From new commissions to new takes on historic music material, this spring’s classical music scene has a rich landscape of history and innovation. Guest artists from around the world enliven Twin Cities concerts, adding to the wealth of talent that we’ve grown to know and love.
Baroque Splendor!
The University of Minnesota Singers and the Bach Society of Minnesota anticipate the coronation of King Charles with a concert featuring G.F. Handel’s Four Coronation Anthems, first premiered for King George II’s coronation ceremony in 1727. The two groups also perform Claudio Monteverdi’s 1610 Magnificat for the concert, led by Matthew Mehaffey, who is a professor of music and associate director of choral activities at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music. 4 p.m. April 2, Ted Mann Concert Hall, events.tc.umn.edu/music/all, 612-626-9269.
Express Concert: Ethereal Voices with Abel Selaocoe
One of St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s newest artistic partners, South African cellist, singer and composer Abel Selaocoe, shares original compositions and an orchestral arrangement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Heiliger Dankgesang” from String Quartet No. 15. Selaocoe has also arranged a Renaissance-era piece with improvisational elements, and leads the orchestra in a duet for two violins by avant-garde composer Luciano Berio. 8 p.m. April 22, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 651-291-1144, thespco.org.
Don Giovanni
The Minnesota Opera takes on Mozart’s rascally anti-hero in its final production of the season, “Don Giovanni.” Grammy Award winner Karen Kamensek conducts the orchestra, teaming up with stage director Keturah Stickann in this female-led production. 7:30 p.m. May 6, 11, 13, 18 & 20, 2 p.m. May 14 & 21, Ordway Music Theater, $25-294, 612-333-6669, mnopera.org.
VocalEssence: Sing the World Awake
Singer, composer, and song collector Moira Smiley brings her knowledge of folk harmony, body percussion and polyphonic sounds to her engagement with VocalEssence. The concert features two commissions by Smiley as well as her hit tune, “Bellow,” along with works by Danish composer John Hoybye, Mexican composer Jomi Delgado and Haitian composer Sydney Guillaume. 7:30 p.m. May 12, Ordway Concert Hall, $25-45, 612-371-5656, vocalessence.org.
The Kanneh-Masons
The Schubert Club hosts the British sibling troupe the Kanneh-Masons for the organization’s 140th anniversary. There are seven siblings total in the classical troupe, with two members having performed at the Ordway previously. Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the first Black cellist to win the BBC Young Musician award, known for performing at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, last performed in 2019, while pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason performed in 2022. They’re joined by the rest of their talented family members. After the indoor concert the Arts Partnership will stream the concert outdoors in Rice Park. 3 p.m. May 7, Ordway Music Theater, 6 p.m. free stream in Rice Park, $36-75, 651-224-4222, ordway.org.
The Minnesota Orchestra: Brea(d)th
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the Minnesota Orchestra commissioned composer Carlos Simon, a composer in residence at the Kennedy Center, to create a piece about racial justice. Working with librettist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Simon created “brea(d)th.” Conducted by Jonathan Taylor Rush, the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra will be joined by the Minnesota Chorale and the Twin Cities Choral Partners. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Petite Suite de Concert” and a tuba concerto by Wynton Marsalis, performed by Steven Campbell, also are featured in the program. 11 a.m. May 18, 8 p.m. May 19 & May 20, Orchestra Hall, $25 to $99, free for under 18, 612-371-5656, minnesotaorchestra.org.
The Classical Music Project/Beethoven Re-Imagined
The legendary Afro-Cuban jazz pianist Nachito Herrera takes aim at Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with the Classical Music Project in this concert by a group aimed at bringing music from the 17th to the 19th century to new life. They’ll also perform Sonata for Orchestra, which takes Beethoven’s Sonata No. 7 for Violin and Piano and turns it into a piece played by a larger ensemble. Yaniv Segal, music director of the Salina Symphony, conducts. 3 p.m. April 23, Westminster Hall, $20-50, 612-332-5299, classicalmusicproject.com.
