Cuba concert to air live on MPR

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Orchestra’s upcoming performances in Cuba will be broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio’s classical station 99.5 FM.
The concerts will take place at Havana’s Teatro Nacional at 7 p.m. May 15 and 16. Each performance includes a 30-minute opening program with interviews, music and news from the tour.
The first night features an all-Beethoven program with Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez, vocal soloists and a large chorus combining the Cuban National Choir and Coro Vocal Leo. The second performance includes the work of Cuban composer Alejandro Garcia Caturla, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story” and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite.
The concerts are part of the International Cubadisco Festival. The Minnesota Orchestra will become the first U.S. orchestra to perform in Cuba since President Barack Obama announced steps to restore relations with the communist nation.