Arts & Culture from Minnesota Public Radio

Fresh Faces in the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

New musicians from the SPCO, Sumni Chang and David Huckaby, perform in the studio.

Collective's original productions draw new crowds to theater

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:20 -0600

Minneapolis-based Workhaus Collective is meeting the challenge theaters face in attracting younger, non-theatergoers.

The tale behind 'The Messenger'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0600

A new film opening in the Twin Cities this week called "The Messenger" tells the story of two soldiers on casualty notification duty -- telling next of kin about the death of a soldier.

NEH chairman speaks live at the National Press Club

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:51:35 -0600

Jim Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a former Republican congressman who represented Iowa for 30 years, speaks live at the National Press Club.

Minnesota blues brought home

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Local singer Paul Metsa has performed and worked in music for nearly 30 years. He credits his upbringing in the Iron Range and his love of folk for inspiring his songwriting and his bluesman ethos.

A Lute Summit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

It's a group of lutenists meeting together to discuss -- well actually play --very important things. It's the 'Lute Summit' this Saturday at Hamline University. Hear several pieces and an interview with Alison Young.

Former IronWorld USA attraction in Chisholm shuttering doors

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:56:47 -0600

The Iron Range attraction once known as IronWorld is closing its doors Friday.

Schubert Club Museum, 30th Anniversary

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:15:51 -0600

The Schubert Club Museum in Saint Paul is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Non-profits analyze Give to the Max Day

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:15:00 -0600

More than 3,300 Minnesota non-profits raised in excess of $14 million in charitable contributions earlier this week in the first known attempt to raise money for non-profits statewide in one day, on one Web site.

New Shubert Center to finally break ground

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:40:50 -0600

After 10 years of non-stop lobbying and fundraising, the Minneapolis group Artspace will finally break ground Thursday on the new Minnesota Shubert Center in downtown Minneapolis.

Casanova's Homecoming Comes Home

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

MPR's John Birge talks with John Fanning and Jean Stillwell who are the principals in Dominick Argento's "Casanova's Homecoming," a production of the Minnesota Opera.

Visiting the land of invented languages

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0600

Linguist Arika Okrent speaks many languages, including several such as Klingon and Esperanto, which someone sat down and invented from scratch. In her new book "In the Land of Invented Languages," Okrent explores nine centuries of linguistic invention, and the belief that a better language could lead to a better world.

Former St. Paul speakeasy avoids demolition, for now

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:46:33 -0600

Community members have prevented the planned demolition of a former speakeasy in St. Paul, a place where "pretty girl entertainers" mingled with mobsters during the heyday of the Roaring '20s.

Historical Society seeking applicants for $7M in grants

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:07:10 -0600

The Minnesota Historical Society is seeking applicants for almost $7 million in grants available for history-based projects paid for with money from the constitutional amendment that raised the sales tax.

New Classical Tracks: Beethoven and Britten

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Janine Jansen interprets two violin concertos -- a standard and a 20th-century "hidden gem."