Calendar
If you would like your event to be added, please contact calendar@rochestermusicguild.
September 2026
Saturday, September 12 – 7:30 p.m.
Rochester Chamber Music Society – Christ United Methodist Church – free
Stars and Stripes” America 250! A special concert featuring music by American composers, performed by our own board members and friends. This fireworks-filled program will delight audiences with beloved tunes by Gershwin, Barber, Bernstein, Copland, Joplin, Sousa, and more.
Saturday, September 26—3:30 p.m.
Zumbro Valley Chorus—Historic Chateau Theatre–$15
60 Years of Harmony. Please join the Zumbro Valley Chorus as they celebrate 60 years of bringing harmony to SE Minnesota. Enjoy songs from the 60’s up to current contemporary numbers, plus costumes and historical artifacts. They will be joined by 4 guest quartets: Hall Pass, Elevator Music, Med City Remedy, and The Lady Slippers. Tickets are $15 and are available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/zumbro-valley-chorus-60th-anniversary-celebration
October 2026
Saturday, October 10 – 1:00 p.m.
Piano Duets Master Class
The Rochester Music Guild is excited to announce that they will be providing a Master Class for young pianists in Southeastern Minnesota. Dr. Deanne Mohr and Dr. Eric Brisson, piano professors at Winona State University, will be the clinicians for a Master Class “Four Hands on One Keyboard.” The class is for middle and high school students who want to learn more about piano duets and have fun playing them.
This is a great opportunity to enjoy a performance by professional pianists and learn about the history of piano duets. Students will prepare and perform a duet for their peers in the master class. The clinicians will listen to the student performances and then provide feedback and share tips of the trade during the Master Class.
This class is intended for two students to play a duet of seven minutes or less. However, an adult may be the student’s duet partner. Students should register as one duet but provide both names. The cost is $25 per duet. So,…..find a friend, a fellow student, or an adult to play a piano duet with, select a piano duet, practice, and have fun!
The Master Class will be held Saturday, October 10th, 1-3 pm in Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2830 18th Avenue NW, Rochester, 55901, MN.
Register September 1st-October 1st.
Please register as a duet providing both names and use this link to register: https://forms.gle/qG5LtdHHGKcRZMPFA
Payment:
Please mail checks to RMG Rochester Music Guild, PO Box 5802, Rochester MN 55903-5802.
Please make checks out to RMG -Subject Line -Piano Duet Masterclass
If you have questions, please reach out to us at rochestermusicguildsc@gmail.com
This email box will be checked intermittently so please be patient as we respond.
Of note we are seeking a minimum of 5 duets in order to hold the masterclass so spread the word!
Saturday, October 17 – 7:30 p.m.
Rochester Chamber Music Society – Christ United Methodist Church – free
An Imaginary Soirée at Downton AbbeyThis concert transports us to England from the late Victorian era through the Edwardian period and into the 1920s. Inspired by the enduring popularity of Downton Abbey, acclaimed soprano Maria Jette will present an entertaining program ranging from delightfully whimsical songs about fairies to the timeless music of Vaughan Williams, Edward Elgar, and Peter Warlock—a captivating glimpse into an elegant and colorful musical age. www.rochesterchambermusic.org
Saturday, October 24—7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27, $8
The Infinite Sea The season opens in ceremonial style with majestic fanfare, setting the stage for Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work of such monumental scale and virtuosity that it was once thought impossible to perform. La Mer completes the program with an atmospheric portrayal of the sea, exploring its shimmering beauty and immense power.
Saturday, October 24, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 25, 3:00 p.m.
Friday, October 30, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 31, 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 1, 3:00 p.m.
Choral Arts Ensemble—Historic Chateau Theatre—$45, $35, $10
Considering Matthew Shepard Experience the unforgettable power of Craig Hella Johnson’s acclaimed oratorio presented in a semi-staged production by Choral Arts Ensemble. Blending choir, instrumental ensemble dance, and lighting, this moving contemporary work tells a deeply human story of loss, compassion, and hope. Inspired by the life of Matthew Shepard — a gay college student who was murdered in a 1998 hate crime — this powerful work draws from Shepard’s journals, reflections from his family, poetry, interviews, and news accounts. Through themes of identity, belonging, empathy, and justice, the piece confronts difficult realities with extraordinary emotional honesty. Musically, it moves fluidly through classical, jazz, pop, country, hymnody, and spoken word, creating an experience that feels immediate and relevant for modern audiences. Tickets: choralartsensemble.org
November 2026
Sunday, November 8—3:00 p.m.
