Events for October 2015
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Osmo Vänskä, conductor
- Katie Van Kooten, soprano
- Erin Keefe, violin
- Adam Kuenzel, flute
- John Snow, oboe
- Douglas C. Carlsen, trumpet
BACH
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2
STRAUSS
Four Last Songs
MAHLER
Symphony No. 4
This delightful program begins with a rare Orchestra Hall performance of a Bach Brandenburg Concerto, which launches a two-season journey through these chamber ensemble masterpieces.
Next, Katie Van Kooten sings the golden and serene benediction of Richard Strauss, the Four Last Songs, which encapsulate all he knew and loved about the human voice and the orchestra. Finally, a child's captivating view of heaven as painted by the master of orchestral color, Gustav Mahler.
- Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, alto saxophone
- Chris Thomson, tenor saxophone
- Jeremy Walker, piano
- Jeff Brueske, bass
- Tim Zhorne, drums
Minneapolis, both urbane and earthy, claims a location at the confluence of three major areas: it’s at the highest navigable point of the Mississippi, and in its environs, the Great Plains meet the Eastern forests.
Our music has been shaped by the barnstorming territory bands that crisscrossed the country for much of the 20th century and by our late-night disc jockeys. This season, the Atrium Jazz Ensemble (AJE) launches the series with original music in this same tradition—wide open and pioneering. These musicians will put their stamp on songs including Lazy River and Skylark by Hoagy Carmichael and Girl from the North Country by Bob Dylan, and they will debut Jeremy Walker’s suite A River like a Train. The concert also spotlights New Orleans’ Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, a favorite colleague of many Twin Cities jazz musicians and a decades-long collaborator with Wynton Marsalis, who says: “Wess Anderson’s playing contains the essence of soul, that’s why we call him WarmDaddy.”
Jazz in the Target Atrium’s 2015-16 Season: The New Regionalism
This season, Jazz in the Target Atrium celebrates our region’s vibrancy and adds a Twin Cities twist to the story of jazz as written in legendary halls across the country. This great American art form has been nurtured in many ways, from New Orleans and New York to Chicago, Kansas City and beyond. Now the Atrium Jazz Ensemble steps up to take its place among the musicians who guide jazz into the future.
The Atrium Jazz Ensemble—the house orchestra for Jazz in the Target Atrium at Orchestra Hall, led by Artistic Director Jeremy Walker—is a fluid group whose size shifts with the programs. Performing are some of the region’s finest musicians and composers, presenting original music rooted in jazz found anywhere from Texas to our own twin towns.
Broadcast Partner
They’re the Grammy®-winning superstars of klezmer, and they’re coming to Orchestra Hall!
Descended from the centuries-old Jewish cantillation of the Middle East, klezmer music began in the Yiddish-speaking world of Eastern Europe, where it became a fixture in Jewish culture—and is very much alive today thanks to masters like the Klezmatics. This seriously entertaining ensemble from New York City is dedicated to keeping klezmer music vital and spreading its infectious, expressive, danceable sound around the globe.
“The Klezmatics aren’t just the best band in the klezmer vanguard; on a good night, they can rank among the greatest bands on the planet.”
– Time Out New York
Download program notes (pdf)
Please note: The Minnesota Orchestra does not perform on this program.
Media Sponsor
Sponsor
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, conductor
- Anthony Ross, cello
SCHUMANN
Cello Concerto
BRUCKNER
Symphony No. 7
Schumann famously said that he couldn't write for virtuosos, that his aim was something else entirely.
So he poured into his Concerto a gorgeous lyricism, with moments of hold-your-breath beauty—all of which feels tailor-made for principal cellist Anthony Ross' stunning talent. Capping this will be our beloved force-of-nature Conductor Laureate Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, two weeks past his 92nd birthday, offering his marvelous interpretation of Bruckner's heaven-shaking Symphony No. 7.
What is Guarantors' Week?
This week's concerts are performed in dedication to the Orchestra's outstanding community of donors. We are deeply grateful to all who give in extraordinary ways to ensure the Minnesota Orchestra's artistic and financial well-being. Ticket sales only cover one-quarter of the Orchestra's annual budget. Your generosity supports our exceptional musicians and this outstanding season of music. The Minnesota Orchestra belongs to all of us–thank you for investing in its future.
Become a donor and support the music you love. minnesotaorchestra.org/giving
The extraordinary talent of our musicians shines in these rich and diverse chamber music concerts programmed and performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra.
- Katja Linfield, cello
- Arek Tesarczyk, cello
- Beth Rapier, cello
- Anthony Ross, cello
- Pitnarry Shin, cello
- Eugena Chang, cello
BACH
Six Suites for Unaccompanied Solo Cello
Download program page (pdf)
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Juraj Valčuha, conductor
- Jennifer Koh, violin
STRAUSS
Don Juan
SZYMANOWSKI
Violin Concerto No. 1
BARTÓK
Concerto for Orchestra
Juraj Valčuha—say YOO-rye VAL-choo-ah—is definitely a name to learn if you don't know it already. This young Slovakian conductor has received huge ovations across Europe and now, America.
For his Minnesota debut, he brings an array of musical fireworks from his central European homeland. Strauss’ Don Juan is a tour de force that only the most virtuosic conductors and players can master. Bartok’s Concerto is the 20th-century orchestral showpiece—its ending a whirlwind of pure joy.
- Jane Lynch, vocals
- Kate Flannery, vocals
- Tim Davis, vocals
- The Tony Guerrero Quintet
She’s starred on television as mean-girl cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on the FOX hit Glee and hosted Hollywood Game Night, was featured in the movie mockumentaries A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, and wowed on Broadway as Miss Hannigan in the revival of Annie.
Now the bold and brassy Jane Lynch is earning raves for her off-beat, anything-goes, touring cabaret show with Tim Davis and Kate Flannery (most famous for her role as Meredith in NBC's The Office). The Emmy-winning® actress, comedian and singer brings down the house with her “easygoing folk delivery,” “ear for esoteric cultural goodies” and “smart, witty” performance (The New York Times). Three cheers!
Download program page (pdf)
Please note: Performance time is approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. The Minnesota Orchestra does not perform on this program.
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Black Label Movement
Recommended for grades 3-6
Violin, viola, cello and...timpani? One of these instruments doesn’t belong with the others, but which one—and why?
In this interactive concert, students help our lost musicians find their way home by investigating the musical element “timbre,” or “tone color,” and the four families of instruments. Each family gets a chance to shine as the Orchestra performs excerpts from Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Bernstein’s West Side Story. The concert also features amazing movers from Black Label Movement and music arranged by local composer Jocelyn Hagen.
Download Concert Preparation Guide
Download Interactive Guide to the Orchestra
Download printable worksheet PDFs:
Printable 1 | Printable 2 | Printable 3 | Printable 4 | Printable 5 | Printable 6
Homeschool families
Sign up for our free workshop using the form below.
- Minnesota Orchestra
- Sarah Hicks, conductor
It was late one fall in Halloween land
And the air had quite a chill
Against the moon a skeleton sat
Alone upon a hill
That poem is the genesis of filmmaker Tim Burton’s macabre mashup of Halloween and Christmas, a movie favorite since 1993.
Now for the first time, this spooky spectacular comes to Orchestra Hall, with the Minnesota Orchestra playing Danny Elfman’s frightfully original score live, while the scary story plays on the big screen. Don’t sit alone upon a hill this Halloween—scare up some friends and come to Orchestra Hall!
Download program pages (pdf)
Please note: This event is recommended for ages 13 and over. All concerts are open to children ages 6 and over when accompanied by an adult.