The Austin Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Stephen Ramsey, will chase the winter blues with its “Celebrate Close Friends” concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Austin.

The concert will celebrate the talents of “close friends” oboist Holly Dalager; and Sonia Larson, piano and voice teacher who also directs the Austin Symphony Chorus.

“Holly and Sonia contribute much to our community through the generous sharing of their talents,” according to members of the ASO. “Their friendly, giving ways, as well as the beauty of their music, inspire and comfort us and are a source of great joy.”

Dalager, the featured concert soloist, is principal oboist with the ASO and the Rochester Pops Orchestra. She will perform Ludwig August LeBrun’s Oboe Concerto No. 1.

“Her talent and passion combine to render her performance delightful and memorable,” say her fellow musicians.

Larson leads the 50-member Austin Symphony Chorus in Dan Forrest’s “Requiem for the Living,” a powerful and moving piece composed in 2013 by Forrest, a young American composer. The work has been called “a transcendent prayer for peace and rest.” Three soloists, Andrew Keenan, Nikki Phillips, and Noah Lund, add their voices to the requiem.

Andrew Keenan is an eighth-grade student at Ellis Middle School in Austin and has studied piano for seven years, has been singing in choir for six years, and has played trumpet in the band for four years. He has won piano competitions in Minnesota Music Teachers Association, the Harris Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and the National Piano Guild.

Nikki Phillips resides in Brownsdale with her husband and four sons. Her activities include home-schooling her boys, teaching Spanish, and being involved in music at her church. She has been in various theater productions in Austin and will direct a Matchbox Theatre production in April.

Noah Lund, an Austin native, remembers his parents singing to him from an early age, and he says he has loved singing all his life. He began his music studies on the cello in the fifth grade and has sung in the Austin High School Choir, MMEA All State Choir, Riverland’s Frequency, and had a starring role in Riverland’s production of “Fly by Night.”

Also featured on the program is the hauntingly beautiful “Spring Song” by Jean Sibelius.

Tickets are $15 and available online at: www.austinmnsymphony.org, Coffee House on Main, and at HyVee.

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Schedule

Thursday

• Second Floor Art Gallery – MN Black Fine Arts Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. Austin is hosting this first ever exhibit of the art of Minnesota artists who identify as Black, African, or African American, in collaboration with Obsidian Arts out of Minneapolis. Free and open to the public. Show goes until March 23. For more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

• Austin Artist Series – Paul the Beatle, 10 a.m. at Knowlton Auditorium, Austin High School. Third concert in Austin of the 75th season of one of the largest and longest running artist series in the Midwest. Subscription tickets available through the website – www.austinartistsseries.org. Tickets also include access to the season’s concerts in Osage and Albert Lea. For more information, call 507-440-6030 or 612-272-8653.

Friday

• Second Floor Art Gallery – MN Black Fine Arts Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. Austin is hosting this first ever exhibit of the art of Minnesota artists who identify as Black, African, or African American, in collaboration with Obsidian Arts out of Minneapolis. Free and open to the public. Show goes until March 23. For more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

• ArtRocks Open Jam Session, 7 p.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. Meet and play with other musicians from around the area. House band sets up and is available for back-up, you bring your music, instruments, and energy. Cash bar available. For more information, call 507-434-0934.

Saturday

• Second Floor Art Gallery – MN Black Fine Arts Show, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Austin ArtWorks Center. Austin is hosting this first ever exhibit of the art of Minnesota artists who identify as Black, African, or African American, in collaboration with Obsidian Arts out of Minneapolis. Free and open to the public. Show goes until March 23. For more information, go to www.austinareaarts.org or call 507-434-0934.

• Climate Storytelling Workshop, 1-3 p.m. at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. Join this workshop to take a deep dive into the issue of climate change, discover your own personal climate story, and learn how to use it as a tool to inspire solutions. Free program. Refreshments will be served. For more information, go to www.hormelnaturecenter.org or call 507-437-7519.

• Post Valentine Story Contest, 1 p.m. at Sweet Reads. Sherrie Hansen, the Queen of Romance, will award HOT prizes in various categories – Most Romantic Story, Funniest Story, Valentines Horror Story, and many more. Come for fun and win prizes. For more information, call 507-395-8660.

Sunday

• Austin Symphony Orchestra – Celebrate Close Friends, 2 p.m. at St. Olaf Lutheran Church. The Austin Symphony Orchestra joins forces with its own chorus for a contemporary reflection on the Requiem text set to music by Dan Forrest, then turns to  Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ powerfully melodic “In Springtime.” Also featuring Principal Oboist Holly Dalager in a rarely heard work by German composer Ludwig Lebrun. Tickets $15. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.austinmnsymphony.org.

• Mower County Humane Society Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser, 4-7 p.m. at the Austin Holiday Inn Conference Center. Annual fundraiser to support the operations at Mower County Humane Society. For more information, call 507-433-1000.