Minnesota Orchestra: 2005-06 Season

Get Wrapped Up in the Minnesota Orchestra

The 2005-06 season opens with a series of spectacular concerts and special events. Orchestra Hall will literally be turned inside-out and wrapped with enormous 3-story images of Music Director Osmo Vänskä, Orchestra musicians and members of the audience, sharing the thrill of music-making with the community.

Orchestra Hall from 11th and Marquette

Click here to preview the completed murals

Join us for one of our September concerts and be among the first to see the completed murals on Orchestra Hall. Come early or stay late Sep 15-23 and enjoy refreshments and desserts on Peavey Plaza.

Sep 15-23 concerts will also be broadcast outdoors, but we recommend tickets to see and hear the excitement of a live performance.

Target Presents: Barrage on Peavey Plaza
Wed Sep 14 5pm

This talented group of young musicians combines dramatic choreography with diverse musical styles including Celtic, jazz, classical and pop. Join us for this free concert to kick off the 2005-06 season opening celebration.

Progressive Music on Nicollet Mall
Wed Sep 14 noon and 4pm
Fri Sep 16 noon
Wed Sep 21 noon and 4pm

Fill your days with music! Enjoy free performances by members of the Minnesota Orchestra and local student musicians at various locations on Nicollet Mall. Click the times above for a complete listing of groups and locations.

Vänskä Opens the Season
A Celebration of Dance
Thu Sep 15 7:30pm
Fri Sep 16 8pm
Sat Sep 17 8pm

Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
André Watts, piano

The new season begins with the thrilling and festive dance rhythms of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and Ravel's Boléro. Acclaimed piano virtuoso André Watts performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4.

Wells Fargo Presents: Osmo at Harriet
Sun Sep 18 4pm

Pack a picnic basket, grab your beach blanket and bring the whole family to the Bandshell at Lake Harriet! The Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director Osmo Vänskä present a late summer afternoon delight - a spectacular classical concert FREE to the public. Program to include works by Strauss, Mendelssohn, Elgar and Tchaikovsky.

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Thu Sep 22 7:30pm
Fri Sep 23 8pm

Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Jie Chen, piano

Pianist Jie Chen was only 18 when she astounded audiences with her stunning Minnesota Orchestra debut last year. In this concert, she plays an all-time Romantic favorite, Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2. This sweeping all-Russian concert also includes Stravinsky's path-breaking ballet Petrushka and Mussorgsky's A Night on Bald Mountain.

Target Presents a Free Season Preview Concert
Sat Sep 24 8pm

Join the Minnesota Orchestra and Music Director Osmo Vänskä for a sneak preview of the 2005-06 Season. Enjoy musical highlights of the upcoming season including the music of Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mozart and more with commentary from MPR's Brian Newhouse.

All seating is general admission and requires a ticket. Limit 2 tickets per household. Seating is subject to availability, so act fast! Call 612-371-5656 or 1-800-292-4141.

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg Returns
Thu Sep 29 11am
Fri Sep 30 8pm
Sat Oct 1 8pm

Minnesota Orchestra
Mischa Santora, conductor
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin

The Orchestra started its triumphant 2004 European tour at Carnegie Hall with violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg — and brought the house down! Here she plays Bruch's gorgeous and heart-warming Concerto No. 1. Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and a suite from Stravinsky's richly colored ballet, The Firebird, wrap up this memory-making concert!