Winter Sensory-Friendly Concert
in the Target AtriumTue Feb 18, 2025
Orchestra Hall
Join us for an engaging and interactive concert experience in a relaxed environment where all audience members are welcome to be who they are while enjoying music with family and friends. This concert takes place in the Target Atrium, where you can see and hear the instruments up close and ask questions in a more intimate setting. Hosted by Lyndie Walker, MT-BC from Toneworks Music Therapy Services, this program features a Minnesota Orchestra musician and talented guest artists from the community.
- The Minnesota Orchestra’s Sensory-Friendly small ensemble concerts are inclusive experiences for all ages, including individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities.
- Fidgets, noise-canceling headphones and quiet spaces are available at all Sensory-Friendly Concerts. A pre-visit story and program are also available to help you prepare for the event; scroll down the page for these resources. Stand-alone chairs provide for flexible seating and open space is available for those who wish to sit on the floor or move around the room.
Lyndie Walker
host
Emily Switzer
Second Violin
Sarah Switzer
Viola
Lyndie Walker, MT-BC, is the Owner and a Board-Certified Music Therapist at Toneworks Music Therapy Services, LLC. She received a double Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Music Therapy from the University of Minnesota. Lyndie works as both a music therapist and adaptive lesson teacher with individuals of all ages and abilities in both group and individual settings. She frequently presents on topics such as music therapy and community experiences, building inclusive music environments in public schools, and collaborative experiences with women-owned small businesses.
As an avid supporter of neurodiversity and self-advocates, she hosts Sensory Friendly Atrium Concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, and directs “Art for All” an inclusive summer art and music camp.
Violinist Emily Switzer is a 2019 graduate of the Yale School of Music and 2017 graduate of Yale University. Former co-concertmaster of the Yale Symphony Orchestra, she is a winner of the 2015 Friends of Music Recital Competition, the 2016 William Waite Competition and a recipient of the 2016 Sharp Prize for Music. She has performed with numerous orchestras including the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Lakewood Symphony, Denver Philharmonic, Littleton Symphony and Yale Symphony Orchestra. In January 2022, she performed with the Yale Philharmonia as a winner of the 2019 Woolsey Concerto Competition. Switzer joined the second violin section of the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2019.
Violist Sarah Switzer joined the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2022 and served as acting assistant principal viola for the Orchestra’s 2023-24 season. She earned her master’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music as a student of Ivo-Jan van der Werff. She holds a bachelor’s degree in the History of Art from Yale University, where she studied with Wendy Sharp. Recipient of the Yale Wrexham Prize for Music, the T. Whitney Blake Prize and the Sharp Prize for Music, Switzer served as principal viola of the Yale Symphony Orchestra and performed Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the symphony orchestra in 2018 as a winner of the William Waite Concerto Competition. Her undergraduate thesis on French medieval manuscript illumination earned her the A. Conger Goodyear Fine Arts Award in 2019.
Downloads
Accessibility Services
- Armless & Bariatric Chairs
- Assistive Listening Devices
- Large-Print Programs
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones
- Service Animals Allowed
- Wheelchair & Accessible Seating
Additional services are available upon request.
Sponsored By
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
