Immerse yourself in an orchestral experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat as Thomas Søndergård conducts Stravinsky’s groundbreaking and radical ballet score The Rite of Spring. Lili Boulanger’s Of a Spring Morning brings a sweet, playful beginning to this program that truly puts th...

Long-time classical music enthusiast, writer and Minnesota Orchestra pre-concert discussion host Phillip Gainsley gives a survey of the history of Minnesota Orchestra music directors, guiding us through their contributions to the ensemble's iconic sound and achievements.

Minnesota Orchestra President & CEO Michelle Miller Burns introduces Thomas Søndergård, Minnesota Orchestra's next Music Director. On behalf of the musicians, Principal Bass Kristen Bruya gives Søndergård a warm welcome and Søndergård shares stories and his enthusiasm for his new role.

Lili Boulanger’s Of a Spring Morning invites us into a vivid scene, one buzzing with energy and excitement. Over the span of just a few minutes, her music paints shimmering colors and showcases delicate, beautiful growth, not unlike the first few moments of a fresh spring day.

Ravel’s simple and beautiful ballet score, based on five well-known French fairy tales, sounds like nothing so much as the innocent,
easily entranced mind of a child. It is often played as a short orchestral suite, but these performances feature the complete work as Ravel
originally wrote it.

Of this work—which drew jeers at its 1913 premiere—Stravinsky wrote: it “represents pagan Russia and is unified by a single idea: the
mystery and great surge of the creative power of Spring.” Vibrant sounds of nature set the scene for the story, an imagined pagan ritual in
which a sacrificial vir...