Whip-smart foxes, meta-minded operas, and a great reason to put down the rake and get busy with the rum balls. The following music events will keep you busy until it’s time to put away the umbrella and start looking for the snow shovel.

Mozart and Haydn

Orpheum, Oct 7

The Vancouver Bach Choir and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra team up for a tribute to works from two of classical music’s all-time titans. On the menu: Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Coronation Mass, with Leslie Dala conducting the choirs and spotlighted soloists Magdalena How, Katie Fraser, Ian McCloy, and Philip Wing.

Carminho

Centennial Theatre, Oct 15

Even before her coming out party before an audience of thousands at age 12, Maria do Carmo Carvalho Rebelo de Andrade’s destiny was in many ways predetermined. The singer known simply as Carminho was born into royalty—her mother Teresa Siqueira is a revered fado icon in Portugal. Carminho has continued the family tradition, wracking up gold and platinum records and Latin Grammy Award nominations in the Portuguese Language Roots category. Accompanied by no less than four guitartists, the 39-year-old fado star will showcase songs from her six albums during her West Coast stop, including this year’s self-produced Portuguesa.

Zemlinsky Quartet

Vancouver Playhouse, Oct 17

Founded in 1994, Czechoslovakia’s Zemlinsky Quartet has spent the past three decades touring the world and piling up awards at events like the London International String Quartet Competition, Prague Spring International Music Competition, and Banff International String Quartet Competition. Returning to Vancouver, the members of the four-piece will be thrilling classical music fans with a Friends of Chamber Music production.

Vox Organi

Pacific Spirit United Church, Oct 19 to 21

Celebrating its landmark 50th season, Vancouver New Music Festival gets the festivities rolling with a three-day festival at Pacific Spirit United Church. That’s the home of the city’s largest and thus majestic pipe organ, and it’ll be the centerpiece for works by Vancouver ambient-music veteran loscil (aka Scott Morgan) and collaborator Lawrence English, as well as compositions by Sarah Davachi.

Waawaa-Steewak

St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Oct 20

Cree composer Andrew Balfour steps into the role of guest conductor for this Vancouver Chamber Choir production of his Waawaa-Steewak. Translating as “northern lights” in Cree, the work will be part of a night featuring Spanish and Mexican Renaissance music, including a piece by Mexico 18th century classical music giant Manuel de Sumaya.

The Magic Flute

Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Oct 21 to 29

Long before there was a word for meta, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was already ahead of the game. Presented by Vancouver Opera, this stylized version of The Magic Flute starts at a 1791 garden party for The Magic Flute, that unleashing a fairy tale world of magical garden mazes, star-dusted skies, and fantastical creatures—all backdrops for a struggle on whether to give into good or evil. Anchoring it all: the timeless music of Mozart, easily the GOAT of classical music.

Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog

Blueshore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts, Oct 16

Talk about not only walking with giants, but being a part of some of their greatest works. Hello Rain Dogs and Book of Heads—it’s good you’re both in this world. Guitarist Marc Ribot, famous for his collaborations with everyone from boho legend Tom Waits to improv giant Jon Zorn, brings his Ceramic Dog project to Vancouver with bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith riding shotgun. Reference points include everything from glam boogie and garage punk to psychedelic agitpop.

Verdi’s Messa da Requiem

Orpheum, Nov 3 to 4

Clocking in right after Mozart’s Requiem on classical music’s all-time choral hits list, this piece typically runs 90 minutes, giving one plenty of time to reflect on life, death, and where we go when we’re gone. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance at the Orpheum will have Maestro Otto Tausk leading over 150 musicians through an epic first performed in 1874, and which has today marked everything from the Fukushima nuclear disaster to the 9/11 attacks on New York City.

Boundless

St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, Nov 10 to 11

Boundless promises to be as beautiful as it is just a little bittersweet. This year’s edition of Chor Leoni’s annual Remembrance Day concerts gives us reason to reflect on the price of war and how the world might navigate a path to peace, with the 65-strong choir. Anchoring the program is a work by Canada’s Don Macdonald.

Vancouver Cello Quartet with Nathan Chan

Kay Meek Arts Centre, Nov 19

Seattle Symphony Orchestra cellist and social media sensation Nathan Chan makes the trip up the I-5 to sit in with the Vancouver Cello Quartet (Kevin Park, Lee Duckles, Cristian Markos, and Luke Kim). Part of the draw of this Vancouver Chamber Music Society show will be the American, whose 35 million views on YouTube and Instagram led to a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. More than holding their own will be the Lotusland foursome.

Chez-Nous: Christmas With Elektra

Good Shepherd Church, Dec 2; Pacific Spirit United Church, Dec 3

The start of the holiday season comes at the tail end of fall for the Elektra Women’s Choir. Songs on the program will span familiar favourites to chestnuts dating back to the 14th century. Bonus: you’ve got an official reason to get busy with the rum balls and Alton Brown eggnog, even if you haven’t quite finished raking the leaves.