The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

The custom-designed, 1,100-seat hall will formally open Feb. 28. Until then, the orchestra will hold rehearsals and practice concerts so its acoustician can fine-tune the sound of the space.

While orchestras nationwide experienced a decline in ticket sales of more than 20 percent in the last decade, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra audience has increased by more than 40 percent.

Celebrate the holidays with one of classical music's most cherished works. Handel's "Messiah" continues to captivate generations of music lovers with iconic refrains from "Comfort ye, my people" to the "Hallelujah Chorus." The Basilica of Saint Mary provides the perfect setting to enjoy these sublime performances led by conductor Paul Agnew.

Acclaimed Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja is known for looking for something new in compositions. MPR News Arts Reporter Euan Kerr spoke with Kopatchinskaja as she prepares to make her debut this weekend as an artistic partner with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

As the musicians came onto stage, I got to experience my kids' joy as they said, "Dad, there's a cello!" or, "Dad, I see a trombone!"

Conductor and clarinetist Martin Frost is now an artistic partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. This dynamic musician is known for his sound and delicate phrasing, as well as for his courage to push the boundaries of classical music. Frost spoke to Alison Young by phone from his home in Sweden.

When SPCO principal flutist Julia Bogorad-Kogan got her first flute at age nine, it was love at first breath. Although she asserts the flute is "the sunshine of the orchestra," Bogorad-Kogan cautions that it's not for wimps. Read more about the flute-player's perspective in the latest of our section's-eye view series.

There was a moment in grad school, said Anderegg, where she realized her life was at a crossroads - that she was about to begin a life as a professional musician and music teacher. She asked herself, she said, "Is this what I want to do?" The answer: yes.

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.