'Shrink' violin

The Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto and the American composer Nico Muhly have been friends for many years now, and the most recent upshot is "Shrink," a new concerto receiving its first U.S. performances this week at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. The work is dedicated to Kuusisto, who recently gave its world premiere in Australia, and he plays it in a program that also includes the U.S. premiere of Paradisfåglar II by the Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi. A Kuusisto-led performance of Mozart's 40th Symphony also is featured. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Benson Great Hall, Arden Hills; $11-$50, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

Virtual reality concert

New technologies are increasingly infiltrating the age-old traditions of classical music, and "The Blue in the Distance" is the latest example. Described as "a new virtual reality concert work" by its creator Scott L. Miller, the immersive 360-degree film shot at the Quarry Park Reserve in Waite Park, Minn., is accompanied with words by Minnesota Poet Laureate Joyce Sutphen and a soundtrack by Miller himself. Zeitgeist and soprano Tracey Engleman perform the music live, and audience members are provided with a special virtual reality headset to watch the film. (7:30 p.m. Sat. & 2 p.m. Sun., Studio Z, St. Paul; $10-$15, zeitgeistnewmusic.org)

Cello sonatas

Florestan Chamber Music's debut season continues with a Beethoven mini-festival marking the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. All five of Beethoven's cello sonatas and a selection of piano trios and string quartets feature in three concerts, with cellist Ruth Marshall and pianist Garret Ross among the soloists. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Hunter Room, Landmark Center, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sat., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Magazine Room, George Latimer Central Public Library, St. Paul; free, florestanchambermusic.org)

Dust Bowl melodies

Quince is a four-woman vocal group based in Chicago, described as "the Anonymous 4 of new music." Twin Cities soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw is a member, and the ensemble launches Chamber Music Lakeville's 13th season with a program including new works meditating on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. (2 p.m. Sun., Lakeville Area Arts Center, Lakeville; $15-$18, 952-985-4640 or lakevilleareaartscenter.com)

Krinke with oboe and cello

Music by Minnesota native Brian Krinke is featured in a concert in which he plays violin and piano in an ensemble featuring Minnesota Orchestra oboist Kathy Greenbank and cellist Laura Sewell. Krinke's Kayenta Contemplations is premiered in a program that also includes pieces by Bach, Ysaÿe and Ravel. (7:30 p.m. Tues., St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ, St. Paul; donation)

Terry Blain