NUR-D
with the Minnesota OrchestraFri Apr 5 — Sat Apr 6, 2024
Orchestra Hall
Though his performing career is only five years old, Nur-D has quickly become one of the fastest risers in hip-hop in the Midwest. Not only has he performed on the same stages as some of hip-hop's biggest acts, but he does so with a genuine and infectious energy and an obvious passion for giving audiences an unforgettably fun time. He's partnering with arranger Andy Thompson (Dessa, Taylor Swift) to make his Minnesota Orchestra debut, along with a whole lot of fun surprises.
A Few Things to Know
- It's not just a name: Matt Allen, a.k.a. Nur-D, told NPR Morning Edition's Rachel Martin, "Comics, Dungeons & Dragons, professional wrestling...it's something embedded into my soul."
- Nur-D didn't always perform hip-hop. One of his first music endeavors was in his hometown of Rosemount, Minnesota, in a pop-rock band called Black Genesis. Of this group, Nur-D told The Current, "We wanted to be like Genesis, but if Phil Collins was Black. It was really dope."
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra, led by Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård—who is serving as music director designate during the 2022-23 season—is recognized for distinguished performances around the world, award-winning recordings and broadcasts, educational engagement programs, and commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of the future. Founded in 1903, the Orchestra has an extensive history of touring throughout Minnesota, nationally and abroad, including high-profile visits in recent years to Cuba, Europe and South Africa. Recording projects undertaken in the past two decades include complete cycles of symphonies by Beethoven, Sibelius and Mahler, all recorded under Osmo Vänskä, who is now the Orchestra’s conductor laureate.
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.
Hicks’ career has seen collaborations with a diverse range of artists, from Hilary Hahn and Dmitri Hvorostovsky to Rufus Wainwright, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson. She has been an artistic leader in concerts featuring artists from Minnesota’s internationally-renowned popular music scene—including shows with The New Standards, multiple sold-out performances with Dessa and a live-in-concert recording released on Doomtree Records, and collaborations with indie band Cloud Cult. A specialist in film music and the film in concert genre, she is passionate about creating concert experiences which combine sight and sound, and that welcome new audiences to the orchestral genre.
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