'Would You Harbor Me?'

Classical music is periodically criticized for living in a bubble, and rarely engaging with broader social issues. Enter Cantus, the nine-man vocal ensemble based in the Twin Cities. The group's new program, "Would You Harbor Me?", confronts head-on the issue of homelessness and isolation in 21st-century society, interspersing oral testimonies from the homeless and marginalized among the musical selections. Composers featured include Ysaye Barnwell, Kenneth Jennings and Linda Kachelmeier, and the texts they set are as often challenging and confrontational as they are consoling. The singers of Cantus are consummate interpreters, and this seems bound to be an unusually thought-provoking sequence of choral music. (7:30 p.m. Thu., MacPhail Center for Music, Mpls.; 7:30 p.m. Sat., Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater; 3 p.m. Sun., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul. $10-$40. cantussings.org. 612-435-0055)

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Most of the so-called "great composers" are men, and the process of rehabilitating women who have made significant contributions to the classical canon is far from over. It's nudged a little further by an excellent recital of string quartets by female writers — Germaine Tailleferre, Fanny Mendelssohn and the American Amy Beach — played by the Mill City String Quartet. All three had their careers impeded by male expectations, and this is an intriguing opportunity to reassess their music. (7 p.m. Sat., James J. Hill House, St. Paul; 3 p.m. Sun., St. David's Episcopal Church, Minnetonka. Free, millcityquartet.com)

For a chamber concert with a difference, try the unconventional pairing of composer Timo Andres with his friend Gabriel Kahane, the contemporary singer-songwriter. Songs by both men feature, self-accompanied on piano, an intriguing mashup of repertoire including music by Bach, Britten, Ives and Schumann. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Bedlam Lowertown, St. Paul. $30. 651-292-3268 or schubert.org)

Cantata 93 and the motet "Lobet den Herrn" form the heart of the Oratory Bach Ensemble's season-opening concert. With a slimline choir and period instrument orchestra, this is a treat for those who like Bach done in a historically aware fashion. (3 p.m. Sun., Church of the Good Shepherd, Mpls. $10-$20. 1-800-838-3006 or oratorybach.org)

And for a taste of the Anglican choral tradition at its finest, catch the choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford — one of England's finest — on tour with works by Tallis, Parsons, Byrd, Wood and Walton in their folders. (7:30 p.m. Fri., Hamline Methodist Church, St. Paul. $10-$40. 1-866-811-4111 or oratorio.org)

Terry Blain