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Twin Ports Choral Project

All seasons have their own approach to the arts. This is one of those weeks when everything happening is taking place between now and the coming weekend. The world of Pesach and Easter intervened, which cut short a bit on the performance opportunities of the moment. Hopefully you were artistically and musically enriched during these religious moments.

Now the activities jump back into gear. You will have to make choices this coming weekend. So it goes in the cultural oasis of Duluth, MN. For starters, the Metropolitan Opera will offer another live HD (closed circuit) broadcast of P. Tchaikovsky’s beautiful opera,

Eugene Onegin. This live matinee begins at noon here in Duluth at the Duluth 10 Cinemas in the Canal Park world. Come enjoy absolutely beautiful opera at the peak of acting and musical presentation.

If you would rather have an exquisite clarinet recital, UMD student Andrew Mahonen is offering a powerful recital in Weber Music Hall, starting at 3pm on Saturday afternoon. It all depends on whether you prefer grand opera or the intimacy of live chamber music. The evening gets more problematic.

At UMD, The Little Mermaid is on stage at the Marshall Performing Arts Center at 1pm, as well as 7:30pm.  Meanwhile, the UMD choral singers will join the Arrowhead Chorale for a performance of the B Minor Mass, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. One of those performances will take place at 7:30pm Saturday, but around the corner in the Weber Music Hall. If that’s not enough for Saturday night, then you can go to First Lutheran Church on E. Superior St. and catch another brilliant choral program.

Arrowhead Chorale in rehearsal

The Twin Ports Choral Project, joined by the Duluth East Choralaires, will perform Cantus Vernus, their 2017 Spring program. Bret Amundson and Jerome Upton will share their choral work at 7:30pm, with a variety of choral music celebrating the glories of rebirth and spring. The UMD/Arrowhead Chorale performance of the Bach B Minor Mass will be repeated at Weber Music Hall at 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. Little Mermaid is still on stage at MPAC starting at 1:00pm, but that’s not all! Holy Cow! Press has a poetry release program starting at 2:00pm Sunday afternoon as well. Poets Gary Boelhower and Crystal Spring Gibbins will be sharing new publications at Peace United Church of Christ on 11th Ave. E. at 11th Street. Songwriter Sara Thomsen will provide musical entertainment for this book release.

To top that off, UMD is hosting a performance of the musical, L’Histoire du Soldat, written by Igor Stravinsky back in 1918. Guest violinist Peter Povey will be joining UMD students and faculty for this special performance. The show starts at 7:30 on Sunday evening at  Weber Music Hall.

I have gotten slightly dizzy trying to put this into writing, but between Saturday and Sunday I will probably attend four of these events. Meanwhile, I will have attended the Eric Lu piano recital (from Matinee Musicale) on Tuesday evening, before The Reader even goes to press. Next week I will write about the events I did attend, and I hope you choose to stay as musically engaged as I do. Best wishes for a rich musical week in Duluth.