• Mayo Clinic Announces Five Performances in April for the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program

ROCHESTER, Minn. —The public is invited to enjoy five Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program concerts in April. Performances will be on Mondays from 12:10 to 1 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.

The schedule is:

April 1: Leon Joseph Littlebird will perform on Native American flutes in Barbara Woodward Lips Atrium, subway level, Rochester Methodist Hospital, Charlton Building, 10 Third Ave. NW. With his Blackhawk and Navajo roots, Littlebird honors the healing and ceremonial traditions of Native American flute music. He has recorded with internationally renowned artists and has released four albums.

April 8: Ensemble 61 will perform a concert in Lips Atrium. This Minnesota-based group brings new and experimental interpretations of classical works to the public. Seven nationally renowned musicians meld their sounds in Ensemble 61. Group members have performed internationally and hold prestigious awards from the McKnight Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Fromm Foundation at Harvard University, among others.

April 15: Patchouli will perform a folk concert in Lips Atrium. Award-winning songwriter Julie Patchouli and master guitarist Bruce Hecksel blend elements of pop, jazz, folk and flamenco with world beat rhythms. The duo has released 12 albums in its 14 years of touring, including "Anything is Possible" in January 2013. Patchouli's sound has been described as "the harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel meet the guitar brilliance of the Gipsy Kings."

April 22: The Honors Choirs of Southeastern Minnesota will perform a choral concert in Lips Atrium. The Honors Choirs is a nonprofit organization of four auditioned youth choirs for singers in grades three through 12. Honors Choirs is in its 21st season. Its mission is to promote the highest standard of excellence in the preparation and performance of choral music, while seeking to provide artistic challenge and growth opportunities for youth throughout the region and enjoyment for the community at large. This year, the choirs include more than 240 singers from 23 communities and 50 schools throughout southeastern Minnesota.

April 29: Véronique Mathieu and Horacio Nuguid will perform on classical violin and piano in Lips Atrium. Canadian violinist Mathieu has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, South Africa, South America and the United States. Her awards include prizes from the 2012 Eckhardt-Gramatté Contemporary Music Competition and the 2010 Krakow International Contemporary Music Competition, and she is a three-time winner of the Canada Council Bank of Instruments Competition. Pianist Nuguid resides in Rochester and is an active performer in the region. He is known for his elegance and beautiful tone at the piano. As founder and artistic director of the Rochester Chamber Music Society, he has played with many renowned artists and ensembles in numerous concerts in Rochester and elsewhere.

Sponsored by Mayo Clinic Center for Humanities in Medicine, the Rosemary and Meredith Willson Harmony for Mayo Program is coordinated by Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester. The series is generously funded by the late Rosemary Willson in memory of her husband, Meredith Willson, who wrote the Broadway musical "The Music Man." The gift is made in gratitude for the couple's care at Mayo Clinic. More information can be found online
humanities-in-medicine.