Minnesota Orchestra to Present ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’ with Michelle DeYoung & Nathan Berg

Music Director Thomas Søndergård is set to launch Minnesota Orchestra’s Sound Unbound projector May 8 and 9, 2026. The concert will feature Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle” with mezzo Michelle DeYoung and bass-baritone Nathan Berg. The production will incorporate immersive lighting design and digital projections by Adam Larsen and Twin Cities-based singer and actor Christina Baldwin will deliver the opera’s spoken Prologue. {…}

Feb 23, 2026

Minnesota Orchestra Names Leonidas Kavakos Principal Guest Conductor

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced that conductor and violinist Leonidas Kavakos has been named Principal Guest Conductor. He will begin his appointment in the fall of 2027, appearing with the Orchestra in three weeks of subscription programming per season. The appointment will be for three-years and in addition to conducting he will also assume artistic projects as violin soloist or chamber {…}

Mar 25, 2025

Joyce DiDonato, Janai Brugger & Jamie Barton Lead Minnesota Orchestra’s 2025-26 Season

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2025-26 season. Here are the vocal performances for the season. Thomas Søndergård and Joyce DiDonato open the season performing Strauss, Berlioz, Connesson, and Bernstein. Performance Dates: Sept. 18 & 19, 2025 Thomas Søndergård and Lauren Snouffer perform Sibelius Stenhammar, and Abrahamsen. Performance Dates: Jan. 16 & 17, 2026 Eun Sun Kim leads Beethoven’s Symphony {…}

Aug 29, 2024

Minnesota Orchestra Appoints Interim CEO

Brent Assink has been named interim CEO and President of The Minnesota Orchestra. Assink will take over Michelle Miller Burns, who is leaving in September to lead the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Burns has been president and CEO of Minnesota’s largest performing arts organization since 2018. Assink will split his time between Minnesota and California, where he lives. In a statement, {…}

Jul 1, 2024

Minnesota Orchestra President & CEO to Step Down

The Minnesota Orchestra’s president and CEO Michelle Millar Burns is stepping down. In a statement, the Minnesota Orchestra said that Burns is set to take charge of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she held several leadership roles before coming to Minneapolis. Burns added, “I feel like I’m following my heart back to a place that holds a lot of meaning {…}

Apr 10, 2024

Christine Goerke, J’Nai Bridges & Julia Bullock Lead Minnesota Orchestra’s 2024-25 Season

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2024-25 season. Here is a look at the vocal performances. Thomas Søndergård, conducts a program of Mozart, Messian, and Ortiz with soloists Andrea Carroll, Jack Swanson, Dashon Burton, and Minnesota Chorale. Performance Dates: Nov. 22 & 23, 2024 J’Nai Bridges and pianist Jon Kimura Parker headline the New Year’s Eve concert. The program includes music {…}

Oct 22, 2023

Minnesota Orchestra ‘Listening Project’ to Showcase Underrepresented Composers.

Minnesota Orchestra will shine a spotlight on historically underrepresented composers in its “Listening Project,” beginning on Nov. 3. Kensho Watanabe returns to conduct, and Dr. Louise Toppin, a renowned performer and scholar, will provide insights into the pieces. Mezzo-soprano Catherine Daniel will make her debut, performing Carmen Brouard’s piece on Emily Dickinson, “Trois monologues d’Émili.” The concert focuses on 20th-century {…}

Dec 7, 2022

Minnesota Orchestra Names New Vice President of Artistic Planning

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced that Erik Finley has been appointed the Leni and David Moore, Jr. Vice President of Artistic Planning. In this role, he will collaborate closely with Music Director Designate Thomas Søndergård, musicians, and artistic staff to bring to life a shared artistic vision for the organization. Finley is currently the Vice President and General Manager of {…}

Oct 1, 2022

Minnesota Orchestra Presents Concert Initiative ‘More to Hear: The Listening Project’

The Minnesota Orchestra will debut its concert initiative entitled “More to Hear: The Listening Project” on Oct. 7. “The Listening Project” began in 2021 with the purpose to record and recognize works by historically underrepresented composers. The inagural instalation was the first-ever professional recordings of five works by five Black composers. This year the “Listen Project” combines a live concert {…}

Aug 1, 2022

Minnesota Orchestra Names Thomas Søndergård as Music Director

Photo: Andy Buchanan Minnesota Orchestra has announced the appointment of Thomas Søndergård as Music Director. The Danish maestro will succeed Osmo Vänskä as the 11th Music Director in the Orchestra’s 120-year history. Søndergård will helm the Orchestra as Music Director Designate in the 2022-23 season before beginning his duties as Music Director in Sept. 2023. The conductor has agreed to {…}

Apr 16, 2020

Minnesota Orchestra Restructures 2019-20 Season

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced plans to restructure its 2019-20 season. The orchestra announced that the restructuring is designed to delay all concerts until August 2020. In the press statement, the organization noted noted, “The revised concert calendar reschedules numerous performances and cancels all others through June 15, 2020; postpones all Summer at Orchestra Hall 2020 concerts and activities until {…}