Orchestra on Wheels

Osmo Vänskä has shaped nearly every aspect of the Minnesota Orchestra's experience in his time as music director, including its global reach and relevance. The ensemble, known in its earliest days as “the Orchestra on Wheels” for its unflagging domestic touring (largely by train), embarked on a new golden age of international touring under Vänskä’s leadership.

Since 2004, he has led the Orchestra on four Minnesota tours, five European tours—including three appearances at the world’s largest classical music festival, London’s BBC Proms—and historic visits to Cuba and South Africa. “I just have put my heart there and I have tried to do everything with the Orchestra as well as possible,” he says. “I have tried to open my mind for big dreams and it has been a great adventure. I’m really grateful that I have had a chance to work with a great orchestra.”

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