Bluegrass meets Bach
Composer Carol Barnett first meshed bluegrass and classical styles in 2006 with her "Bluegrass Mass." Then Barnett plowed the furrow even further in "Bluegrass Te Deum," first heard last year at Carnegie Hall. Vocal Essence gives the piece its regional premiere, with artistic director Philip Brunelle on the podium and Twin Cities-based Monroe Crossing providing the bluegrass input. Also featured are vocal works by Bach and gospel numbers by Monroe Crossing for an afternoon of stimulatingly varied music-making. (8 p.m. Fri., Roseville Lutheran Church, Roseville, $20-$30, 612-371-5656 or vocalessence.org)
Big buzz for a tiny concert
LOFTrecital is a lean, punchy collective curating bespoke classical recitals around the metro area. Its latest concert, "#RussianShuffle," features pianist James Barnett and Chicago-based violinist Rachel Brown performing music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff. The concert is free, but reservations are advised as the buzz around LOFTrecital keeps growing. (7 p.m. Sat., Norseman Distillery, Mpls., loftrecital.org)
Minnesota Opera's 'Figaro'
Beneath the amorous shenanigans, Mozart's comic opera "The Marriage of Figaro" is all about social hierarchies and the exploitation of workers. That explains the opera's sharp contemporary relevance. Lyric Opera of Kansas City premiered a new staging of "Figaro" last year, with costumes and set firmly located in the 18th century. Minnesota Opera presents the Kansas City production, cast with fresh singers and conducted by music director Michael Christie. (7:30 p.m. Sat., ends Nov. 19, Ordway Center, St. Paul, $22.50-$215, 612-333-6669 or mnopera.org)
Traveling musicians
MacPhail Spotlight Series opens its 2017-18 season with a concert inspired by world travel. The program pairs works by Liszt, Bartók, Dvořák and Duke Ellington with landscape photography and historic images representing their favored destinations — Switzerland, the Balkans, Minnehaha Falls and the Middle East, respectively. (8 p.m. Sat., MacPhail Center for Music, Mpls., $15-$25, 612-767-5250 or macphail.org)
Fundraiser for Syrian refugees
Copland's "Appalachian Spring" is a work about building a new future. It serves as the symbolic centerpiece of this benefit concert for Syrian refugees, organized by Minnesota Orchestra musicians. Music director Osmo Vänskä guests on clarinet in a program also featuring Mendelssohn's Octet and Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin. (3 p.m. Sun., Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church, Edina, $75, 612-343-3390 or questscopebenefit.ticket works.com)
