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.

Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård, who in September 2025 began his third season as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, is a highly regarded conductor in both the orchestral and opera spheres. He has earned a reputation for incisive interpretations of works by composers from his native Denmark, a great versatility in a broad range of standard and modern repertoire, and a collaborative approach with the musicians he leads. 

Trumpeter Charles Lazarus is a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and a multi-faceted musician who has charted a unique course as performer, composer, producer and band leader. His career has included tenures in several of the best-known brass ensembles in the world, including Dallas Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble and Canadian Brass.

As a soloist, composer and bandleader, Lazarus has created four original crossover orchestral programs featuring his various ensembles: “A Night in the Tropics,” “American Riffs,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and most recently “The New American Songbook” featuring the Grammy Award-winning family vocal quintet The Steeles. On “Merry & Bright,” his annual program of fresh takes on holiday favorites, Lazarus is joined by vocalists, a children’s choir and an all-brass big band. 

A 2012 winner of Operalia and of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Janai Brugger’s recent season engagements include her highly successful role and Houston Grand Opera debut as she inaugurated the role of Mary Jane Bower in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence, winning accolades from audiences and critics alike.

JazzMN was founded in 1998 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit to promote and preserve an original American art form…Jazz.  And also to inspire and help foster the next generation of jazz musicians.  Following the model of the classical orchestra, JazzMN performs a broad range of jazz repertoire spanning classic and contemporary styles, including Swing, BeBop, Fusion, R&B, Latin, Rock, and even Rap genres.  This effort to program works from Classic to Contemporary ties with JazzMN’s efforts to present jazz as an American art form that crosses age and race barriers.

Born and raised in rural central Illinois, David Singley is a singer-songwriter-guitarist living in Saint Paul, Minnesota, whose music is born of the street, the country, and the academy. An experienced veteran with decades of backing world-class artists and performers, he has recently joined the "Great Resignation" and set his sights on his own artistic pursuits. His music evokes the golden era of the singer-songwriter — the late '60s and early-to-mid '70s — with its chameleonic stylistic twists and turns, as well as its memorable melodies and insightful, poetic lyrics. His music expresses a point of view that is at once highly personal and triumphantly global. His voice evokes traces of many of his influences: James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, and many others. His guitar playing is at once highly focused and passionate, impressive yet always absolutely appropriate to the song at hand.

Jazz pianist-composer Mary Louise Knutson has been called "one of the most exciting artists to happen to jazz piano in quite some time." Her warm, inviting tone, broad range of emotional expression, and distinctive compositions have brought her much recognition on the national music scene. Knutson performs, records, and tours with her group, the Mary Louise Knutson Trio, and freelances with area vocalists, notably Connie Evingson and Patty Peterson; and with a variety of instrumental groups including the JazzMN Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. From 2010–2018, Knutson toured with trumpeter Doc Severinsen, former bandleader for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; and has also performed with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves, Kevin Mahogany, Diane Schuur, Randy Brecker, Bobby Shew, Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard, Richie Cole, Ernie Watts, Delfeayo Marsalis, Mike Stern, Peter Erskine, and many more. Check out her music on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, or Amazon Music. www.MaryLouiseKnutson.com

Patrick has been dancing professionally since 2010. He has performed with Collide Theatrical, the Minnesota Opera, The Ordway, Black Label Movement, Zenon Dance Co as well as with Carnival Cruise Lines. In 2022 he had the pleasure to perform in The Queen’s Ball, the Bridgerton Experience produced by Netflix here in Minneapolis. Patrick has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra by way of Black Label Movement and he is excited to be surrounded by such wonderful musicians again.

Sarah Potvin is a theater performer and arts educator throughout the Twin Cities. Previous credits include Kiss Me, Kate (Artistry), The Seven Deadly Sins (Skylark Opera Theatre), Disney’s Frozen (Children’s Theatre Company), Romeo & Juliet, Broadway Dancin, C.L.U.E. (Collide Theatrical Dance), and A Chorus Line (Lyric Arts). She is a proud alumni of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Theatre and Dance program. When not performing herself, Sarah enjoys directing and choreographing at Maple Grove Senior High or spending time with her family and friends. 

Regina is a beloved twin-cities based actor. She performs at the Guthrie Theater and across the country. She is a Penumbra Theater company member, a Ten Thousand Things Board Member, and a former member of the Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness. The Minnesota Star Tribune named her Artist of the Year 2023.