Northfield Arts Guild

The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra is celebrating its 30th Anniversay! Under the artistic direction of founder Paul Niemisto, CVRO brings orchestral and chamber music to the communities of the Cannon Valley, and provides musicians of all levels an opportunity to play in a full orchestra.

Concert Schedule
Sacred and Chamber Music Concerts · May 2010

Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra
Orchestra Information
Information for Musicians

Concert Schedule

Sacred and Chamber Music Concerts

The CVRO joins the I Cantanti choir of Northfield and Stephen May, organist, in performing Requiem by Bradley Ellingboe, Hindemith Chamber Music No. 7 for Brass and Organ, and Mozart's Church Sonata KV 336.

Dates & Venues:
Saturday, May 1, 7:00 pm, at the Northfield United Methodist Church, 1401 S Maple St.
Sunday, May 2, 3:00 pm at the Cathedral of Our Merciful Savior, Faribault

Tickets are available at the door for both concerts.

Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra

The Orchestra:

The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra is a program of the Northfield Arts Guild which presents outstanding orchestral music to Cannon Valley communities. It provides professional and amateur musicians in the area with a challenging experience playing with a full orchestra, and it supports student musicians. The orchestra members may be from Red Wing, Lonsdale, Northfield, Owatonna, or any community nearby. Members are experienced musicians who may, in their "other" jobs, be business people, farmers, writers, homemakers or teachers. The love of performing orchestral music is what unites them. For more detailed information about the CVRO, please vist the CVRO website.

CVRO Concerts:

Each year the orchestra performs a lively and varied season of four or five concerts in various locations throughout the Cannon Valley. While the CVRO plays most often as a symphony orchestra, the group has also perfomed in a chamber orchestra format, as a symphonic winds ensemble, and has presented concerts featuring CVRO musicians in solo and chamber ensemble performances.

Founder and Conductor:

From its beginnings in 1979, the orchestra has grown to a thriving musical organization. Founder and conductor Paul Niemisto has directed the group since its creation. Niemisto is on the music faculty at St Olaf College, Northfield, where he teaches trombone and tuba and conducts the Norsement Band and other ensembles. A graduate of the University of Michigan, with a PhD from the University of Minnesota, Niemisto received additional conducting training at the Mozarteum International Sommerakademie in Salzburg Austria, and at the American Symphony Orchestra League Institute. Niemisto is an authority on Finnish brass music and is a teacher and conductor on regular travels to Finland.

You are Invited . . .
. . .To Participate:

Musicians interested in playing with the orchestra should call the Northfield Arts Guild at (507)645-8877 or contact us and leave your name, phone number, and instrument played. An orchestra committee member will contact you to discuss section openings and performances.

. . . Or to Schedule a Performance:

Individuals or organizations interested in scheduling a performance of the CVRO for a particular event or place should also contact us or call the Northfield Arts Guild at (507)645-8877 with your request. The director will contact you for details.

Information for Musicians

Please vist the CVRO website for the current letter to musicians and current rehearsal schedule.

Recent CVRO Performances:

Music of Hungary
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 7:30 pm at the Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing
Sunday, March 7, 4:00 pm at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault

The Opera Carmen by Georges Bizet at Northfield Middle School Auditorium on November 1, 2009

Musical Roots in Poland at Sheldon Auditorium Theatre, Redwing, on May 16, 2009

Finland Memories at the Paradise Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 7 2009

Nutcracker Ballet with the Continental Ballet Company, December 21, 2009, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

American Heritage: Music in Anticipation of Election Day 2008, First United Church of Christ on Sunday, October 26th at 3 pm

Butch Thompson with CVRO at the Sheldon on Saturday, May 17 at 7 pm

The Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra with the Cannon Valley Youth Orchestra and the Northfield Harp Ensemble on Sunday, March 9, 2008

Nutcracker Ballet with the Continental Ballet Company, December 15 & 16, 2007, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

Spring Chamber Orchestra, March 11, 2007 at Bethel Lutheran Church, Northfield

Nutcracker Ballet with the Continental Ballet Company, December 16 & 17, 2006, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

"Tell Me a Story" Concert, Sunday, October 29 2006, Northfield Middle School Auditorium, Northfield, 2:00 pm

Books and Stars Annual Concert, Tuesday, August 9, 2006, Central Park, Northfield, 7:00 pm

CVRO at the Proms, May 29, 2006; Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

Nutcracker Ballet with the Continental Ballet Company, December 17 & 18, 2005, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

CVRO Children's Halloween Concert, Sunday, October 30, 2005; Northfield Middle School Auditorium

25th Anniversary Gala Concert, Sunday, April 17, 2005, Northfield Middle School Auditorium, Northfield, 7:00 pm

Nutcracker Ballet with the Continental Ballet Company, December 18 & 19, 2004, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

An Evening of Scandinavian Music, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2004, Sheldon Theater, Red Wing

Books and Stars Annual Concert, Tuesday, August 24, 2004, Central Park, Northfield, 7:00 pm

Oddfellows� Garden Dedication Concert, Sunday, August 22, 2004, Northfield, 2:30 pm

Arts Guild ARTSWIRL: Thursday, August 12, 2004, Bridge Square, Northfield, 7:00 pm

Syttende Mai Celebration, Sunday, May 16, 2004, St. John�s Lutheran Church, Northfield, 3:00 pm Rehearsals April 29, May 6, and May 13.

Saturday, Feb. 21, 2004, Carleton College Great Hall. Community Mardi Gras dance including an orchestra playing Strauss style waltzes, a big band playing swing music, and the Brisa band playing Tejano and salsa. The evening kicked off a major fundraising effort on behalf of members of the Northfield community who have difficulty with meeting medical expenses.

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003, at 4 pm at the UCC church in Northfield, with the Hymnus Choir of New Prague. Program including Meyerbeer's March from the opera La Prophete, Procession of Nobles from the opera Mlada by Rimsky-Korsakov, the rarely heard Charles Marie Widor Symphony in G Minor, Op. 42, for Organ and Orchestra, excerpts from Borodin's opera Prince Igor, including the Polovetsian Dances, and other selections.

CVRO "Wind Band" concerts August 19 (Northfield) and August 21 (Faribault), 2003

July 4, 2003, outdoor concert, with fireworks, Northfield

Symphony Orchestra Concert at Sheldon Theatre, Red Wing, February 15, 2003. "Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna."