Wednesday February 4, 2026
MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA SHARES ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS AND OPERATING RESULTS FOR 2024-25 SEASON
The 2024-25 season saw Music Director Thomas Søndergård introducing signature artistic projects including the Nordic Soundscapes Festival, opera-in-concert performances of Turandot and a new recording partnership with PENTATONE
The Orchestra achieved its highest-ever earned revenue and annual fund totals; total paid capacity returned for the first time to pre-pandemic levels
The Orchestra celebrated pianist Jon Kimura Parker’s tenure as creative partner; marked the 50th anniversary of Orchestra Hall and renamed the auditorium to honor Nancy and John Lindahl; and completed fundraising to advance the Upper Harbor Amphitheater project
The Minnesota Orchestra released its operating results and shared artistic highlights today for fiscal year 2025, a season running from September 2024 to August 2025 in which Music Director Thomas Søndergård introduced signature artistic projects ranging from the critically acclaimed Nordic Soundscapes Festival and opera-in-concert performances of Turandot to a new recording partnership with PENTATONE. The Orchestra also celebrated pianist Jon Kimura Parker’s five-year tenure as Creative Partner for Summer at Orchestra; launched an initiative offering the ensemble’s complete catalogue of digital concerts for free; and marked the 50th anniversary of Orchestra Hall, while renaming its auditorium to honor the generosity of long-time Orchestra philanthropists Nancy and John Lindahl.
The season also saw progress in the development of the Upper Harbor Amphitheater, the 8,000-capacity concert venue along the Mississippi River to be jointly operated by First Avenue and the Orchestra. With the Orchestra raising needed private funds from a consortium of supporters to advance the public-private partnership, Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis City Council approved the project in July. In December, final land leases and closing were executed with the City, paving the way for construction to begin in Spring 2026.
The Orchestra’s total revenues for Fiscal 2025 amounted to $38.1 million, with total operating expenses of $42.3 million. Despite posting a deficit, the organization reached important revenue targets, achieving its highest-ever levels of annual fund donations and earned revenue. Orchestra Hall was filled to 82% paid capacity, a nearly 9% increase over the prior year that brings the organization back to pre-pandemic attendance levels. See Financial Report section for complete details.
“Returning to pre-COVID levels of attendance is an important milestone, and it is wonderful to see the Orchestra receiving such enthusiastic support from audiences and donors,” said Board Chair William Miller, who assumed the role in September 2025. “Our new President and CEO Isaac Thompson came into the Orchestra articulating a compelling vision and, partnering with our board, artistic leadership and musicians, he has the energy, entrepreneurial ideas and acumen to shepherd the organization through a transformation to eliminate legacy operating deficits all the while broadening the organization’s reach beyond Orchestra Hall.” Thompson began his new role in October, succeeding Brent Assink, who served as interim leader since September 2024.
Said President and CEO Isaac Thompson, “I’ve always known this community had a special connection to the Minnesota Orchestra. I saw it firsthand growing up here, and one of the rewarding aspects of returning to Minnesota has been the opportunity to experience this engagement on a weekly basis as thousands of people come downtown every weekend to hear the thrilling artistry of Thomas Søndergård and the Orchestra. We will channel that momentum over the next several seasons to diversify our revenue streams in order to build greater resilience and agility in how we operate. This is an opportunity to think bigger about the role the Orchestra can play in serving our city and wider community.”
The Board of Directors met on January 20, 2026, to approve the organization’s Fiscal 2025 audited financials. Elections to the Board of Directors were previously held in July with the new slate of Board members beginning in September, as part of an initiative to align Board tenures with the Orchestra’s fiscal year and performance schedule.
Artistic Report
The Orchestra offered 130 ticketed and free concerts and events during the 2024-25 season for in-person audiences. Milestones of the season included:
- Launching Nordic Soundscapes—the January festival that traversed the landscape of Nordic music, alongside an immersive sampling of Scandinavian culture, cocktails and design in the Orchestra Hall lobby. Led by Thomas Søndergård, the experience won praise in both the Wall Street Journal (“smartly curated, beautifully performed”) and The New York Times (“hygge lives on at the Minnesota Orchestra.”)
- The Orchestra’s first performances of Puccini’s Turandot in 40 years. Led by Søndergård and headlined by soprano Christine Goerke and tenor Limmie Pulliam, the event kickstarted a multi-year initiative to offer annual opera-in-concert with topflight singers.
