Songs from the Holocaust

Classical composers were among those incarcerated in the Nazi death camps of World War II, and some wrote music there. But so did many untrained musicians among the prisoners, and composer Donald McCullough's "Holocaust Cantata: Songs From the Camps" gives them a voice. McCullough took a selection of songs known to have originated in the camps and arranged them for choir, adding readings from the period. "Holocaust Cantata" is performed this week by a combination of the Twin Cities Jewish Chorale and Judson Memorial Baptist Church Choir. (7 p.m. Wed., Temple Israel, Mpls.; free, twincitiesjewishchorale.org)

Return of the Sphinx

For more than two decades the Sphinx Competition has sought to identify the finest young black and Latino string players in America. The competition's alumni orchestra, the Sphinx Virtuosi, tours once a year, and 2020 is the fourth consecutive year it has visited the Ordway. This year's program is titled "For Justice and Peace," and includes music by Bartok and Schubert, as well as works by contemporary composers Xavier Foley, Michael Abels and Philip Herbert. Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez is guest soloist. (3 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $16-$26, 651-224-4222 or schubert.org)

A star from Hungary

Young Hungarian pianist Zoltan Fejervari recently released his first solo CD, to considerable acclaim. Music from it — Janacek's Piano Sonata "From the Street" — features in Fejervari's recital for the Frederic Chopin Society, along with three sonatas by Beethoven and works by Bartok and Haydn. (3 p.m. Sun., Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College, St. Paul; $15-$35, 612-822-0123 or chopinsocietymn.org)

Hear the echo (echo, echo)

Echo effects abound in classical music. They're the focus of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's latest unconducted program, in which Vivaldi's "Echo" Concerto rubs shoulders suggestively with works by Castrucci, Haydn and Tabakova, and principal horn James Ferree plays Messiaen's "Interstellar Call" from "From the Canyons to the Stars." (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $12-$50, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

The humble recorder

The rise of the early music movement over the past half-century has led to the recorder being given a new lease on life. St. Paul-based Cléa Galhano is a world-class exponent of the instrument, and plays an attractive sequence of short pieces in recital with guitarist Rene Izquierdo. (Noon Thu., Courtroom 317, Landmark Center, St. Paul; free, schubert.org)

TERRY BLAIN