Poster Brooklyn Rider
The Brooklyn Rider string quartet will perform in the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival on July 1.
Erin Baiano
Birge's Picks

On the road again

With apologies to Willie Nelson, now’s the time for “goin' places that you’ve never been” — or for going back for more of the summer festivals that make our landscape even more beautiful. Three of them open this week.

 If it’s Willie Shakespeare you’re looking for, Tuesday opens the 20th anniversary season of the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, with three plays in repertory through the end of July, including As You Like It and The Winters Tale.

Lest you “Exit, pursued by a bear” (as Shakespeare infamously directs in The Winter’s Tale), linger in Winona for the Minnesota Beethoven Festival, June 25 to July 16. Some of the hottest tickets are sold out, but don’t worry: YourClassical MPR brings you live broadcasts of the Sphinx Virtuosi on Sunday and Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on June 27.

Several of the best string quartets grace the shores of Lake Superior for this year’s Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival. On Saturday, it’s the Arianna String Quartet, followed by Brooklyn Rider, the Jupiter String Quartet and the American String Quartet. These groups are also mentoring some incredible student quartets, whose concerts represent the star quartets of the future. Enjoy the ferry ride to Madeline Island, or take in the Mainland concert series, through July 22.

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Latest Birge's Picks Episodes

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Latest Birge's Picks Episodes

Two dozen strings

Two dozen strings

This week on Birge’s Picks, the math works out for music lovers this week as two masters of the six-string guitar and three great string quartets grace stages across Minnesota and beyond. Find out more!

Classical MSPIFF!

Classical MSPIFF!

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The British Invasion — Minnesota style

The British Invasion — Minnesota style

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Just remember the Red River Valley

Just remember the Red River Valley

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The song is you

The song is you

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

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

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Defying gravity and defying the odds

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Small is beautiful

Small is beautiful

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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

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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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