The Minnesota Orchestra’s “Hear into the Future” concerts on October 13-19 include a Relaxed Family Concert, four Young People’s Concerts, a special performance at North Community High School, and a performance with the MMEA All-State Orchestra and U of M Symphony Orchestra, preceded by a community meal at Orchestra Hall.
The October performance calendar features a week of Hear into the Future concerts including: three newly-scheduled concerts and four Young People’s Concerts—October 13-19, celebrating musical connections with youth, students and community. Led by Music Director Osmo Vänskä, the week opens with a Relaxed Family Concert (Sunday, October 13) for audiences of all abilities; continues with four Young People’s Concerts for student groups (Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16); and brings the Orchestra to North Community High School (Friday, October 18) for a special performance featuring North High’s dance troupe, spoken word artists and other Northside artists. The week concludes at Orchestra Hall (Saturday, October 19) with a community meal and concert collaboration showcasing the next generation of orchestral musicians, featuring the Minnesota Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra and U of M Symphony Orchestra.
All public performances are offered on a “pay what you can” basis. More info is available at minnesotaorchestra.org and 612-371-5656.
A highlight of the October 18 and 19 concerts will be the world premiere performance of Aaron Dworkin’s The American Rhapsody, a multi-media work combining orchestral music and spoken word that weaves Afro-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Symphonic Variations on an African Air with the writings and speeches of George Washington, and Dworkin’s own poetic and prosaic interludes. Dworkin writes, “As a multi-racial American…I could find no better setting in which to tell our American story. This work brings together the words of a white Founding Father, the music composed by a Black man of the nation from which Washington fought to free us, based on a song sung by the slaves who Washington ultimately freed. I humbly pay tribute to our past and offer a sentiment towards our future with The American Rhapsody.” He will perform as the spoken word artist in these concerts.
Young People’s Concerts are the Minnesota Orchestra’s flagship education program, bringing students from across the metro and state to Orchestra Hall to experience live symphonic music—in many cases for the first time. The October 16 “Mozart the Adventurer” program will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube during its 11:30 a.m. performance, offering an opportunity for students and audiences anywhere to experience the concert. The program will remain available for free viewing through the end of November on Facebook, YouTube and minnesotaorchestra.org. For info on attending a Young People’s Concert, visit minnesotaorchestra.org/yp or call 612-371-5671.
The Hear into the Future week culminates in a vibrant program that brings together performances by student dancers, musicians and the Minnesota Orchestra, led by Osmo Vänskä. The North High School Dance Troupe will reprise their original work set to Jessie Montgomery’s high-energy Starburst, and Vänskä will lead the Orchestra Hall premiere of Aaron Dworkin’s The American Rhapsody. The Minnesota Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra—featuring talented high school music students from around the state—will perform alongside the Minnesota Orchestra in movements from Brahms’ Second Symphony and William Grant Still’s The American Scene. The U of M Symphony Orchestra will also perform alongside the Minnesota Orchestra, showcasing their interpretation of the second movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, Leningrad.
The concert is preceded by a community meal, beginning at 5 p.m., with Minnesota Orchestra musicians in the Orchestra Hall lobby. Seating for the community meal is limited and advance purchase is recommended; additionally, a concert ticket for that evening’s performance is required. Concert tickets: Pay what you can, suggested price $10. Community meal: $15 per ticket
Purchase tickets at minnesotaorchestra.org, or 612-371-5656 or 800-292-4141. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Orchestra Hall Box Office, 1111 Nicollet Mall (open M-F, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and beginning two hours before all ticketed performances); and at the Minnesota Orchestra Office, International Centre, 5th floor, 920 Second Ave S (open M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Info: minnesotaorchestra.org. All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.