The SPCO

The Schubert Club, Minnesota oldest arts organization, has a new Director. Barry Kempton's gracious accent reveals his English roots. But Kempton is no stranger to Minnesota. He spent eleven years as Artistic Planner and General Manager of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Now, after five years in England running the London Sinfonia, Kempton is back in Minnesota as the Schubert Club's Artistic and Executive Director.

They are colleagues and friends, a most welcome combination in the highly emotional world of chamber music performance. First chair players in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, Steven Copes, Ruggero Allifranchini , Maiya Papach and Tony Ross are Accordo. In anticipation of a performance on Monday, February 6, Accordo stopped by to perform and chat with Steve Staruch.

Theater director/producer, writer and retired teacher Joan Potter recently traveled to Peru to hike to Machu Pichu and experienced an awe-inspiring sight when the clouds way below her started to rise up the mountains. The scene brought some of the most soulful music into her mind.

On a new disc, Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk share their insights into French music for violin and piano, from the days of Impressionism, to the Jazz Age.

This weekend, the SPCO will finish their cycle of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti. Listen to a performance from December 2007 by the SPCO.

Scott Seal joins Alison Young for Music with Minnesotans. He drives the 21 bus and is a classical music addict, though he can't listen while driving. That's when he works out his comedy routines in his head - and we'll hear plenty of those!

Dargel is wonderfully difficult artist to define. His output combines elements of traditional art songs, eclectic pop songs and subject matter that ranges from hypochondria to voluntary amputation.

Jonathan Biss talks about leading the SPCO.

There's nothing as cool as being there in the hall as the event unfolds -- even if it's just through your speakers. Anything can happen in a live concert; there aren't any second chances! So there's a kind of energy and buzz as the performers rise to the occasion and give it all they've got.

Music with Minnesotans returns with our first guest Senator Dick Cohen. The Senator is not a musician himself but a huge advocate for the arts and one of the originators of the Minnesota Legacy Amendment. We'll listen to a fabulously deep piece of music by Shostakovich, his 11th symphony.