Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming, The Grammy Award-winnning Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra is one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. Now in its 67th season, the SPCO is primarily an unconducted ensemble that performs a broad range of repertoire, from Baroque works to new music, in close collaboration with a dynamic roster of Artistic Partners. The current roster of Artistic Partners consists of British Baroque specialist Richard Egarr, American pianist Richard Goode, South African cellist Abel Selaocoe, Hungarian conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy and German violist Tabea Zimmermann.
In its commitment to making music accessible to everyone, the virtuoso musicians of the SPCO present over 80 concerts each season, sharing live music with over 70,000 people throughout the Twin Cities from September through June. Regular subscription series are performed in a variety of different venues across the Twin Cities metropolitan area each season — a unique commitment to geographic accessibility for a major orchestra.
Through its partnership with YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media, the SPCO is regularly played on public radio programs that reach nearly 850,000 listeners each week on over 250 stations. Additionally, the SPCO has released 68 recordings,including its recent critically acclaimed album of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concertos with former Artistic Partner Jeremy Denk and the 2018 Grammy Award-winning recording of Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden with violinist and former Artistic Partner Patricia Kopatchinskaja. In addition to its programs in the Twin Cities, the orchestra also tours nationally and internationally.
The SPCO is deeply committed to expanding orchestral repertoire, commissioning nearly 200 new works throughout its 65-year history and receiving 17 ASCAP awards for adventurous programming. In a divergence from the industry standard of commissioning individual works from composers, the SPCO’s Sandbox Residency Program invites composers to experiment freely across a variety of new works created in collaboration with the orchestra. This groundbreaking residency model allows composers to workshop new pieces, experiment and revise, take risks, develop relationships with SPCO musicians and engage with SPCO audiences.
