Pre-Concert Activities at Orchestra Hall
Prior to many Minnesota Orchestra performances, pre-concert activities at Orchestra Hall provide enriching and entertaining experiences. Come early to hear music, attend a concert preview or just hang out before the show!
On Friday, November 22 (7:15 p.m.) and Saturday, November 23 (6:15 p.m.), prior to the Minnesota Orchestra’s Søndergård Conducts Mozart’s Requiem performances, Phillip Gainsley hosts a discussion with Minnesota Chorale Artistic Director Kathy Saltzman Romey and guest soloists. Gainsley, who has hosted Minnesota Orchestra pre-concert discussions since 2004, was a regular panelist on the “Opera Quiz” heard during the intermissions of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. He currently writes performance reviews for Opera News magazine, and he is a speaker for the Metropolitan Opera Guild. His podcast Let's Talk Music features conversations with composers, conductors, directors, performers and other creative forces.
On Thursday, December 5 (10:15 a.m.) and Friday, December 6 (7:15 p.m.), prior to the Minnesota Orchestra’s The Best of Bach performances, Nicholas Landrum gives a pre-concert lecture in the Target Atrium. Landrum’s lecture, “Immortal Bach,” explores the questions: Is Bach a conservator of tradition, or a revolutionary? What is his timeless grasp on composers and audiences these 275 years after his death and how did he manage to write so much music? Landrum is an award-winning composer, vocalist and educator born in Philadelphia. He is the recipient of the Dean’s Prize in composition at Indiana University, where he completed his doctorate, and has had his works performed and recorded by the National Basilica Choir in Washington, D.C., and members of the Minnesota Orchestra, among many others.
