Music
The Oratorio Society of Minnesota has teamed up with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh to offer Candid Conversations, a weekly program combining professional vocal coaching with lectures on choral music. The free, online program is runs from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through August 5. Each class begins with a 20-minute vocal warmup and question-and-answer session with tips on vocal technique and practice methods. A lecture or discussion follows. Speakers include soprano Elisabeth Stevens and Border CrosSing founder Ahmed Anzaldúa on July 22; tenor Nathan Granner and composer Jocelyn Hagen, July 29; and mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas and Oratorio Society director Matthew Mehaffey, August 5. Visit oratorio.org or themendelssohn.org.
Jazz Fest Live is being streamed on Crowdcast every Thursday through August 27 from the patio at Crooner’s Lounge and Supper Club in Fridley. The schedule of free online performances includes the Laura Caviani Trio at 5:30 p.m. July 23, and singer Maud Hixson performing the songs of Jerome Kern at 8:30 p.m. July 30. A limited number of tickets to attend the concert in person are available for purchase. Visit twincitiesjazzfestival.com.
Books
“Fitz Bits,” a series of video lectures about native Saint Paul author F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life and literature, is being presented for free viewing on the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library’s website. The videos are narrated by local Fitzgerald scholar Dave Page. The first one highlights the connections between Saint Paul and Fitzgerald’s alma mater, Princeton University, and how those connections inspired his debut novel, This Side of Paradise. The second video, which is due out the week of July 20, addresses Fitzgerald’s smoking habit and its place in his life and literature. The third video, due out in August, covers the author’s interest in the Civil War and how that conflict plays into his fiction. Visit thefriends.org/fitzgerald.
SubText Books, 6 W. Fifth St., will play host to free online discussions with authors Christopher Bremicker and his collection, Song for My Baby and Other Stories, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22; and Matt Goldman and David Housewright and their new private-eye novels, Dead West and From the Grave, respectively, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 5. To register, visit subtextbooks.com.
Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., will play host to free online discussions with authors Neal Patrin and his book, Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop, at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 26; John Rosengren and his novel, A Clean Heart, about a counselor at an adolescent drug treatment center and his efforts to rescue himself from his family’s broken past, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 28; and David Housewright and his McKenzie series novel, From the Grave, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 4. To register, visit nextchapterbooksellers.com.
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is offering for free download through August 23 the e-book A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. The book is a series of essays by 16 Minnesota writers about what it is like to be a person of color in this state. Reading guides, conversation facilitators and virtual discussions are available. Visit thefriends.org.
Et cetera
Union Depot’s Train Days event has moved online this year. The virtual experience will feature a six-part video miniseries highlighting memories of Saint Paul’s magnificent train station, the history of locomotives, interviews with railroading experts and more. The first four videos are now available at uniondepot.org/traindays. There, artists of all ages may register for a coloring contest and the chance to win up to $250 in prizes.
Exhibits
“Visual Prayer,” new works by members of the Interfaith Artist Circle of the Twin Cities, are on view through August 31 at sabesjcc.org/about/visual-prayer-online-exhibit. Founded in 2005 as the Jewish Women Artists’ Circle, the Interfaith Artist Circle is now a group of women artists from multiple faiths who pursue art as a spiritual journey.
“Public Art: The Permanent Collection of Landmark Center” is on view through August 8 at landmarkcenter.org. Each week another piece from Landmark Center’s extensive collection will be added to the website along with links to learn more about the artists, their art forms and how to create art in the spirit of these artists.
The AZ Gallery, located in Suite 130 of the Northern Warehouse Building, 308 Prince St. has reopened to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. All members of the gallery have new work on display. Social distancing and the wearing of facemasks are required. Surfaces are being cleaned between each shift for the safety of guests and staff. A virtual art show is also available at theazgallery.org.
Family
The Twin City Model Railroad Museum has reopened to the public between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays. To promote health and safety, visitors age 3 and older are required to wear face masks, keep a distance of 6 feet from anyone outside their household and follow a consistent route through the museum. Museum staff sanitize touched objects frequently. All wooden train layouts in the children’s play area have been removed. To ensure the museum remains under 25 percent capacity, tickets must be purchased in advance at tcmrm.eventbrite.com. The cost is $11.94 each, free for children age 4 and under, $25 for a family of three and $30 for a family of four. Visit tcmrm.org.
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