DESSA REUNITES WITH MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA, November 7 and 8
Conducted by Sarah Hicks, Dessa will perform her original music arranged for orchestra by Andy Thompson, alongside frequent musical collaborators and the Minnesota Orchestra
The one-of-a-kind artist Dessa returns to Orchestra Hall for a pair of concerts, 8 p.m. on Friday, November 7, and Saturday, November 8, that will reunite her with her biggest band: the Minnesota Orchestra. Led by Principal Conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall Sarah Hicks, the concerts will feature a wide-ranging collection of original music by Dessa—including brand-new material—all arranged for orchestra by Grammy-nominated composer Andy Thompson. Dessa and the Orchestra will be joined by her frequent collaborators vocalists Aviva Jaye, Cameron Kinghorn, Matthew Santos and Aby Wolf; vocalist/saxophonist Joshua Williams; bassist Ian Allison; and drummer Joey Van Phillips.
Described by the Los Angeles Times as “like no one else,” Minnesota-born Dessa is known for spanning genres and disciplines in her work as a singer, rapper, writer, musician, podcaster and public speaker. Her previous Orchestra collaborations, taking place in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023, were funny and moving events of soaring orchestrations, charismatic monologue and infectiously spirited performance. Dessa builds each show around clever commentary on the human condition—a narrative scaffolding of stories that touch on everything from dental work and fMRI imaging to the fall of Rome but ultimately circle back to our appetite for love and connection.
Of the current collaboration, Dessa says, “If orchestra shows came with a bingo card, mine would feature a bell, a wheel, a shot glass, and a personal essay in really small type about the limitations of human intimacies—the solitary nature of our interior lives, a realm we cannot leave and no other mind may visit, even though we try mightily to dissolve the partitions between us through love and art and music. Oh, and a kite—I write about kites a lot, too.”
The November 8 concert falls on the anniversary of the release of Sound the Bells, the live-in-concert, 17-track album Dessa, Hicks and the Orchestra recorded and released in 2019 for Doomtree Records. To mark the occasion, Dessa is making available a limited run of vinyl records.
About Dessa
Dessa is a singer, rapper and writer who has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations. As a musician, she has co-composed for large choirs, crowd surfed at rock clubs and contributed a track to the #1 album The Hamilton Mixtape. Her TED Talk “Can We Choose to Fall Out of Love?” has notched more than five million views, and her written work has been published by the likes of The New York Times and National Geographic Traveler. She is currently serving as artist in residence at Georgetown University’s Music Sustainability Initiative. On the stage and on the page, Dessa’s work embodies ferocity, wit, tenderness and candor. More: dessawander.com.
About Sarah Hicks
Sarah Hicks is the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, a role in which she oversees planning for and conducts many concerts in the broad-spectrum series of popular music, movie scores, indie artists and Broadway classics. Hicks’ career has seen collaborations with a diverse range of artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitri Hvorostovsky to Rufus Wainwright, Jennifer Hudson and Sting. Alongside Director of Live at Orchestra Hall Grant Meachum, she has been a leader in developing concerts featuring artists from Minnesota’s popular music scene—including collaborations with Dessa, Cloud Cult and Nur-D. A specialist in film music, she is passionate about creating concert experiences which combine sight and sound and that welcome new audiences to the orchestral genre. More: minnesotaorchestra.org.
About the Minnesota Orchestra
Founded in 1903, the Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra is known for acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning educational programs; and a commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of tomorrow, all based on the belief that music is for everyone. Each year, Minnesota Orchestra concerts and recordings are seen and heard by more than two million people via television, radio, digital streaming, and on-demand platforms. Led by Music Director Thomas Søndergård, the Orchestra makes its home in the heart of downtown Minneapolis at Orchestra Hall, a venue renowned for its brilliant acoustics and modern design.
Live at Orchestra Hall
DESSA RETURNS
Friday, November 7, 2025, 8 p.m. / Lindahl Auditorium, Orchestra Hall
Saturday, November 8, 2025, 8 p.m. / Lindahl Auditorium, Orchestra Hall
Minnesota Orchestra
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Dessa, singer, rapper and writer
Ian Allison, bass
Aviva Jaye, vocals
Cameron Kinghorn, vocals
Matthew Santos, vocals
Joey Van Phillips, percussion
Joshua Williams, saxophone and vocals
Aby Wolf, vocals and vocal direction
Andy Thompson, arranger
Tickets: $61 - $120 (limited availability)
TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION
Tickets and subscription packages can be purchased now at minnesotaorchestra.org
or by calling 612-371-5656. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.
PRESS CONTACTS
Gwen Pappas, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations
Alexandra Robinson, Content and Communications Manager