Magnificent Musical Creatures
Sun Nov 9, 2025
Orchestra Hall
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Explore how music connects us to the animal kingdom! Featuring the Minnesota Orchestra and film snippets from the Minnesota Zoo originally filmed as part of our 2021 Young People’s Concert, Musical Menagerie, this program pounces, swoops and dives into music inspired by Earth’s many creatures. From galloping horses to charming birdsong, this program will take you to animal habitats around the world.
This one-hour relaxed concert format is designed for audiences of all ages, including individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities.
Program
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ROSSINI
Finale from William Tell Overture
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VIVALDI
Giunt'e la primavera: Allegro, from The Four Seasons
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RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
Flight of the Bumblebee, from The Tale of Czar Saltan
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STRAVINSKY
Finale from Firebird
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GRIEG
Allegro molto moderato, from Piano Concerto
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LÓPEZ
Auryn, from Symphony No. 5, Fantastica
Artists
Minnesota Orchestra
Nicholas Koo
conductor
Rebecca Corruccini
violin
Harold Fang
piano
Trinity Leiser
host
Maria Dively
American Sign Language interpreter
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, now in its second century, ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning recordings, broadcasts and educational engagement programs; and a commitment to commissioning and performing the music of our time. In September 2025, Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård began his third season as music director.
Nicholas Koo is a Korean-American conductor who has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony and Utah Symphony. He made his debut with the Chicago Symphony in their MusicNOW series in March of 2025, and debuted with the Minnesota Orchestra the previous year. He has collaborated with renowned soloists including Emanuel Ax, Hélène Grimaud, Jörgen van Rijen and Hilary Hahn, with whom he led Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Rebecca Corruccini joined the Minnesota Orchestra’s first violin section in 2008. She served as acting assistant concertmaster from 2014-15, then acting associate principal second for 2015-16. Summers find her in Idaho, where she has been a member of the Sun Valley Music Festival since 2007.
Before assuming her Minnesota post, Corruccini performed two seasons with the Houston Symphony. In addition, she has recorded Emmy award-winning PBS All-Star Orchestra episodes as a charter member of the first violin section. Corruccini has been featured in both chamber music and orchestral performances at festivals across the country, including as assistant concertmaster at the Colorado Music Festival. She has also served as a member of the Grand Teton Music Festival orchestra and the Mainly Mozart Festival, and as faculty at the Brevard Music Center.
Harold Fang is a 15-year-old sophomore at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota. He began studying piano at age six and is currently under the tutelage of Dr. Denis Evstuhin. Fang has earned numerous prestigious awards, including the top prize in the 2025 Young People’s Symphony Concert Association (YPSCA) Young People’s Concerto Competition, which resulted in the invitation to appear as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra at a series of Young People’s and Family Concerts in November 2025.
Trinity Leiser is honored to serve as co-host for the unique collaboration between the Minnesota Orchestra and the Minnesota Zoo at Young People's and Family Concerts in November 2025. With a lifelong passion for the arts and the natural world, she brings a rich background in both music and wildlife education to this performance. Her experiences have shaped her love of storytelling, performance, and creative collaboration. For the past eight years, she has shared her enthusiasm for animals and conservation as part of the Minnesota Zoo team, connecting guests of all ages to the wonders of wildlife through engaging programs and experiences.
Maria Dively has been an American Sign Language interpreter for eight years in Minnesota and California. A NIC/Trilingual Interpreter, she is a graduate of North Central University in Minneapolis. She was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has been involved personally and professionally in the Deaf community since college. From a young age, she has been involved with music as a woodwind player, percussionist and steel drums player, among other roles.
Plan Your Visit
- Running Time
- ~1 hour with no intermission
- Doors Open
- 1 hour, 30 mins prior to performance
A Few Things to Know
- Free child tickets are available through our Hall Pass program. Learn more
- This concert will feature a variety of music—some soft and some loud—because we know that different audience members like different levels of sound. Review our tip sheet (available one month before the concert) to read about quiet spaces, noise-canceling headphones and other options which are available for tailoring the concert experience to fit your family's preferences.
- Come early to participate in lobby activities, including opportunities to try instruments, engage in creative movement, make art, learn more about the program and meet Minnesota Orchestra musicians.
- Prepare for the concert experience with our playlist, lobby map, pre-visit story and other materials (available one month before the concert)