Litton switches to the piano for three chamber music concerts, including Shostakovich's Piano Quintet and the Brahms Clarinet Trio with V‹nsk‹, making a rare appearance as clarinetist, and associate principal cellist Janet Horvath.

Two late-night concerts will feature the Spaghetti Western String Company and Cuban Latin jazz pianist Nachito Herrera. Dave Brubeck will join the Minnesota Orchestra for an evening of jazz. The lineup also includes a performance by the Canadian Brass.

Sommerfest opens with the Minnesota International Piano E-Competition, so named because performances will be broadcast live on the internet. A family concert will include former vice president Walter Mondale narrating Copland's Lincoln Portrait.