A New Year’s Celebration

Sat Dec 31, 2022 — Sun Jan 1, 2023

Orchestra Hall

~2 hrs, including intermission

Please note: Marin Alsop will no longer conduct this program. She is unable to appear while under doctor's orders not to travel as she recovers from the flu. She sends her regrets and hopes to return to Minneapolis soon. Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen will conduct the program.

Ring in the new year with the Minnesota Orchestra! The program opens with Bernstein’s animated Overture to Candide. Awadagin Pratt performs the Minnesota premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds for Piano and Orchestra, a work written for him. A New Year’s celebration wouldn’t be complete without adventure and passion, and the Orchestra brings that in multitudes in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s beloved Scheherazade.

A Few Things to Know

Awadagin Pratt last performed with the Minnesota Orchestra almost 30 years ago, playing the Grieg Piano Concerto with conductor Eiji Oue in 1994.
New York composer Jessie Montgomery’s music has become an Orchestra Hall favorite in recent years for both musicians and audiences. Hear more in March 2023 with performances of Strum, her popular work for string orchestra.
After the December 31 concert, help us count down to midnight! Enjoy vintage jazz from Belle Amour and a complimentary Champagne toast.

Explore the concert extras

Buy Tickets Subscribe

Date & Time

Program

BERNSTEIN

Overture to Candide
1 min note

One Minute Note

The best-known portion of Bernstein’s Candide is its vigorous and lyrical overture, which begins with a dramatic fanfare, then offers a quick tour of memorable themes from the operetta.
MONTGOMERY

Rounds for Piano and String Orchestra
1 min note

One Minute Note

Montgomery’s Rounds, which was commissioned for Awadagin Pratt and premiered by him just nine months ago, is inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem Four Quartets and explores musically the interconnectedness of action and reaction, dark and light, and stagnant and swift. The form, says the composer, is “a rondo, within a rondo, within a rondo,” with only a partly improvised cadenza breaking the pattern.
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV

Scheherazade
1 min note

One Minute Note

Scheherazade brings to life a fairy-tale world of palace romances, brilliant festivities and danger on the high seas. The solo violin portrays the title character in one of the most colorfully orchestrated scores ever composed.

Full Program Notes

Artists

Minnesota Orchestra

Plan your visit

Pre-concert activities
Valet Parking
Pre-order Beverages
Directions & Parking
Helpful Tips

Belle Amour Vintage Jazz

When: Sat Dec 31 | Post-Concert
Where: Roberta Mann Grand Foyer

After the Orchestra concert, enjoy toe-tapping vintage jazz in the lobby from Bell Amour, a world-class band that perfectly captures the look, feel, and sound of the era.

Exhibit by The Museum of Russian Art

When: Pre-concert and Intermission
Where: Mezzanine

The Museum of Russian Art presents an exhibition of rare cultural artifacts and objects of folk art from its unique collections in conjunction with the performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

Snow Globe Photo Opportunity

When: Pre-concert and Intermission
Where: Balcony A

Snap a photo in our iconic giant snow globe to remember fun and festive times at Orchestra Hall!

Know Before You Go

An engaging performance awaits, and the fun doesn’t stop there. Make this visit your own with food and activity options. Browse these helpful tips, and when your concert date arrives, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy.

Directions & Parking

All the information you need to know for getting to and from Orchestra Hall. Parking is just steps away from Orchestra Hall in the city-owned and skyway-connected 11th and Marquette Ramp.