Kendrick Lamar performs on the opening night of his tour for his album DAMN at Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Ariz., July 12, 2017.CAITLIN O'HARA/The New York Times
Kendrick Lamar
In what could be regarded as the changing of the vanguard, Drake's OVO festival will not be the event of the summer hip-hop season. That honour goes to the arrival of Kendrick Lamar, a sublimely rapping Californian whose Damn album is a wide-screen stroke of young genius. July 25, 7:30 p.m. (and Aug. 23). $75 to $270. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., 855-985-5000 or ticketmaster.ca.
A Night at the Opera
Two words: air conditioning. Save the hand fans for the hipsters standing in the fields, because there's no cooler music festival than the indoor Toronto Summer Music Festival. Highlights include a night of arias and ensembles from the operas of Puccini, Verdi and Mozart. Hosted by the mezzo-soprano and CBC Radio 2 host Julie Nesrallah. July 27, 7:30 p.m. (festival runs to Aug. 5). $20 to $79. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-408-0208 or torontosummermusic.com.
Here: Locating Contemporary Canadian Artists
Celebrating 150 years of Canada's nationhood, the Aga Khan Museum presents the works of more than 20 contemporary Canadian artists – some born here, some naturalized; some residents, some ex-pats. Questions of identity are entertained with museum-wide installations of video, textiles, paintings and sculpture. July 22 to Jan. 1, 2018. $12 to $20. Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr., 416-646-4677 or agakhanmuseum.org.
July Talk
One could wait to catch the bluesy alt-rock dynamism and he-she charisma of one Toronto's hottest bands at Massey Hall in December, or one could hit the road north for a patio-lantern occasion this weekend. Which to do? The band's name is July Talk. That's a clue. July 21 and 22, 9 p.m. $29.50 Kee to Bala, 1012 Bala Falls Rd., Bala, Ont., thekee.com.
La Boheme
Given that Cassandra Warner has performed opera in a boxing ring, a pirate ship and a sex shop, an ensemble presentation of select cuts from Puccini's four-act classic in a cinema might feel like La Scala to her in comparison. A concert featuring the mezzo soprano is preceded by a screening of King Vidor's 1926 silent version of the opera, with live piano. July 23, 6:30 p.m. $30. Revue Cinema, 400 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-531-9950 or revuecinema.ca.
Brad Wheeler