Fargo's favorite musical son returns home

Schickele
As a teenager, Peter Schickele played bassoon in the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony. He says it was an invaluable experience for his future as a composer.
Photo courtesy of Peter Schickele

The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony welcomes back its most famous alum this weekend. Composer Peter Schickele, the creator of P.D.Q. Bach, is the guest of honor as the orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Schickele spent his teenage years in Fargo and was recruited to play bassoon in the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony not long after moving to North Dakota with his family.

The weekend celebration concerts will include the premiere of Schickele's musical tribute to the eastern North Dakota landscape, "Prairie Skies."

In a conversation with Minnesota Public Radio host Alison Young, Schickele reflects on the musical importance of his years in Fargo and the life of a composer who writes serious music, but is better known as a satirist.

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