- The beginning of a recording relationship with the Netherlands-based PENTATONE label that saw Søndergård and the Orchestra record live in concert works by British composer Thomas Adès, including the world premiere of his Exterminating Angel Symphony and his Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz, a foremost interpreter of the work. Recorded in September 2024, the album was released to critical praise in November 2025 (“File this under ‘sonic spectaculars.’ 5/5 stars” –The Times, London).
- The return of the Composer Institute and Future Classics concert, which cast a spotlight on four national rising composers. Elise Arancio, Andrew Faulkenberry, Soomin Kim and Benjamin Webster each participated in mentoring sessions, rehearsals, and seminars before having their music performed and recorded by the Orchestra.
- A celebration of the 50th anniversary of Orchestra Hall through historical displays in the lobby, audience and artist anecdotes, and programming nods to the 1974-75 season. In July, the performance auditorium inside Orchestra Hall was renamed the Lindahl Auditorium, in honor of the extraordinary generosity of Life Director and former Board chair (2023-25) Nancy Lindahl and her husband John.
- Solo turns in the spotlight by Minnesota Orchestra musicians including Assistant Principal Second Violin Cecilia Belcher (Beethoven’s Romances for Violin), Concertmaster Erin Keefe (Beethoven’s Violin Concerto), trumpeter Charles Lazarus (Merry & Bright), First Associate Concertmaster Susie Park (Gabriela Ortiz’s Altar de Cuerda), Principal Cello Anthony Ross (Walton’s Cello Concerto), Principal Bassoon Fei Xie (André Jolivet’s Bassoon Concerto) and Principal Clarinet Gabriel Campos Zamora (Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto).
- Removing paywalls to allow audiences access to the Orchestra’s complete collection of full-length live and archived concerts. Migrating all digital content to its YouTube channel, the Orchestra made hundreds of hours of performances and content free for all. Minnesota Orchestra concerts, performance excerpts and other shorts on YouTube were viewed 828,293 times in the last season.
- Four This Is Minnesota Orchestra concerts that were broadcast on Twin Cities PBS (TPT 2), YourClassical MPR and streamed on the Orchestra’s own channels. An average of 9,800 viewers watched each of the live broadcasts on TPT. Up almost 65% from the previous year, this is nearly five times the capacity or Orchestra Hall.
- Young People’s Concerts welcoming 28,194 students from 232 schools and 91 cities across the state to experience classical music at Orchestra Hall. The Orchestra’s Relaxed Family Concerts and Sensory-Friendly programs reached thousands more children and their parents. An additional 7,815 young people attended concerts for free, as part of the “Hall Pass” program.
- Three sold-out November concerts spotlighting the music of film composer John Williams, curated and conducted by Principal Conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall Sarah Hicks.
- A celebration of pianist Jon Kimura Parker in his final summer as Creative Partner for Summer at Orchestra Hall. Over five years, Parker’s artistry, musical curiosity and joy in connecting with audiences helped to define the spirit of the festival.
Financial Report
The balance sheet continues to be strong with total net assets of $187 million and no debt. Revenues totaled $38.1M and operating expenses were $42.3 million resulting in a $4.2M operating loss.
Total contributions— comprising annual fund donations, major gifts and Symphony Ball contributions—reached $20.4 million, essentially holding steady from the previous year and representing an outstanding demonstration of community generosity. In a strong showing of renewable support, total contributions to the annual fund reached an all-time high of $10.6 million, topping the previous year’s $10 million in support.
Total earned revenue—which includes revenue from tickets, rentals and concessions—reached a record high of $12.1 million. Orchestra Hall was filled to 82% paid capacity, a nearly 9% increase over the prior year that brings the organization back to pre-pandemic attendance levels. Defying nationwide trends, the Orchestra saw an 8% growth in subscription ticket sales; more than 13,600 guests were first time ticketholders in FY2025.
More than 230,000 guests attended in-person Minnesota Orchestra concerts in 2024-25, hailing from 83 of 87 Minnesota counties, all 50 states and 24 countries. With audio streaming, digital concerts, TV and radio broadcasts included, that number reached more than 2.5 million.
Total expenses were $42.3M in FY25, slightly down from the prior year’s $42.6M and essentially at the same level as in Fiscal 2023. Despite inflationary pressures, for the third consecutive year the organization has been able to offset year over year cost increases through containment activities.
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PRESS CONTACTS
Gwen Pappas, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
Alexandra Robinson, Content and Communications Manager
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