Sam Roberts Band

After more than a decade as the face of Canadian throwback rock, it was inevitable that Sam Roberts would start itching to experiment. On 2011’s Collider, he got funky; on 2013’s Lo-Fantasy, he fell in love with synths; on his latest album, 2016’s TerraForm, he’s gone full psychedelic. The record blends Roberts’s strong, simple indie songwriting with a more ethereal backdrop. Jan. 20. $49. Rebel, 11 Polson St., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca. Emanuel Ax Plays Mozart Ax has a steadfast commitment to new works by contemporary composers, but he’s probably most celebrated for his acutely idiomatic interpretations of Mozart, Haydn and other greats from the Classical period. They’ve earned him a shelf filled with seven Grammys dating back to 1986. A number of Mozart’s piano concertos, with their bright texture and melancholy elegance, will spotlight the man’s effortless playing in this concert. Jan. 13 and 14. $50.25–$106.50. Koerner Hall, 273 Bloor St. W., 416-598-3375, tso.ca.

Heath Quartet This splashy group of Brits makes its Canadian debut with a program that offers a surprise: Bach organ preludes transcribed for a string quartet. Somewhat more predictably, they tackle Bartók’s lusciously mournful first quartet and Dvoˇrák’s 13th with the deft talent that earned them the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artists Award. Jan. 22. $30. Walter Hall, 80 Queen’s Park Cr., 416-922-3714 ext. 103, mooredaleconcerts.com.

Intimate German Baroque Johann Sebastian Bach may be the towering genius of German Baroque, but he built upon an impressive heritage established by earlier composers, many of whom are featured in this concert. H.I.F. von Biber