Music
The Minnesota Orchestra will continue its series of free Friday night concerts with the live-streaming of “Outliers and Intrigue” on April 16 and “Dreams and Discovery” on April 30. Both programs begin at 8 p.m. Conductor Marc Albrecht and pianist Simon Trpčeski will be featured on April 16 in Herbsttag (Autumn Day) by Del Aguila, Piano Concerto No. 1 by Shostakovich and Symphony No. 4 by Schumann. Fabien Gabel will conduct the orchestra on April 30 in Alberga’s Shining Gate of Morpheus, Stravinsky’s Suite from Pulcinetta and Mozart’s Symphony No. 39. Visit minnesotaorchestra.org.
Music written by and dedicated to 18th-century Afro-European violinist and composer Joseph Bologne will be performed by Lyra Baroque Orchestra in a live-streamed concert at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 17. The program will feature violinists Lucinda Marvin, Marc Levine and Elizabeth York, violist Ginna Watson, cellist Tulio Rondón and harpsichordist Tami Morse. Tickets are $15, $5 for students. Visit lyrabaroque.org.
The Church of the Lost Souls, a 12-week concert series featuring guitarist Billy McLaughlin, his band SimpleGifts and special guests, will continue at 4:30 p.m. Sundays through May 2 at the Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave. S. in Minneapolis. SimpleGifts includes singers Karen Paurus, Amy Courts and Kathleen Johnson, instrumentalist Laura MacKenzie and drummer Billy O. Joining them will be Turn Turn Turn on April 18; Annie Mack, April 25; and Peter Mayer, May 2. Ninety-two seats are available in the theater (25 percent capacity). Tickets are $29 in advance, $39 at the door. The concerts will also be live-streamed with tickets priced at whatever you care to pay. For reservations, visit theparkwaytheater.com.
“Bowing and Fretting in the Baroque,” music from the 16th-18th centuries for treble viol, lirone, violone and bass viol, will be performed by string musician Julie Elhard and harpsichordist Paul Boehnke in a live recital at 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23 and 24, via Zoom. Tickets are $10, $5 for students. Visit lyrabaroque.org.
Native Vietnamese classical guitarist Thu Le will perform in a Minnesota Guitar Society concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24. She will play favorites from the Baroque and Classical eras by Scarlatti and Aguiado as well as contemporary works. The online program is free, but donations are welcome. For reservations, visit mnguitar.org.
Books
Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., will host free online readings and discussions with Jana Bouma, Susan Chambers, Deborah A. Goschy, Ben Unseth, Ronda Redmond and Henry Panowitsch of the Southern Minnesota Poets Society at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, April 15; Patry Francis and her novel, All the Children Are Home, 7 p.m. Monday, April 19; Laura Maylene Walter and her novel, Body of Stars, 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20; Saint Paul Almanac’s Global Poetry Celebration, featuring poems in more than a dozen languages, 7 p.m. Thursday, April 22; and Katie Quinn, foodie Jen Phanomrat and Quinn’s book, Cheese, Wine and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation, 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. To register for the link, visit nextchapterbooksellers.com.
Yang Warriors, a picture book by Saint Paul author Kao Kalia Yang and illustrator Billy Thao, will be released in an online event from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 16. Set in a refugee camp, where author Yang lived as a child, the book is the story of hope and resilience in a Hmong family. To register for the program, visit eastsidefreedomlibrary.org.
Theater
Diesel Heart, a reworking of a Raw Stages production based on the autobiography of former Saint Paul police officer Melvin Carter Jr., is being streamed online through April 18. Written by Brian Grandison and directed by J. Adam Harris, the drama stars Mikell Sapp, Jamila Anderson, JuCoby Johnson and Rajane Katurah. It is recommended for mature audiences due to language and themes. For tickets, visit historytheatre.com.
I and You, a play by Lauren Gunderson about the poetry of Walt Whitman and humanity’s desire for connection, will be streamed from April 14-17 and 21-24 by SteppingStone Theatre. The drama tells of a high school student who has been isolated for months with an illness and the classmate who bursts into her room with waffle fries and a poetry project. The show is not recommended for young children. For more information and tickets, visit steppingstonetheatre.org.
Vengeful Spirits, two plays in the style of a vintage radio broadcast, will be presented online by the Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 19. The ghost stories “He Who Follows Me” and “Runestones Are a Girl’s Best Friend” will be featured along with dramatic music, sound effects and the occasional commercial. Tim Uren, Shanan Custer, Joshua Scrimshaw and Eric Webster star. Tickets are $18. Visit parksquaretheatre.org.
Dance
Minnesota Dance Theatre will delve into themes of the classic fairy tale “Twelve Dancing Princesses” and how those themes resonate today in Exploring Enchantment from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15. The online program is offered free of charge up until two hours before curtain. To register for the link, visit thecowlescenter.org/tickets/exploring-the-enchantment.
Et cetera
March of the Governors, Ramsey County Historical Society podcasts on the governors of Minnesota, has begun with a program on the state’s first governor, Henry Sibley. Led by author Paul Nelson, a team of local historians will introduce listeners to each of the governors in chronological order. Shows on Alexander Ramsey, Henry A. Swift, Stephen Miller and William R. Marshall are coming soon. Visit rchs.com/news/rchs-podcasts.
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