Pianist Audrey Vardanaga joins strings from the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra bringing music from the Romantic period, including Amy Beach's stunning Piano Quintet.

Songs Without Words (Brainerd)

Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

“When choosing the pieces for this program, I was thinking about Amy Beach’s deeply romantic voice and how it relates so naturally with the easeful melodies of Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs without Words, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s lush harmonies from his Cello Sonata in G Minor, and Clara Schumann’s whimsical 3 Romances. Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann preceded Amy Beach, paving the way for the tonal worlds of the 20th Century Romantics (like Rachmaninoff and Beach). Sergei Rachmaninoff and Amy Beach were contemporaries, and I find that their music pairs together well. Since they were both pianists, Rachmaninoff and Beach were not only incredibly romantic in their compositional styles, but also both deeply connected to the physicality of the piano in their compositional languages.” —Audrey Vardanaga, Piano/Curator

Songs Without Words (Minneapolis)

The Woman's Club Of Minneapolis

Historically, the art form known as “jazz” has largely been kept separate from the rest of the classical canon, but as time goes on more people are understanding the classic nature of this uniquely American musical tradition. In this program curated by Loki Karuna, audiences will experience the breadth of jazz’s influence on the European chamber music canon, contemporary composition, and everything in between, as a means of understanding jazz as one of the world’s “classical” traditions. Featuring the versatility of the saxophone alongside piano and strings.

Scott Lykins

Events

Past events

May 2, 2025

Songs Without Words (Brainerd) · Lakes Area Music Festival

Feb 27, 2025

Songs Without Words (Minneapolis) · Lakes Area Music Festival

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