Event Detail

Members of the Minnesota Orchestra
Featuring Guest Conductor Brent Havens, Vocalists Randy Jackson and Brody Dolyniukand a Full Rock Band

The Minnesota Orchestra presents the return of The Music of Led Zeppelin and the premiere of The Music of Queen.

Bridging the gulf between rock n’ roll and classical music, conductor/arranger Brent Havens takes the podium to present The Music of Led Zeppelin & The Music of Queen, a program he scored to extend the listening experience of Led Zeppelin and Queen’s timeless tunes.

Performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra and amplified with a full rock band and screaming vocals by Randy Jackson, Havens and his ensemble capture Led Zeppelin’s “sheer blast and power” riff for riff while cranking out new musical colors. “Our concept for The Music of Led Zeppelin was to take the music as close to the originals as we could and then add some colors to enhance what Zep had done,” says Havens. “The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette of sounds to call upon. The band is reproducing what Led Zeppelin did on the albums, verbatim, and then having an orchestra behind the band gives the music richness, a whole different feel, a whole different sense of power.”

In addition to Zeppelin hits, the concert will feature hits from the rock group Queen and includes a fabulous rendition of Freddie Mercury’s vocals by Las Vegas star Brody Dolyniuk. "When he came out to audition for the show we knew immediately that he had something special. He not only knew the music but he had clearly listened to every aspect of Freddie’s performances," states Havens. "His inflections were spot-on and even the wailing rock sound had that Freddie resonance. Clearly, there will never be another Freddie Mercury, but close your eyes and listen to Brody and you’re going to get something very close."