Music Series

Sunday, October 25 |  4 p.m.

Commemorative Service for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11

Central Choir, St. Michael–Albertville Concert Choir, and Musicians of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Dr. René Clausen, Steven Amundson, and Joe Osowski, Directors

Marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we will gather in reflection, hope and prayer. This solemn service of remembrance will weave together scripture and sacred music, including René Clausen’s Memorial, a work for choir and orchestra dedicated to the victims of 9/11. Together, we will honor the lives lost and the endurance of spirit that followed. All are welcome to attend. No tickets required.

Music will include:
Steven Amundson – The Gift
Arr. Cecil Effinger, transc. René Clausen – American Hymn
René Clausen – Memorial

Sunday, November 22  |  4 p.m.

Tony Ross Plays Dvořák

Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra
Steven Amundson, Music Director
Tony Ross, cello
The Metropolitan Symphony is thrilled to feature internationally renowned cellist, Tony Ross (also the principial cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra) in a performance of Dvorak’s incredible Cello Concerto. The second half will have MSO dancing through the Latin rhythms in Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, and we conclude the program with Florence Price’s colorful and spiritual-infused Symphony No. 3. No tickets required; freewill offering accepted.

Music will include:
Antonín Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
George Gershwin – Cuban Overture
Florence Price – Symphony No. 3 in C minor

Friday, December 4  |  7 p.m.
Saturday, December 5  | 2 p.m. and *5 p.m.

Augsburg Advent Vespers

Central Lutheran Church is honored to host the 47th annual Advent Vespers. Tickets are required with a $30 suggested donation. When ticketing is available, a link will be posted here. Don’t miss this Advent favorite!

*Please note that this event replaces the usual Saturday evening worship.

Sunday, January 31  |  4 p.m.

Choral Vespers for Candlemas

Central Choir

Forty days after his birth, Jesus was presented in the temple in accordance with Jewish custom, as recounted in Luke 2:22-40. At the temple was an old man named Simeon, to whom the Holy Spirit had promised that he would not die without seeing the messiah. Recognizing Jesus as the messiah in that moment, Simeon declared his praise to God in what would become known as the “Song of Simeon,” or the Nunc Dimittis. In his song, Simeon says: “My own eyes have seen the salvation… a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.” This is the story we celebrate on Candlemas, which is traditionally forty days after Christmas, though we will observe it on January 31. As part of the service, we will have a candle blessing. The Central Choir will lead this special vespers service in celebration of Christ as the light of the world. This event is free, open to the public, and no tickets are required.

Music will include:
William Byrd – Senex puerum portabat
Herbert Murrill – Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (from Evening Service in E Major)
Olaf C. Christiansen – Light Everlasting

Sunday, February 28  |  4 p.m.

Swedish Mass No. 1, by Elfrida Andrée

Edina Chorale, Apollo Club, St. Michael-Albertville Vivace Choir, Chamber Orchestra

The Edina Chorale and the Apollo Club of Minneapolis join forces, along with the STMA (St. Michael-Albertville) High School Vivace Choir and an orchestra of professional musicians, to present Swedish Mass No. 1 by Efrida Andrée (1841-1929), Sweden’s first professional female organist, conductor, and composer. This 35-minute work for mixed choir, youth choir, harp, organ, and strings is performed incredibly rarely, having never been published for wide distribution in the composer’s lifetime or since. Audience members familiar with Fauré’s Requiem will notice the influences of his style in Swedish-language composition. In concert, the Mass will be preceded by individual performances by each choir.

Tickets are required. When ticketing is available, a link will be posted here.

Sunday, March 21  |  3 p.m.

Passion and Mercy: the 300th Anniversary of the St. Matthew Passion

National Lutheran Choir, Bach Society of Minnesota
Dr. Jennaya Robison and Matthias Maute, Directors
Aaron Sheehan, Tenor, playing the role of the Evangelist
Dashon Burton, Baritone, playing the role of Jesus

In this landmark collaboration, Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental Passion becomes a profound act of communal reconciliation. Marking the 300th anniversary of this masterwork, the performance invites reflection on suffering, complicity, forgiveness, and the cost of redemption. Join the National Lutheran Choir, the Bach Society of Minnesota, and Grammy Award-winning vocalists Aaron Sheehan and Dashon Burton for this special concert event.

$45 adult, $10 college students, youth (under 18) free. Tickets required and available now. Visit the National Lutheran Choir website or scan the QR code to purchase.

Music will include:
Johann Sebastian Bach – St. Matthew Passion

Sunday, May 2  |  4 p.m.

Grand Symphonic Winds

Dr. Matthew George, Director
Charles Vernon, Bass Trombone

On May 2, Grand Symphonic Winds and their artistic director, Dr. Matthew George invite you to join us for an afternoon of traditional and contemporary wind band repertoire. This program will feature American composer James M. Stephenson’s Concerto for Bass Trombone, “Chapters,” featuring guest soloist Charles Vernon, the bass trombonist from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Grand Symphonic Winds is a premier civic wind ensemble of accomplished musicians dedicated to enriching lives through the power of music. We present distinctive repertoire that honors the traditional wind literature canon along with innovative, diverse programming drawn from a rich international tapestry. This event is free, open to the public, and no tickets are required.