ravel and Richard Strauss. French-Canadian wünderkind Yannick Nézet-Séguin performs baton duties for this varied program.
