[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 25 (Thursday, February 8, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 8, 2018

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra on winning a 2018 Grammy Award for 
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their recording of 
Schubert's Death & the Maiden with violinist and artistic partner 
Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
  Founded in 1959, the SPCO is the only full-time chamber orchestra in 
the United States. Although they call the Ordway Concert Hall home, 
they present more than 130 concerts and educational programs throughout 
the Twin Cities each year. In addition, the Orchestra undertakes 
extensive international tours, and all while continuing to produce 
highly regarded musical recordings year after year. This is not the 
first Grammy for the SPCO having won Best Chamber Music Performance for 
their recording of Aaron Copland's ``Appalachian Spring'' in 1980.
  In 2016 the SPCO broke new ground and announced that violinist Kyu-
Young Kim would become its artistic director, the first time a player 
took that role in a major U.S. orchestra. This role is generally 
performed by a conductor. Since then, the orchestra has worked to 
become an ``unconducted'' ensemble, frequently performing without a 
conductor.
  2017 was a banner season for the SPCO, one in which a new 
organizational attendance record was set. Nearly 116,000 people 
attended their concerts last season, up 5 percent from the previous 
year. The number of young people in attendance has more than quadrupled 
from previous years in a stark and important reversal of national 
trends.
  The importance of an institution like the SPCO to our community 
cannot be emphasized enough. They are an invaluable asset that will 
continue to provide entertainment and musical education to Minnesotans 
for many years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I honor the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

                          ____________________