Greetings from the President!

 


Greetings from the Friends of the SPCO! We’ve been busy all season with activities that support and promote the wonderful Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and we hope you’ve been enjoying them along with us.

For instance: In this year’s fabulous Winter Lecture series by Dr. Daniel Freeman, we were brought into Vivaldi’s Venice, where he trained young women to become some of Europe’s most acclaimed musicians. We also presented a lively post-concert reception for our SPCO musicians, and as part of our exciting new educational program, Project Connect, we hosted a gathering where students were inspired by SPCO Artistic Partner Abel Selaocoe, the conductor-cellist known for highlighting links between Western and non-Western musical traditions.

There’s much more to look forward to this spring – like Daniel Freeman’s classes on Rossini’s delightful opera, The Barber of Seville, and a musical celebration of springtime in Paris led by the inimitable duo of Maria Jette and Dan Chouinard. And wonderful, wonderful concerts along the way. If you haven’t already joined our group, there’s no better time. Thanks in advance for all the support you give as a donor or volunteer – or both. The stronger our ranks, the more we can do for the SPCO!

Inez Bergquist
President, Friends of the SPCO

Upcoming Events

Oct. 22, 29, November 5, 12, 2025 @ 10 am to 12 noon
Fall Freeman Lecture Series
Russian Piano Music

Extraordinary new traditions of Russian music making followed the accession of a new tsar in 1855 who was anxious to foster the talents of of native Russian composers. All musical genres were affected, but one of the most momentous developments was the composition for the first time of great masterpieces of Russian piano music in a spurt of inspiration that did not die out until the 1950s. The best-known composers involved were Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Prokoviev.

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Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026 @ 10:30 am to 12 noon
Winter Freeman Lecture Series
Pagliacci, opera by Leoncavallo

For nearly three centuries after the first appearance of opera in Italy, the stories of serious operas were centered around deities, monarchs, and aristocrats who lived in the distant past. In the late 19th century, however, a trend took hold that permitted the production of serious operas set in contemporary times dealing with the harsh experiences of the underprivileged. One of the most successful results was the composition of Ruggiero Leoncavallo's  I pagliacci  (The Clowns), which depicts a grisly murder witnessed by an audience of villagers assembled to enjoy a clown show.

April 1, 8, 15, 22, 2026
Spring Freeman Lecture Series
French Baroque Music

In the second half of the 17th century, the court of Louis XIV built up a grand musical establishment that intensely cultivated a distinctive type of music intended to serve as a French alternative to the dominant Italian style of the time. For nearly a century, composers such as Lully, Couperin, and Ramea produced magnificent ceremonial music, exquisitely graceful ballet music, and delicate keyboard music that was notably influential outside of France.

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