Wanted: Tour of Minneapolis

February 12, 2007 at 03:45 PM · Oh . . . . and, do any of you know any great Suzuki cello teachers out there?

February 12, 2007 at 03:58 PM · I think (I hope!) that once you start to get a grip on the culture (a wacky blend of Midwestern-ness with an international flair), the Twin Cities are great, especially for those who want world-class arts but don't want to live in a megalopolis like Chicago or New York. Not many people know that the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area has the highest rate of theater-goers outside of New York City: trump that, Chicago! It's a great place for classical musicians: lots of music schools (University of Minnesota being the most famous - TONS of free recitals there) and lots of amazing theaters (the Ordway in St. Paul being one of the great modern American music facilities; the Fitzgerald, from which Garrison Keillor broadcasts Prairie Home Companion; the Orpheum and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis). Of course the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are the two best-known musical groups in the area but I've also heard very good things about the Minnesota Opera. There are lots of regional orchestras all around the Twin Cities that are at various levels of performance - I've heard the most about the Bloomington Symphony, which has a lot of Minnesota Orchestra members as well as some other professionals and advanced amateurs. The Schubert Club is an interesting chamber music society that brings a lot of well-known artists to the area. They also have what is supposed to be two great youth symphony organizations, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and the Minnesota Youth Symphonies. Check them out for your kids.

For teachers, try MacPhail School for Music (downtown Minneapolis) for an amazing selection of well-known teachers in all instruments and all styles. They're going to be moving into a brand-new facility soon I believe, if they haven't already (not sure how that project is progressing; there are some MacPhail teachers on the board here, maybe they can let you know). Also try All Strings Attached in Golden Valley. The Artaria String Quartet is running a part-time chamber music school Artaria Chamber Music School alongside their summer camp Stringwood; I've only heard good things about their teaching.

I was in town for a Minnesota Orchestra concert in 2005 and went to Claire Givens Violins to just look at what they had. I walked away with the trial instrument that eventually became my own. So I've always dealt with them and they've always been really nice to me but there are a ton of instrument repair places scattered throughout the metro area, including Carl Becker and Son, Fein Stringed Instruments, Dahl Violin Shop, Quinn Violins, Waddle Violins, etc. There's an instrument repair program in Red Wing, Minnesota (the only one of its kind in the country and perhaps the world), and I've always wondered if maybe the influx of repair-oriented activity in the Cities can be partially attributed to that program. I've always had the impression that for whatever reason the culture of stringed instruments is thriving there.

Farther south along the Mississippi, there are little old-fashioned river towns that have a thriving arts community. Once you've settled in, I really recommend taking a series of day trips to take them all in: Red Wing, Lake City, Pepin, Hastings... (I'll put a special plug in here for Hastings, Minnesota, the city that I love the best and hope to move to within the next few years.) The scenery is some of the most beautiful in the United States and the people there tend to be artistic, quirky, welcoming, and a lot of fun.

I know this isn't music-related, but GO TO THE MINNEAPOLIS ART INSTITUTE. It's a wonderful place. I was lucky enough to go to the Chicago Art Institute and the Minneapolis Art Institute in the space of a month last year and I was surprised I actually liked the Minneapolis one better, in lots of ways. Best of all, it's the only major museum of its kind in the United States to offer free admission.

Unfortunately despite my spiel I don't live in the Twin Cities (I live in Eau Claire) so I can't give you much more information than what I've already given, like about schools and stuff. I've just spent some time in Minneapolis St. Paul over the years and so I have a fairly decent familiarity with the basics of the cultural scene there. But if I had to choose a city to raise my kids in, I'd want to do it outside of a place like Minneapolis/St. Paul, where the kids can have access to world-class music teachers and go see places like the Minneapolis Art Institute on a regular basis.

Hope that helped, and I hope you feel as home as you can when the temperatures are reaching -10 or -20. (Thank goodness for skyways, right?)

February 12, 2007 at 05:32 PM · I'm not a Twin Cities resident either, but do spend 1-2 months/year there. Emily Liz's guided tour is a good one. I'll add just a few points:

* the Artaria Chamber Music School is not part time in the summer, it is full time year round. Since I study with the 2nd violinist of the Artaria Quartet (Nancy Oliveros), I can both recommend them highly and give you contact info. They also sponsor an annual national high school quartet competition; the finals are public and this year are the last weekend in April, worth going to if you're in town.

* The Twin Cities are one of the top theater towns in the US; the Guthrie Theater (descended from the original Stratford, ON Festival company led by Tyrone Guthrie) just opened a new 3-theater complex that is fantastic. The TC area has more theaters/capita than New York City.

* With Claire Givens, you have one of the top violin shops in the Midwest, with some international prominence because of their expertise in restoration. Highly recommended (I've had some work done there). If you're into gut strings, she's the only Midwest dealer for Daniel Larson from Duluth, one of the few artisans in the US who makes these strings.

* There seems to be an active bow-making group in Minnesota, with a number of fine makers nearby.

People in the area seem to be laid back, and really, I've never noticed any mosquito problem (but avoid northern lakes during the black fly season). Good luck, and welcome to the upper Midwest.

February 12, 2007 at 06:48 PM · Thank You Both Heartily for taking the time to write me such informative responses. I'm feeling a little less nervous about the move now . . . Glad to know the Twin Cities have so many opportunities for musicians. I'm hoping maybe someone who lives in town will respond so I get an idea of the schools.

Thanks! Eric, I might write to ask for contact info for the Artaria Chamber group you spoke of.