Ancient melodies

Cappella Romana is an ensemble from Portland, Ore., specializing in Eastern Orthodox vocal music. It joins forces with Minnesota's own Rose Ensemble for Twelfth Night Festival, a program of Byzantine chant mixed with works by Ivan Moody and Sir John Tavener. (7:30 p.m. Tue., Basilica of St. Mary, Mpls.; $10-$38, roseensemble.org)

More Tchaikovsky

Twin Cities Tchaikovsky fans never had it so good. The Minnesota Orchestra's Tchaikovsky Marathon continues with four more of the composer's six numbered symphonies — Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 — as well as the rarely heard Piano Concerto No. 3 (11 a.m. Thu.) and the much-loved Violin Concerto, played by Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes (8 p.m. Sat.). There's also a stand-alone performance of Symphony No. 6 (2 p.m. Sun.) for those wanting a single course rather than the full banquet. (Through Sun., Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $12-$106, 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org)

Bernstein kickoff

The Elkina Sisters might be the first Twin Cities musicians to celebrate the centennial of Leonard Bernstein's birth in 1918. The Russian-born identical twins play an arrangement of Bernstein's magnificent music for "West Side Story," in a program also including Morton Gould's "Two Pianos" and Paul Schoenfield's "Taschyag." (noon Thu., Landmark Center, St. Paul, free, schubert.org)

Make that a SongSlam

Twelve composers, each armed with a new song, tough it out in a new competition called SongSlam, which originated two years ago in New York City. The format borrows from poetry slams, with the audience quaffing refreshments and yelling its approval (or disapproval) before voting on the winner. (8 p.m. Thu., Icehouse, Mpls.; $10, sourcesongfestival.org)

Another stimulating SPCO program

It's been 20 years since a young Los Angeles-born violinist named Steven Copes was appointed concertmaster of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Copes steps forward this week as soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto, for which he also leads the orchestra. Two of Copes' fellow SPCO violinists, Kyu-Young Kim and Ruggero Allifranchini, join violist Hyobi Sim and cellist Julie Albers in Beethoven's titanic "Grosse Fuge," the composer's greatest quartet movement. New York composer Jessie Montgomery's "Records From a Vanishing City" completes this typically stimulating SPCO program. (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)

TERRY BLAIN