Locked out of their jobs, the Musicians of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are looking to grow public support in their ongoing dispute with orchestra management by doing what they do best – performing world-class music for their fans.
The Musicians of the SPCO will partner with the Minnesota Chorale, the region’s premier symphonic chorus, for two performances Dec. 20- 21 of the traditional holiday classic Handel’s Messiah at Central Lutheran Church downtown Minneapolis. Both performances will start at 7:30 p.m.
Central Lutheran Church is located across the street from the Minneapolis Convention Center, at 333 South 12th Street. Convenient parking is adjacent to the church.
Internationally acclaimed conductor Hugh Wolff, the SPCO’s principal conductor and music director from 1988 to 2000, will conduct the concerts.
Tickets cost between $15 and $45, and they are available through the Central Lutheran Church website, or at messiahmpls.brownpapertickets.com.
The concerts will benefit SPCO musicians, who have been out of work since being locked out by orchestra management Oct. 21. The orchestra is seeking steep cuts to pay and benefits – cuts orchestra members say will have a negative impact on the group’s artistic quality.
The holiday benefit concerts will follow an all-Mozart benefit concert Dec. 2 at Wayzata Community Church, staged by the SPCO musicians with Pinchas Zukerman, an internationally acclaimed violinist and conductor.
For more information on the SPCO musicians and their lockout, go to www.musiciansspco.org.
Union Advocate 