Keefe takes on Mendelssohn

Thursday-Saturday: This week's Minnesota Orchestra concerts highlight the vibrant performance style of concertmaster Erin Keefe, soloing in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto. The concert concludes with "The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure," an arrangement by Henk de Vlieger of all four operas of Wagner's dramatic Ring cycle, encapsulated in a one-hour event. How appropriate that the concert be conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, just named to the English National Opera's top post. (11 a.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Orchestra Hall. 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., $22-$56, 612-371-5656, www.minnesotaorchestra.org.)

SPCO celebrates Britten

Thursday-Sunday: The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra celebrates the centenary of Benjamin Britten, one of the 20th century's major voices, and the greatest British composer since Purcell, with a three-week Britten festival led by SPCO artistic partner Thomas Zehetmair. The first of three programs features Britten's penetrating 1950 "Lachrymae" for viola and strings, with SPCO principal violist Maiya Papach as soloist. The work is bookended by the music of Felix Mendelssohn, whose spirit informed Britten's compositional language. The program also includes Shostakovich's Prelude and Scherzo. (7:30 p.m., Thu., Temple Israel, 2324 Emerson Av. S., Mpls.; 8 p.m. Sat., St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 900 Summit Av., St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Benson Great Hall, Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Drive, Arden Hills. $12-$42, 651-291-1144, www.thespco.org.)

William Randall Beard