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Brandenburg Concertos

The greatest orchestral compositions of the baroque period? Many music lovers say it's the six concertos Johann Sebastian Bach wrote for a German aristocrat, now known as the Brandenburg Concertos. These pieces are rarely grouped together for a single evening. A concert like that would emphasize Bach's extraordinary achievement in creating a cycle so rich in variety and instrumental color, with virtuoso parts for flutes, trumpet and harpsichord. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra plays five of the concertos, in what promises to be a highlight of the holiday season. (7:30 p.m. Thu.; Temple Israel, Mpls.;.8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; $13-$53, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

Shiloh Temple showcase

Minnesota Orchestra Associate Conductor Roderick Cox leads a concert featuring performers from both the orchestra and Minneapolis' Shiloh Temple International Ministries. Singers, dancers and drummers from Shiloh open the evening with a selection of holiday pieces. Then the orchestra plays Dvorak's New World Symphony and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's "Danse Negre" from his African Suite. A singalong to Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" concludes a momentous evening. (5 p.m. Sun., Shiloh Temple International Ministries, Mpls.; free, minnesotaorchestra.org)

Gay Holiday Spectacular

Remember those glitzy variety show specials that filled our holiday TV screens in the '70s and '80s? The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus revisits them with its "Gay Holiday Spectacular." This nostalgic trip down memory lane features special guest artists Copper Street Brass and the Sleigh Belle Dancers. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls.; $25-$48, 612-624-2345 or tcgmc.org)

Feast for clarinet aficionados

Considered one of America's leading clarinetists, New Yorker Charles Neidich appears as a guest for this Chamber Music Society of Minnesota concert. Brahms' Clarinet Quintet is the main attraction. Also featured are Weinberg's Clarinet Sonata and Hindemith's Quartet for Clarinet and Piano Trio. (3 p.m. Sun., Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $15-$25, chambermusicmn.org)

Around the world in one concert

Want to hear how Christmas is celebrated around the world? Boasting more than 40 members, the Stillwater-based Valley Chamber Chorale hosts a series of concerts this week in the ornate surroundings of the Washington County Historic Courthouse. (8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 4 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun.; Washington County Historic Courthouse, Stillwater; $35-$40, valleychamberchorale.org)

TERRY BLAIN