Poster Oscars statuette image
In this handout photo provided by A.M.P.A.S. Oscars statuettes are on display backstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on February 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
Birge's Picks

An orchestral carnival

This may be the week of Mardi Gras, but compared with Fat Tuesday, this weekend is stuffed with great live orchestral music across the state.

The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra gets into the Oscar spirit with “A Night at the Oscars,” featuring Oscar-winning soundtracks live on stage, with movie clips on the screen.

The Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra gets in the mood with a tribute to John Williams.

Among the most cinematic symphonies is the Shostakovich Leningrad Symphony, evoking the heroic struggle against Nazi Germany’s 872-day siege of Leningrad. Performed one night only in Sioux Falls by the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra.

It’s a world premiere at the Rochester Symphony for Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite, based on the opera by this Pulitzer Prize-winning composer.

And if you’re a Leonard Bernstein fan, you’ll have to make room for two great offerings. The St. Cloud Symphony has highlights from Chichester Psalms alongside Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony, while the Minnesota Orchestra pairs Bernstein’s Serenade with William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony.  You can hear that program broadcast live from Orchestra Hall this Friday night on YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio.

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Latest Birge's Picks Episodes

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Latest Birge's Picks Episodes

Classical MSPIFF!

Classical MSPIFF!

This week on Birge’s Picks, the British Invasion takes place when two distinguished choirs and one distinguished composer, all from London, grace stages around Minnesota. Find out more!

The British Invasion — Minnesota style

The British Invasion — Minnesota style

This week on Birge’s Picks, the British Invasion takes place when two distinguished choirs and one distinguished composer, all from London, grace stages around Minnesota. Find out more!

Just remember the Red River Valley

Just remember the Red River Valley

This week on Birge’s Picks, exciting performances and master classes take place in Mankato and St. Paul, as well as across the Red River in North Dakota. Find out more!

The song is you

The song is you

This week on Birge’s Picks, choose from a wide offering of vocal performances as the Bach Society of Minnesota, the Choral Arts Ensemble, soprano Julia Bullock and more present exciting concerts across the state. Find out more!

Is this a 'film noir' I see before me?

Is this a 'film noir' I see before me?

This week on Birge’s Picks, watch films with dark themes at the 16th Twin Cities Film Noir Festival, as well as movies based on the works of Richard Strauss and William Shakespeare. Find out more!

Defying gravity and defying the odds

Defying gravity and defying the odds

This week on Birge’s Picks, watch recent films and documentaries about some of the figures who have defied the odds in classical music, both at home and in the cinema. Find out more!

Small is beautiful

Small is beautiful

John Birge encourages us to find beauty in the smaller classical ensembles with exciting concerts across the state by chamber groups, including members of the Winona Symphony, Artaria Quartet and ProMusica Minnesota. Find out more!

Grammy triple-whammy

Grammy triple-whammy

Looking to learn more about this year’s Grammy nominees? Look no further as Leonidas Kavakos performs Bach in St. Paul, Michelle Cann performs Price and Gershwin in Lacrosse, and Víkingur Ólafsson performs Bach in a video highlight for YourClassical. Find out more!

Young and younger

Young and younger

This week on Birge’s Picks, Duluth’s Matinee Musicale brings cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, former Performance Today Young Artist in Residence, to northern Minnesota, and the Vienna Boys Choir brings exciting performances to cities across the state. Find out more!

Anything you can sing

Anything you can sing

This week on Birge’s Picks, the LOON (Lyric Opera of the North) and the Minnesota Opera prepare exciting operas by Mozart, Hilliard and Gounod, featuring stories that range from comedies to tragedies. Find out more!

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment‘s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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