Regional Spotlight™

Works by 16th-century composers were on wonderful display this past June as one of the newest professional choral ensembles in the region performed a concert titled: The Birds of Paris. The Mirandola Ensemble is led by Scott Sandersfeld. The group's mission is to present choral music that "not only amuses, but also makes our lives better." You will be delighted as works by Thomkins, Weelkes, Janequin and a new piece by Scott Sandersfeld, all performed by the Mirandola Ensemble, are in this week's Regional Spotlight.

With guest conductor, Clinton Smith, the St Cloud Symphony Orchestra closed its season on May 12 with a spectacular concert titled: A Night at the Opera. One of the highlights of the performance was George Bizet's Carmen Suite No. 1. That performance (with a bonus: the Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakme) is in this week's Regional Spotlight.

The NDSU Concert Choir (Fargo) returned home at the end of this past school year with first place honors for mixed choir in the 8th International Choir Competition in Zadar, Croatia. Led by Jo Ann Miller, the choir sings three pieces from their award winning program in this week's Regional Spotlight.

As the music is soft and light-footed it is a perfect work for the season. From just last week at the Madeline Island Music Camp, the Arianna String Quartet, in residence at the University of Missouri, St Louis opened their recital program on June 15 with the Andante and Scherzo Op 81 by Felix Mendelssohn. Their performance in this week's Regional Spotlight sparkles like a fizzy lemonade.

Avdeeva performs two works by Maurice Ravel From her Minnesota debut in Chopin Society recital, given May 13.

As the summer festival season gets underway, here's a performance that garnered whoops and hollers from the audience. In the Regional Spotlight this week is an August 2011 performance from the Alexandria Festival of the Lakes. Members of the SPCO and Minnesota Orchestra collaborated on the fiery Brahms Piano Quartet Op. 25.

Following the Artaria String Quartet as they continue their series of performances of the entire cycle of quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich, this week's Regional Spotlight this week features the bright and powerful String Quartet No 6. The performance was recorded in the Art Gallery at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.

Ravel revels in both the darkest notes of the piano and brightest tones of the violin in his monumental Piano Trio in a minor. In this week's Regional Spotlight is a performance with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio from last month's the Schubert Club/Music in the Park Series. It's delicious!

From a recent performance at Sundin Music Hall, the Bach Society of Minnesota demonstrate why it is that Telemann was the most popular composer of the early 18th century.

Think of it as the afterglow of a year-long celebration of the life and music of Franz Liszt. Pianist Eric Himy performs an all Liszt program from last December at the Landmark Center in St Paul in this week's Regional Spotlight.