Classical Minnesota Stories

The Hennepin County Library is looking for a few good musicians -- especially classical musicians -- for its MnSpin program to stream their recordings.

What do you get when you gather 40 trombones at once? The Minneapolis Trombone Choir. The group will give its annual concert this weekend before participating in Schmitt Music's Twin Cities Trombone Day on April 6.

Minnesota Opera's world premiere of 'The Fix' captures the 1919 Chicago 'Black Sox' scandal through Joel Puckett's score and Eric Simonson's libretto. They see more than a little similarity between baseball and an opera production.

This weekend the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents a free event for families called Spirited Strings, in which storytelling and music go hand in hand. Hear the violin, viola and cello in a new version of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' Crafts, games and other activities will be available, too.

The 65-member Apollo Club of Minneapolis is gearing up for its 125th anniversary in 2020. And, just as it was in 1895, the chorus still is an all-guy thing.

The 113 Composers Collective, formed in 2012, is providing an opportunity for experimental composers to publish and perform their works. This weekend, they'll be premiering new works with the TAK ensemble.

The Bloomington choir group the Treble Singers of Angelica Cantanti have been invited to sing at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Kansas City, Mo. Led by Phillip Brown, the group will be one of more than 50 choirs performing at the four-day gathering.

'Why can't we offer music here for everyone?' That's the driving force behind an initiative by Bondo Nyembwe, executive director of Academia Cesar Chavez, to provide instruments and music education for all 500 pupils at the St. Paul school.

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's new Tapestry initiative aims to use "the language of music to explore issues faced by our community." For St. Paul singer and artist PaviElle French, it is the opportunity of a lifetime. She ended up composing her first symphony for an orchestra.

Are you a composer looking for a filmmaker or a filmmaker looking for a composer? If so, Minnesota's Film Score Fest is something you should know about.