Toronto Music Garden

a wonderful escape from the city, as ive said with other parks, this one is a different type of park, it has an outline of certain sections for you to go and visit having «themes»
i found a huge rock inside of a spiral with birds bathing in it, felt very tranquil and peaceful.
i was at ease with life, taking pictures of those birds and it felt great :)

What a place! What was originally a parking lot was magically transformed into a botanical garden thanks to Barbara Hall, Toronto’s mayor at the time, and also known as Yo-​Yo-​Ma Garden because of this famous Canadian cellist’s music and design sense. The Music Garden is an interpretation of Bach’s First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello. With it’s spirals and rounded corners it makes you feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto. It’s surprising that this small a garden can be such a haven for butterflies and birds even with a slip of a footprint along an industrial waterfront it proves that life beats out lifeless concrete slabs given half a chance. There are free concerts held here from July 2 to Sept 13 this year making it a great afternoon spot to bring your lunch after stopping at St. Lawrence market.

This little gem is one of my favourite pockets of Toronto.
I pass by the garden everyday for my evening runs. Even when there are no concerts going on, this garden is so nice to sit in. Perfect place for some yoga, people watching, reading or simply to sit and enjoy life.
There are free outdoor concerts almost every Thursday and Sunday for the remainder of the summer.
The concerts are absolutely phenomenal. Imagine listening to classical music with balmy weather, warm sun caressing your face, soft breeze from the lake, dead gorgeous sunset, sailboats floating up and down on the docks… Life does not get better than that my friends.
Some of my loveliest summer memories were created here. Do yourself a favour and go to at least one of the concerts this summer.
I’ve compiled a list of the upcoming concerts for this summer from the official Harbourfront website–
Thursday, July 30 | 7pm:
Toronto’s Ton Beau String Quartet performing Maurice Ravel’s ravishing String Quartet in F Major, and Bill Rowson’s expansive String Quartet No. 1.
Choro: Brazilian Soul Music
Sunday, August 9 | 4pm
Join Tio Chorinho, Canada’s only choro ensemble, for a spirited set of Brazil’s original soul music.
Summer Breezes
Thursday, August 13 | 7pm
The Blythwood Winds present a lively concert of contemporary and classical repertoire for wind quintet, featuring Rossini’s Overture to Cinderella, Summer Music by Samuel Barber, and new Canadian works by Kevin Lau and John Estacio.
Ragas by the Lake
Sunday, August 16 | 4pm
The groundbreaking Monsoon Trio performs classical Hindustani ragas on modified Western instruments. Jonathan Kay (tenor saxophone & bansuri), Andrew Kay (alto saxophone) and Justin Gray (bass veena), with guest Ravi Naimpally (tabla).
There and Back: Roots and Original Music from Scotland and Appalachia
Thursday, August 20 | 7pm
Coracree plays roots music from the heart — Celtic, Old Time, European and original music with an old and contemporary sound.
Un Brin de Fantaisie: Italian Instrumental Music of the Early Baroque
Sunday, August 23 | 4pm
Ensemble La Cigale treats us to passionate, fantastical masterpieces from 17^th century Italy, with music by Castello, Frescobaldi, Kapsberger, Pittoni Ferrarese and others.
Ancient Echoes, New Beats
Thursday, August 27 | 7pm
Nagata Shachu, a Music Garden favourite, takes listeners on an exhilarating musical journey to Japan, where the taiko drum has been used for 1400 years during times of prayer, celebration and war.
Silk and Bamboo
Sunday, August 30 | 4pm
The Silk String Trio weaves a colourful tapestry of Chinese music from village and court, from the Qing Dynasty to the recent era. Wen Zhao (pipa/​lute), Ziwen Qin (guzheng/​zither) and Di Zhang (yangqin/​dulcimer).
Arrelumbre: Light after Dark
Thursday, September 3 | 7pm
Led by the thrilling voice of Tamar Ilana, Ventanas dissolves the borders of Mediterranean lands with Flamenco, Balkan, Sephardic, Turkish and original music.
Grassy Roads, Wandering Feet
Sunday, September 13 | 4pm
The ever-​popular Bombadils close our season with their unique, toe-​tapping fusion of Celtic, Bluegrass, Old Time and Nordic traditions.

it’s a beautiful place to relax and stroll, or if it’s concert night, to listen to amazing music.

A small oasis within the city. This park is a great place to chill. Lots of beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs, ample places to sit down, and it always maintained to perfection. This is a great place to see live music as well (in the summer its usually on Thursdays and Sundays) Its very close to Cityplace and if you just have one of those days where you need to get a way by yourself and escape the hustle and the bustle of the city, this place is it. It’s small, clean and safe.

