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The Minnesota Orchestra announced its 2023-24 season with new music director Thomas Søndergård, a Danish conductor and percussionist. 

He was previously the music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and will continue in this position concurrently with his position at the Minnesota Orchestra. He was appointed as the new music director for the Minnesota Orchestra in July 2022, succeeding Osmo Vänskä, who served in the position for almost two decades.

At a press event Tuesday morning, Søndergård explained his goals: “I want to be the music director for all generations,” he said. 

Søndergård especially focused on programming for children. “I will never forget when I was a child … there were four tickets to the theater that would tour through the city, and I was just looking forward to escape into that little world.”

“So I think it's important to give kids the absolute best possible quality that we can give them,” he said.

Programming for children includes Orchestra's Young People's Concerts, which will present five different programs intended for students in grades 1-6. 

The season also includes Relaxed Family Concerts, designed for audiences of all ages, including individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities.

The season will see a range of musicians and performances, including Yuja Wang and Yefim Bronfman playing Béla Bartók’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Fourth Piano Concerto,” respectively. 

The season also includes the Orchestra's first performance of James MacMillan’s Trombone Concerto and a Saxophone Concerto by Billy Childs commissioned by the Orchestra that explores Black experiences in America. 

A number of conductors will make their debut performances with the Orchestra, including Eun Sun Kim and Domingo Hindoyan. The Minnesota Chorale and Osmo Vänskä will also perform.

The season will end with a program in June 2024 featuring music by LGBTQ+ composers, including works by Karol Szymanowski and Dame Ethel Smyth.

“Being gay myself, this is really important to me,” Søndergård said. He explained that the event was inspired by a program in WorldPride in Copenhagen a few years ago, which was “a real success, people loved it.”

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Jacob Aloi

The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its 2023-24 season with new music director Thomas Søndergård. The upcoming season will include programming for children, spotlighting underrepresented composers and live accompaniment to movies.

Courtesy of Chris McDuffie

a group of musicians wearing black outfits

Composing a season: Underrepresented composers to be spotlighted at Minnesota Orchestra

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