Preview: Locked Out Musicians of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Will Play Concert in Wayzata

Out of work over one month following management’s decision to impose a lock out on Oct. 21, the Musicians of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) have announced they are adding two additional holiday concerts to their schedule.

The orchestra previously announced they will play a concert Dec. 2 in Wayzata (details below).

The Musicians of the SPCO will partner with the Minnesota Chorale, the region’s premier symphonic chorus, for the two recently-added concerts to perform the traditional holiday classic, Handel’s Messiah, on Thursday, Dec. 20, and Friday, Dec. 21, at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. Both performances are at 7:30 pm. 

Internationally acclaimed conductor Hugh Wolff, the SPCO’s Principal Conductor and Music Director from 1988-2000, will conduct the concerts. Guest soloists are Karin Wolverton (soprano), Victoria Vargas (mezzo-soprano), Brad Benoit (tenor) and Richard Ollarsaba (baritone).

Pinchas Zukerman, internationally acclaimed violin soloist and conductor, will return to the Twin Cities for the first time in over a decade to lead the Musicians of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in an all Mozart program at Wayzata Community Church on Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. The event will be a fundraising concert for the Musicians of the SPCO who have been locked out without salary and benefits.

"We are thrilled that Pinky reached out to us and offered to help in whatever way that he could," said Lynn Erickson, musician spokesperson. "We are so excited to have a chance to make music with this fantastic artist again after all these years, playing the music that we love for our many supporters."

All-Mozart Benefit Concert (December 3)
What: All-Mozart concert including the Overture to “Marriage of Figaro,” the Concerto in A Major, #5, and Symphony #41 “Jupiter.”

Who: World-renowned violinist Pinchas Zukerman and the Musicians of the SPCO.

When: Sunday, December 2^nd @ 3pm (one performance only)

Where: Wayzata Community Church (125 Wayzata Blvd. East, Wayzata, MN 55391)

Ticket Info: Tickets are available on-line at www.musiciansspco.org or at the door. Prices are $30/$60/$250 (the $250 Patron tickets include a special private wine and hors d’oeuvre reception with Zukerman the evening before the concert).

For more information about the Musicians of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and their contract negotiations, go to www.musiciansspco.org.