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.

Sarah Hicks is the Minnesota Orchestra’s principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall, a role in which she oversees planning for and conducts many concerts in the broad-spectrum series of popular music, jazz, Broadway classics, movie scores and other genres. She also conducted the Inside the Classics and Sam & Sarah series for ten seasons.

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning, three-time Emmy and two-time Academy Award-nominated songwriter, actor, and a New York Times bestselling author. Well known for his breakout role as ‘Aaron Burr’ in the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom made the season’s most highly anticipated return to his award-winning role in September 2025. During his limited engagement run, which came nine years after his final bow, Hamilton hit its highest ever gross in its ten years on Broadway. Odom’s long-awaited return to Broadway following his original Hamilton run came in 2023 as a producer, alongside his beloved Nicolette Robinson and the gracious Jeffrey Richards, with the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch written by the legendary Ossie Davis. The revival opened to widespread critical acclaim. Odom was Tony-nominated for his performance, and the production received six nominations and one win. Purlie Victorious was recorded and aired as part of PBS’s Great Performances.