Principal bassoon Fei Xie has a chance to shine with the Minnesota Orchestra, performing a concerto by 20th century French composer André Jolivet in a program that also features selections from Wynton Marsalis’ gorgeous “Blues Symphony,” and a symphony by Romanian composer George Enescu from the turn of the 20th century.

Conducting the concert is the Grammy-award winning Cristian Măcelaru, who attended graduate school with Xie at Rice University in Texas 20 years ago. Speaking with host Ariana Kim before the performance, Măcelaru said that while they were in school, he and Xie made a commitment to each other that they’d perform the Jolivet concerto together one day. “The Jolivet is one of those unicorns in the bassoon repertoire, because it’s so challenging and so difficult,” Măcelaru sai

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