The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra canceled its outdoor performance this week after gunshots were fired in the area, causing bullets to ricochet off a building near the performance location.
According to a press release from the SPCO, along with the Capri Theater, where the performance was to be held, the organizations made this decision “out of concern for the safety of the audience attending the outdoor performance, as well as the staff and artists involved.” The show was scheduled for June 3 and may be rescheduled.
Gunshots fired midday in north Minneapolis on May 24 hit the Plymouth Christian Youth Center building, which is adjacent to the Capri. Although no injuries or fatalities occurred, several cars parked nearby were also hit with bullets.
“Both of our organizations are concerned about the intense escalation of gun violence in our treasured Northside community,” James Scott, director of the Capri, said in a press release.
He noted that this is the first time the theater has had to cancel a show out of concern for the safety of those involved.
“We are deeply saddened to do so now,” Scott said.
The performance was part of a summer outdoor show series put on by the SPCO, with the June 3 show celebrating the opening of a new outdoor stage at the Capri. The other three scheduled shows of SPCO’s summer outdoor series will take place as planned at different locations — Mears Park, Como Lake, and Lake Harriet.
SPCO and the Capri have been partners since 2009, putting on concert series and free youth programming.
The cancellation comes in the midst of a record crime wave in Minneapolis. The city recorded its 34th homicide of the year over the weekend, which is double the number the city reported at this time in 2020.