Classical Minnesota Stories

While at St. Olaf College, Jayden Browne created Transpose, a card game for players to learn, practice and master music theory.

Capri Glee! has been welcoming singers of all abilities since 2015. In the wake of COVID-19, this community of voices has moved online, bringing togetherness to singers across the nation.

How do you teach studio classes virtually? For percussion professor Fernando Meza, inviting guests and making a welcoming environment has created success.

With concerts and events canceled, how are Minnesota musicians adjusting to our new normal? We talked to artists from the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and more.

After 34 years as conductor and professor at Concordia College in Moorhead, Rene Clausen stepped down from the podium this spring. Find out about his legacy and what he calls a "rather unusual close to a career."

Composer Anat Spiegel's journey to Minnesota has been a long one, from her childhood in Israel to working in Amsterdam, but her Jewish heritage has always been a part of it. Her work 'My Four Mothers' tells the story of women in her life who clarified the significance of the Holocaust for her. It will premiere Friday as part of the Cedar Commissions at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

Tensae Fayise is one of six Minnesota-based composers presenting new work this year as part of the Cedar Commissions at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. Learn more about her instrument, the krar, and her work 'Ye Terrarou Tenfash' ('The Breath of the Mountain'), which traces back to her heritage in Ethiopia.

A University of Minnesota professor, Peter Mercer-Taylor, has created a digital and recording project to explore how hymns brought classical music to the United States. Listen to performances of some of these early-American works while looking at the sheet music!

The Folk, Fiddle & Friends Festival at the Cedar Cultural Center this Thursday, Jan. 16, brings together three groups that are bending the definition of "classical" music.

G. Oliver Riggs was a real-life Minnesota 'Music Man' in the early 20th century, creating and directing a few dozen bands, drumming up enthusiasm for band music, and raising money for uniforms. Now, great-granddaughter Joy Riggs is sharing his story in her new book, 'Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters.'