What to do this weekend? Thanks for asking!

You’ve got your work cut out for you this weekend and we’ve done the cutting so all you have to do is show up.  Sound good?  

Beethoven.  Live.   The latest classical series concert by the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra features the famous Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy.  the Ninth is Beethoven’s final completed symphony and stands as a masterpiece in classical repertoire.  It was also the first instance of vocals in a symphony by a major composer  as the Ninth features four soloists and a chorus.  The concert premiered in Vienna in 1824 with Beethoven conducting the orchestra himself.  A contemporary wrote, “Beethoven directed the piece himself; that is, he stood before the lectern and gesticulated furiously. At times he raised, at other times he shrunk to the ground, he moved as if he wanted to play all the instruments himself and sing for the whole chorus….”   The DSSO presents Beethoven’s masterpiece, conducted by Markand Thakar and featuring Sarah Lawrence, soprano; Christine Hawkins, mezzo soprano; Scott Ramsay, tenor; Andrew Gangestad, bass; and the DSSO Orchestra.  A truly thrilling event.  Where:  The DECC, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth.  Saturday night at 8 p.m.  

PAVSA 29th Annual Art Auction.  Duluth’s oldest live/silent auction features the beautiful works of Duluth’s vibrant artistic community and fuses it with fundraising for the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault.   Gourmet appetizers, watercolors, original paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and much more make this an event that’s sensory appealing and community building appealing.  Where:  Holiday Inn Great Lakes Ballroom, downtown Duluth.  Doors open Saturday, November 14 at 5 p.m.  Silent auction at 5:30 and then the live auction at 8:45 p.m.  

Spirit Lake Poetry Series:  Ellie Schoenfeld and Linda Legarde Grover.  Ellie Schoenfeld is an energetic figure on the Twin Ports poetry and arts scene; her warmth and humor have drawn enthusiastic crowds time and again. She will be reading from her third poetry collection The Dark Honey: New and Used Poems.  Linda Legarde Grover, a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, is an assistant professor of American Indian Studies at UMD. She is a scholar, a storyteller and a poet. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear her read from her collection The. Indian. At. Indian. School. – honored as the 2008 Sequoyah Research Center Native Writers Series Selection!   Where:  Somers Lounge, College of St. Scholastica, 1200 Kenwood Avenue, Duluth.  Saturday November 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Douglas County Historical Society USO Canteen Variety Show from 1943.  Why don’t you take a trip back to 1943, as you walk into a USO Canteen radio show with your host “Bob Hope” and friends swinging to the 1940s with Randy Lee and the Friends of the Northland Youth Music Group!  This 16-piece band and DCHS are teaming up to raise funds for the Northland Youth Music Group’s summer music camp and the DCHS History Theatre.  There’s dancing, singing and rapid-fire jokes! A Canteen snack bar includes donuts, coffee, Coca-Cola and sandwiches.  For sure, a fun weekend treat.  Where:  Douglas County Historical Society, 1101 John Avenue, Superior.  You can go to either the Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. or the evening performance at 6:30 or on Sunday, there’s a 2 p.m. performance.  Tickets are only $10!