Bach Society Brings “Mini Concerts” to Central MN

ST. CLOUD – Live music has been a noteworthy casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this week, the Bach Society of Minnesota aims to change that for short bursts of time.

These short, outdoor classical music concerts feature a single performer each. Locally, that musician is oboist and music professor / instructor Brendon Bushman.

“These are acoustic concerts,” Bushman explained. “Part of the reason we’re providing so many is so that we can be hyper-local and not draw a large crowd to any one place. There will only be one performer and one volunteer.”

Bushman is the principal oboist for the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra and an adjunct oboe faculty member at the University of Minnesota, Morris and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. He says the format of the miniseries inspired his selection of music, a mixture of music by composers George Phillipp Telemann, Viet Cuong, Ruth Gipps and Gary Powell Nash.

“Working with the constraints of this time frame and playing without accompaniment or other instrument colors, I was inspired to find works that allowed me to create vivid, contrasting scenes and moods in 15 minutes," he explained. "And, to take advantage of the different ways composers have written for the oboe, using Telemann as the departure point."

Bushman says each of his five concerts is likely to start right on time. The first is on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at Barden Park in St. Cloud. Other shows include:

• Thursday at 6:15 p.m., Wilson Park, St. Cloud
• Friday at noon, Art in Motion, Holdingford
• Friday at 4:00 p.m., Klinefelter Park, St. Joseph
• Friday at 5:00 p.m., Lake Wobegon Trailhead and Visitor Center, St. Joseph

Concerts are free and social distancing is recommended.

For more information, visit the Bach Society of Minnesota’s website.