Classical Minnesota Stories

‘Guns n' Rosenkavalier’ is a zanily original show conceived by St. Paul-based baritone Andrew Wilkowske, combining the worlds of opera and rock music.

The scholastic marching arts returned in a big way Saturday as the Youth in Music Championships hosted 33 of the top high school marching bands from Minnesota and beyond at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Relive the excitement and pageantry of the event through our huge photo gallery.

The prestigious U.K. classical music magazine Gramophone has selected the Minnesota Orchestra as its 2021 orchestra of the year. This win comes as part of the final season of music director Osmo Vänskä's 19-year tenure with the orchestra.

Two of Minnesota's biggest brands teamed up Sunday for an unlikely partnership. Just before kickoff of the Seattle Seahawks-Minnesota Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the Vikings unveiled a new video mashup featuring their players and the Minnesota Orchestra.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is responding to a recent reckoning in classical music by diversifying its programming with more music by underrepresented composers and composers of color. This weekend’s concerts — which you can hear live at 8 p.m. Saturday on YourClassical MPR — include pieces by 18th-century dynamo Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and contemporary composer Valerie Coleman.

The Women's Drum Center in St. Paul was founded 32 years ago to challenge vigorously the long-standing assumption that percussion is intrinsically a male activity. Novices can try their hands at percussion in a series of free Drumming Test Drive events, starting Saturday, Sept. 11.

The choral landscape in the United States has gotten a bit more colorful with the recent arrival of seven scores of Latin American music from Border CrosSing and Graphite Publishing.

Northfield pipa virtuoso Gao Hong spread the love for her Chinese stringed instrument through a 2021 collaborative album with oud player Issam Rafea.

After a devastating fire struck the world-famous Dobson Pipe Organ Builders in Lake City, Iowa, the company is slowly navigating a return to normalcy thanks to resourcefulness, others’ generosity and loyal customers.

Former classical director Brian Newhouse explains how the renowned Minnesota-based vocal ensemble Cantus ended up rehearsing in the living room of his St. Paul home.