After the chaos that wracked Minnesota this year, music can be a solace. Classical music groups in the Twin Cities are rising to the task, with offerings aimed at lifting the spirit, probing the soul, and creating a hopeful vision forward.
Schubert Club
Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI: “Songs, Battles and Dances from the Old and the New World” — April 16: Catalan musician Jordi Savall, a scholar and innovator of early musical instruments, leads the ensemble Hesperion XXI and a host of guest musicians in a program traversing the old and new worlds. Formed in Basel, Switzerland, in 1974, Hesperion XXI derives its name from the Classical Greek word for the people of the Italian and Iberian peninsulas. The group will highlight stories and histories from the United States and Central and South America as told through musical repertoire and historic instruments. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St Paul. Tickets: $36 – $82, schubert.org. Accessibility info: schubert.org/ada-accessibility/
Minnesota Opera
“Edgar in Concert” — April 17 & 19: The Minnesota Opera Chorus and Orchestra take on Giacomo Puccini’s second opera, “Edgar,” based on a libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, in a concert-style presentation. The story follows a young man torn between two women — one virtuous and one not so virtuous, whose powerful attraction takes hold of him. Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St Paul. Tickets: $28 – $183, mnopera.org. Accessibility info: mnopera.org/visit/accessibility-services.
Border CrosSing
“Un Milagro de Fe” — April 19: Transcend borders with three choral works that celebrate cross-cultural connections and embrace difference as strength. The choral pieces highlight Latin American culture and the African and European influences that have flourished across the Americas. The group performs “Fiesta de San Juan,” by Venezuelan composer Beatriz Bilbao, “Misa Criolla,” by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramírez, and “Réquiem Osún,” by Cuban composer Calixto Álvarez. Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St Paul. Tickets: $5 – $100, bordercrossingmn.org. Accessibility info: ordway.org/visit/accessibility/
Minnesota Orchestra
Sondergard Conducts Wagner and Bartok — May 8 & 9: American mezzo Michelle DeYoung and Canadian bass-baritone Nathan Berg join the Minnesota Orchestra for a performance of Bela Bartok’s two-person, one-act symbolist opera, “Bluebeard’s Castle.” The concert also features two works by Richard Wagner — the prelude to “Lohengrin,” and the Prelude and “Liebestod” from “Tristan and Isolde.” Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. Tickets: $32 – $110, minnesotaorchestra.org. Accessibly info: minnesotaorchestra.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility.
Minnesota Opera
“Pagliacci” — May 9, 10, 14, 16, 17: Long before Stephen King wrote “It,” composer and librettist Ruggero Leoncavallo penned an earlier creepy clown plot set amid the goings on of a commedia dell’arte troupe. Minnesota Opera brings a production directed by Brenna Corner, first presented at the Glimmerglass Festival in 2024, as its final mainstage opera of the season. Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St Paul. Tickets: $28 – $276, mnopera.org. Accessibility info: mnopera.org/visit/accessibility-services.
Chopin Society of MN
Paul Lewis — May 10: British pianist Paul Lewis, who has an award-winning recording career, stops by St. Paul for a program featuring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc. Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College, 62 S. Macalester St., St. Paul. Tickets: $40, chopinsocietymn.org. Accessibility info: chopinsocietymn.org/concert-hall
The SPCO
The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc with Abel Selaocoe — May 22-24: Artistic Partner Abel Selaocoe’s boundless energy is intoxicating, and his innovative interpretations of classical music have proven a delight for St. Paul Chamber Orchestra fans. This spring, the cellist and composer leads the SPCO in two world premieres: a new arrangement of “Viderunt Omnes,” which Selaocoe arranged with Jonathan Posthuma, and Iain Farrington’s commissioned arrangement of Claude Debussy’s Sonata for Cello and Chamber Orchestra. Composers Caroline Shaw and John Cage are also featured on the program, which is anchored by “The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc for String Orchestra” by Julius Eastman. Ordway Concert Hall & Ted Mann Concert Hall. Tickets: $16 – $70, thespco.org. Accessibility info: thespco.org/venues.
Cantus
Genius Child — Song cycles inspired by the Harlem Renaissance — July 14-17: Cantus honors an important period of American cultural history, the Harlem Renaissance. The program highlights the legacy of Black voices with its performance of Ricky Ian Gordon’s “Genius Child,” a song cycle set to poems by Langston Hughes, and H. Leslie Adams’ “Nightsongs,” set to Hughes as well as other important Black poets, including Georgia D. Johnson. The group will also perform “Fields of Wonder” by American composer and pianist Margaret Bonds. The Museum of Russian Art, the American Swedish Institute, & Westminster Hall. Tickets: $5 – $52, cantussings.org. Accessibility info: www.cantussings.org/ada-access/
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