Choral Arts Treble Singers—Zumbro Lutheran Church–$30, $10
Confluence Featuring Choral Arts Treble Singers and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus Borealis Chamber Singers, these concerts highlight the unique strengths of each ensemble while exploring the expressive possibilities of voices and communities coming together. https://www.choralartsensemble.org/
Saturday, November 21—7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony and Chorale—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27 $8
Beethoven’s Revolution Inspired by Beethoven, Anna Clyne’s contemporary voice opens a program celebrating the human spirit’s defiance of darkness and the journey toward transformation. Brahms’s ethereal choral masterpiece traces a path from suffering to serenity, and Beethoven presents a bold vision of freedom triumphing over tyranny in “Eroica,” a heroic march to victory that revolutionized the world of music.
December 2026
Friday, December 11—7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 12—7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 13—3:00 p.m.
Choral Arts Ensemble—Lourdes Chapel, Assisi Heights–$45, $35, $20, $15, $10
Christmas at Assisi: The Promise of Peace Enveloped in the grandeur of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights, audiences will hear classic carol arrangements, historical choral treasures, stirring new works, and beloved popular selections — music chosen to comfort, inspire, and unite. From moments of quiet reflection to joyful celebration, The Promise of Peace invites listeners of all ages to step away from the world’s noise and rediscover the hope and shared humanity at the heart of the Christmas season. https://www.choralartsensemble.org/
Saturday, December 19—3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony and Chorale—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27, $8
Sounds of the Season Experience the warmth of the holidays when Music Director Emeritus Jere Lantz returns for a yuletide reunion with the orchestra and chorale. Concertmaster Alexandra Bartoi captures the thrill of the season in the dazzling “Winter” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, while festive masterpieces, beloved sing-along favorites, and Lantz’s signature arrangements create a musical celebration that feels like home.
January 2027
February 2027
Saturday, February 6—7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27, $8
Jupiter Rising Louise Farrenc’s commanding overture opens the concert with a spirit of optimism and forward momentum, introducing the brilliant Strauss Horn Concerto, a masterpiece of both lyrical beauty and technical power. “Jupiter,” Mozart’s symphony of mythic proportions, thrills with grand fanfares and exhilarating complexity.
March 2027
Saturday, March 6—7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony and Chorale—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27, $8
Hymns of Resilience In a powerful expression of national pride and resistance to oppression, we begin our program with Sibelius’s Finlandia, its resolute voice leading to the jubilant choral hymn, Te Deum. We conclude with Ralph Vaughn Williams’s meditative symphony, a gentle and uplifting respite from the violence and turbulence of World War II, for a concert that offers music of resilience, healing, and hope.
Saturday, March 13, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 14, 3:00 p.m.
Choral Arts Ensemble—St. Francis Catholic Church—Adults $35, Students $10
Heaven and Earth Rejoice: Giants of the Baroque This concert celebrates three towering Baroque composers (Vivaldi, Monteverdi & Handel) whose music helped define one of Western music’s most expressive and influential eras. Presented with a 16-piece chamber orchestra in the gorgeous acoustic of St. Francis Catholic Church, these masterworks invite audiences into a world of splendor and celebration — where heaven and earth rejoice. Tickets: choralartsensemble.org
April 2027
Saturday, April 24—7:30 p.m.
Rochester Symphony—Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall—$49, $40, $27, $8
Dreams of Enchantment The Symphony’s season finale ignites in celebration with the fiery and sensual Danse Bacchanale. The intimate longing of Dvořák’s soulful Cello Concert sparks the spirit of fantasy in Scheherazade, where a tale of beauty and resilience amidst danger is carried by one of the most sweeping and lush orchestral scores of all time.
May 2027
Saturday, May 1, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 2, 3:00 p.m.
Choral Arts Ensemble—Christ United Methodist Church—Adults $30, Students $10
Something whose name is Forever Moving seamlessly between traditional choral works, historical gems, and popular arrangements, the program reflects the rich emotional spectrum of our shared experience — joy, awe, humor, tenderness, nostalgia, hope, and gratitude. As always, Choral Arts offers a vibrant variety of musical colors and textures, creating a concert experience where every listener can enjoy live vocal music that is both familiar and unexpected. As with Mary Oliver’s words, this program invites all present to pause, listen deeply, and recognize the quiet wonders of each passing day. Tickets: choralartsensemble.org
