Fiddling with Ole Bull

In Minneapolis' Loring Park, there's an imposing statue of a violinist playing his instrument. His name is Ole Bull, and because he was Norwegian he developed strong links with Minnesota. Find out more about Bull in a recital by violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved, who explores the links between the 19th-century composer/violinist and the 1860 Hardanger fiddle owned by the Schubert Club Museum. (7:30 p.m. Thu.; Schubert Club Museum, Landmark Center, St. Paul; $10-$16, 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

'The Rape of Lucretia'

Sexual violence and the body-shaming that women endure in a male-dominated culture — these are the central themes of Benjamin Britten's 1946 opera, "The Rape of Lucretia." In his new production at the University of Minnesota, director David Walsh updates the action from pre-Christian Rome to the present and moves the location to an unnamed Middle Eastern country occupied by a foreign army. A cast of rising young singers from the University Opera Theatre fill the eight principal roles. (7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 1:30 p.m. Sun.; Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls.; $5-$20, 612-624-2345 or music.umn.edu)

SPCO's home team

With the string section away for a European tour, the wind players of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra keep the home fires burning with a stimulating program that pairs Dvorák's Serenade for Winds with lesser known pieces by Leo Smit, Rudolf Karel and Erwin Schulhoff. (11 a.m. Fri., Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie; 8 p.m. Sat., St. Paul's United Church of Christ, St. Paul; $13-$43, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

The pardessus master

The pardessus is the smallest member of the viol family, and looks a little like a miniature, almost bonsai-like cello. Tina Chancey is an expert player of the instrument. And she puts the pardessus through its paces in a program called "Fêtes Galantes" featuring music by Couperin, Corelli, Marais, Corrette and Vivaldi. (7:30 p.m. Wed., the Baroque Room, St. Paul; $10-$15, thebaroqueroom.com)

Bach concertos on baroque violin

Brazilian musician Luís Otávio Santos is a specialist player of the baroque violin, and his skills are showcased in a pair of concerts by Lyra Baroque. Concertos by J.S. Bach anchor the program. Also featured are Bach's Second Orchestral Suite and a sonata by French composer Georg Muffat. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Rochester; 7:30 p.m. Sat., Sundin Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $10-$25, lyrabaroque.org)

TERRY BLAIN