The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Conductor and harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood has died at the age of 73 following a prolonged illness.

When we engender, particularly among newcomers to the art form, the expectation that classical music be relaxing, what chance do Schulhoff, Shostakovich, and Messiaen stand? Or, for that matter, what chance do Haydn and Beethoven stand to really penetrate the listener's senses, when all she's after is some white noise while doing her taxes?

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra announced this week the hiring of Julie Albers as its new principal cellist. Not long after arriving on a flight from Atlanta, Albers visits with Classical MPR's Alison Young. Get to know Albers and hear her thoughts about her new job.

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has named Julie Albers as its new principal cellist. Albers will officially begin her tenure in the 2015-16 season, but will join the SPCO on stage for eight weeks of the current season, including this weekend. MPR News Arts Reporter Marianne Combs has more.

While reporting on pianist Jeremy Denk's recent string of successes, most recently including being awarded the acclaimed Avery Fisher Prize, the Times also mentioned that the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has named him an Artistic Partner.

Tune in Friday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m. to hear a live concert broadcast by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Conductor Scott Yoo leads the SPCO and pianist Ingrid Fliter in Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Strauss. Plus - send us your questions for the pre-concert chat.

Classical MPR's music library has thousands of CDs, organized by label: rows of Deutsche Grammophon, shelves of Harmonia Mundi, piles of Philips. Among all this music there's only one disc filed under "ArtistShare" - but it's one very fine disc. It's Winter Morning Walks, the Grammy-winning result of a collaboration between composer Maria Schneider, soprano Dawn Upshaw, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Just back from the brink after a 14-month lockout, the Minnesota Orchestra has won the Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance.

This Sunday, Jan. 26, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (also known as The Recording Academy) will host its 56th annual Grammy Awards presentation. Awards will be given in 82 categories, but how does it all work? Here's an infographic and an article to explain it.

Class Notes Artists Minneapolis Guitar Quartet shared classical and folk music arranged for guitar quartet with young audiences in Columbia Heights, Coon Rapids, Lakeville and Saint Paul, Minn.

This month, concertgoers can experience the magic of Handel performed by the Minnesota Chorale; the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; St. John's Oratorio Chorus; the Dakota Valley Symphony Chorus; and the combined choirs of Brooklyn United Methodist Church, Family of God Lutheran Church, and North Hennepin Community College.

It's that time of year — feast time! If the thought of preparing huge meals sends shivers down your spine, don't worry. This week, music from three crazy meal-related ballets to reassure every cook that, hey, it could be worse. For Friday, a sweet after-dinner treat of coffee and chocolate.

Benjamin Britten was born Nov. 22, 1913. This week on Morning Glories, we'll celebrate the centennial of his birth with five works written by the influential British composer for some of his greatest muses.

School Spotlight highlights outstanding Minnesota school- and student-music ensembles during the academic year. Through this feature, Classical MPR hopes to expose listeners to the great music being made by young musicians across the state, and to generate more support for music education.

On Friday Bischoff brings his unique blend of rock and classical music to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, where he will perform with musicians from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Channy Leaneagh, lead singer for the popular local band Polica.

For the past 10 years, you've heard his calming and oh-so-rational voice in the afternoons on MPR News, but have you heard Dr. Jon Hallberg tell of the time a piece of music on Classical MPR forced him to stop his car and simply sit and listen to the end? Dr. Hallberg is our guest on this week's Music with Minnesotans.

This week, Rachel and John talk about what to eat in St. Paul, Minn., during the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's opening weekend.

On both Sunday and Monday at 2 p.m., Copper Street Brass Quintet will perform at the Minnesota State Fair on the stage at the MPR booth, located near the corner of Judson and Nelson. Founded in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2007, the Copper Street Brass Quintet (or CSBQ) relocated to Minneapolis in 2008.

Today at 2 p.m., Minnesota Boychoir will perform at the MPR booth at the State Fair, located near the corner of Judson and Nelson. According to its website, the Minnesota Boychoir is the oldest boy choir in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, having been founded in 1962.

Tuesday's announcement of Kornacker's appointment as special assistant to Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra President Bruce Coppock came out of the blue to many SPCO devotees.