Just returned from an evening walk :) just splendid — so beautiful — peaceful — serene — great escape from busy Toronto

Honestly thought this place was pretty boring. There wasn’t that much variety. I wouldn’t go out of my way if you wanted to see the gardens.
However as others said its a pretty chill spot. Would be nice to hang out there for some time if you brought some entertainment like a book

Small, intimate and thoughtfully-​designed: that’s how I describe the Toronto Music Garden.
As you slowly wander through the various Bach-​inspired garden sections, you’ll wonder why there are so few visitors here compared to being in other Toronto public parks and conclude: thank goodness!
With the prevailing wind off Lake Ontario (the Garden is located in the Harbourfront area and easily accessed by public transit), it’s such a magical place.
Ip.s., if you’re expecting a ton of annuals and roses, you’ll be disappointed. The focus is on perennials, shrubs and trees which give visitors a reason to drop by year round.

What a lovely spot near Harbourfront. i love it here. its so nice and tranquil away from the crowds. The design is really beautiful with a mix of greens and interesting flowers. Sorry I cannot tell you the names of any of the plants. But if I can describe the garden in one word, it would be «LUSH». It’s a perfect place for an afternoon stroll, with a coffee in hand and maybe a book. You can prop yourself somewhere shady and read a book or write your next short story. Note: the garden takes about 5 – 10 minutes to walk through. It’s not very big.

One of my Toronto secrets.
It’s so peaceful here on a weeknight during the summer and I highly recommend it if you need some quiet time.
THE GOODS
Jennifer said it well: «Live performances Thursdays and Sundays, mostly Classical and world music. Incredibly beautiful, and sitting on the steps watching a performance outside is truly magical, this is a special place.»
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
Amazing. Who knew that you could do a guided tour or a private group tour or your own audio tour? This is why I love Toronto.
More info:

This is such a beautiful little spot! If i ever get to work early (not very often) I’ll get a bagel from the Coffee Time and stroll through the Music Garden.
The plants and trees are just amazing! The pathways and benches seem to just melt into the park and don’t obstruct the flow in any way, they are part of the garden as well. Instead of feeling like you are looking AT or walking BY the garden, it feels like you are right inside it.
The gazebo area for live music is beautifully lit at night.
I’d recommend anyone to walk a few extra block west of the Harbourfront to enjoy this place.
p. s. the several Tall Ships that dock nearby are an extra bonus, for me ;)

I couldn’t figure out what to choose as my 200^th review. I didn’t want to end up reviewing a chain store or something I didn’t like. A walk through the music garden decided me. I love it here! The blurb says that the design is based on Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello and the map divides it into allemande, prelude, courante, sarabande, gigue and menuett. I love walking around the swirling pathways-​they remind me of treble and bass clefs. The walk is fragrant from all the trees and flowers and it’s amazingly peaceful there for a garden right on the Harbourfront. I haven’t managed to catch any live music there yet-it’s my project for the summer. I love it that summer allows me to count that as a «project»!
Truly an oasis in the downtown core and one of my favourite places in the city. Stay away so it doesn’t get too busy!

One of the nicest bits about Harbourfront.
Live performances Thursdays and Sundays, mostly Classical and world music. Incredibly beautiful, and sitting on the steps watching a performance outside is truly magical, this is a special place.
For info and schedules

This is a lovely garden designed by Yoyo Ma on the south side of Queens Quay. Most tourists don’t wander further west than the Harbourfront Centre or HTO Park, so this place is usually nice and quiet, even in the summer. There are lots of private little intimate nooks. In the summer, they have weekly concerts (Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons), weather permitting. It’s a mix of mostly chamber music and world music, sometimes accompanied by dancers. Last year they had taiko drummers!
The garden is located right across the street from the Walter Carsen Centre for the National Ballet, so you’ll see a lot of dancers passing by.
If you want to grab a coffee, smoothie, or a sandwich, the Music Garden Café (
) is a perfect option.

The Music Garden is a wonderful oasis right inside the city. It has a beautiful layout of areas that represent various musical/​dance forms based on a ‘cello suite by J.S. Bach.
I was one of the few musicians that got to play along with Mr. Ma during the gala opening of this park. A few years later I moved into the area and it’s been something I visit many times a week all year long. (And no, this isn’t because the dog takes me there!) I have had the opportunity to perform twice over the years and many of my friends have performed here as well.
There are many secluded places to sit and enjoy the plant life and a couple larger open areas where there is a summer music series produced by the Harbourfront Centre with help from a few others.
There are seasonal plants all throughout spring, summer and fall. Many items are fixed and many are changed over the years so it’s always lovely.