The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) and the Capri Theater proudly present Northside Celebrationat 8 p.m. Friday, January 24 at the Ordway Concert Hall, and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, January 25 at North High School, 1500 James Ave. N.
The three collaborative concerts will celebrate the North Minneapolis community through music. Tickets for the North High School performances are free but reservations are required; contact thespco.org/northside, or the SPCO Ticket Office at 651-291-1144. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on January 25 for the North High School performances.
This season also marks 10 years of community partnership for the SPCO with the Capri Theater and members of the North Minneapolis community. The Capri presents a three-concert SPCO chamber music series each season and hosts two SPCO programs specifically designed for families with young children. These concerts are free for Northside residents.
This is the second iteration of the Northside Celebration and new to this year’s celebration, one performance will take place at the Ordway Concert Hall, the SPCO’s home in downtown Saint Paul, in addition to two performances at North High.
Music will be performed by the Northside Celebration Choir — a choir formed especially for this event — the Courtland Pickens Community Youth Choir and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Co-presented by the Capri Theater, this unique performance brings gospel choir music, orchestral music and spoken word together under the thoughtful direction of Sanford Moore, Dennis Spears, Kevin West, Courtland Pickens and Sherri Orr.
The Northside Celebration will feature familiar works like The Storm Is Passing Over and several arrangements for choir and orchestra together. Many pieces on the program have been arranged by Sanford Moore, including The Dream and Jesus Lover of My Soul (Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring). It will also feature original spoken word by Northside students, teachers and artists.
The inspiration for this concert originated five years ago during a luncheon with Northside community residents and representatives from the SPCO and the Capri. Amidst avid support for a continued SPCO presence at the Capri, several themes surfaced during the discussion, including intense community pride in the face of adversity, a desire for opportunities to collaborate and feature local artists, and a desire to emphasize connection and strengthen relationships in the community.
In response to this feedback, Dennis Spears, Artistic Director of the Capri’s Legendsseries,suggested that the Capri and the SPCO take their partnership to the next level by collaborating to make music together, with the community, and with the support of acclaimed composer, arranger and pianist Sanford Moore. Understanding the power of music and coupling this with themes of hope, pride, collaboration and strong community connections, the Northside Celebration was born.
The inaugural Northside Celebration in 2017 was a great success and a highlight of the SPCO 2016-17 season.
“The inaugural Northside Celebration in 2017 proved that there is power in community members coming together from many different walks of life and rejoicing,” remarked Dennis Spears. “This year, in an even greater effort to foster unity, our concert will turn up the level of joy and togetherness with the presence of even more strong, beautiful voices from the Northside. It will be electric!”
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. More info: thecapritheater.org or thespco.org.