Rose Ensemble
Thursday: Ostensibly an early music ensemble, the Rose Ensemble offers a free concert to kick off the season, highlighting its increasingly diverse repertoire. The program draws on sacred music by William Billings (1746-1800), Jerónimo de Aliseda (1548-91) and Sergey Khvoshchinsky (b. 1957) and includes traditional Scottish Gaelic, Hawaiian, Sephardic and Turkish music. (7 p.m. Thu., Central Lutheran Church, 333 S. 12th St., Mpls. 651-225-4340, www.roseensemble.org.)
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
Thursday-Sunday: The SPCO celebrates music of the Baroque. Conductor Jonathan Cohen leads a concerto grosso by Handel; a concerto for oboe and violin by Bach, featuring principal oboe Kathryn Greenbank and violinist Sunmi Chang, and a concerto for two violins by Vivaldi, featuring principal second violin Kyu-Young Kim and violinist Elsa Nilsson. Rounding out the program are arias for countertenor and orchestra by Handel and Vivaldi. (7:30 p.m. Thu., Trinity Lutheran Church, 115 N. 4th St., Stillwater; 8 p.m. Fri., Wooddale Church, 6630 Shady Oak Rd., Eden Prairie; 8 p.m. Sat., St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 900 Summit Av., St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Benson Great Hall, 3900 Bethel Dr., Arden Hills. $12-$42, 651-291-1144, www.thespco.org.)
William Randall Beard
