For the eighth year The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is partnering with the Capri Theater to bring an exciting season of classical chamber music to North Minneapolis. The 2017-18 season features three Friday evening concerts on October 20, 2017, and February 23 and March 16, 2018. All programs begin at 7 p.m. at the Capri, 2027 West Broadway.
Season tickets for all three concerts (guaranteed general admission seating) are $30 and are on sale at thespco.org or the SPCO box office at 651-291-1144. In addition, as a part of SPCO’s mission to make classical music more accessible, one-third of the 250 seats in the Capri Theater will continue to be offered for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations for free tickets will be offered a month prior to each concert date. The three Friday night concerts include:
Introducing Lembit Beecher, 7 p.m. Friday, October 20, 2017. SPCO composer-in-residence Lembit Beecher curates and hosts this program that introduces audiences to his ability to weave storytelling into instrumental works including Stories From My Grandmother and his string quartet Small Infinities. Works by Dvořák, Janáček and Schubert are also featured in the program.
Beethoven’s First String Trio, 7 p.m. Friday, February 23, 2018. Brooklyn-based composer Ljova Zhurbin goes back to his Klezmer roots as the opening piece, Raisins and Almonds and Budget Bulgar, and the second, Kodály’s Serenade, capture the folk music of his native Hungary. Beethoven’s String Trio in G Major gives each member of the ensemble a fair share of beautiful melodies and virtuosic passagework.
Strong Sisters, 7 p.m. Friday, March 16, 2018. Works by Nadia and Lili Boulanger, the most famous sisters in classical music, are at the heart of this concert celebrating remarkable composers. And each of the works on the program traces its strength through different channels: Jessie Montgomery through spirituals, Dame Gillian Whitehead through a close friend struggling with cancer, and Joan Tower through her connection with the performers for whom she wrote her music.
“We look forward to another fantastic season of music, and are thrilled by the liveliness and beauty SPCO brings to our theater and community,” said Capri Director James Scott.
The SPCO/Capri partnership has attracted new audiences for both organizations and the series is now an established and treasured asset of the Northside community. More info: thecapritheater.org. More about SPCO: thespco.org.