When he was first introduced as music director, Vänskä said he wanted to make the Minnesota Orchestra the best in the U.S. In his nearly two decades at the helm, he may have surpassed that goal.
Riggs, who went from childhood circus performer to satirist and founder of the Brave New Workshop, died Tuesday at age 88.
The Minnesota Orchestra’s summer festival opens Saturday at Orchestra Hall — with an updated Peavey Plaza just outside.
“Neutra” will be shown Friday at 4:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:10 p.m. at St. Anthony Main Theatre 3.
“Shoeless” Joe Jackson and seven teammates of the Chicago White Sox were accused of conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. They were acquitted, but barred from professional baseball for life.
Unofficially, she was also for many years the chief “idea person” at Orchestra Hall. It was she who conceived the notion of a summer festival devoted to the music and personalities of Vienna. The result was the orchestra’s popular Sommerfest.
The Minnesota Orchestra’s annual board meeting also offered a flurry of positive news — increased attendance, successful tours and a balanced budget.
Upon meeting Prince Husney thought, “Oh, my God, I’m in love. He was a raw, uncharted talent, an uncut diamond, freshly plucked from the music mines of Minneapolis.”
Julie Himmelstrup is a beloved figure in local musical circles. Her stepping down at the age of 81, while it cannot be called unexpected, is a sea change nonetheless.
Michael Christie, Minnesota Opera’s music director and chief conductor, presided in the pit. Mark Campbell, frequent Minnesota Opera collaborator, wrote the libretto.
“This opera arrives… at a time in this country when we’re all feeling very nervous, not unlike what the characters in this opera were feeling during the Great Depression.”
Marriner changed the sound of the Minnesota Orchestra, and through tours and recordings he raised its profile.
“The Dream of the Red Chamber,” a stunning production by the San Francisco Opera, premiered Sept. 10 with 170 Minnesotans — many of whom helped launch the project — in the audience.
“Opera is about three things: love, death and power,” said composer Paul Moravec. “‘The Shining’ has all those elements plus an incredibly well-made narrative and strong characters.”
“There are no real thrillers in opera,” said Rob Ainsley, the company’s head of music. “No one’s done this before.”
“For the first time in its history the SPCO will play in a concert hall that was designed for it and that is the right size for a chamber orchestra,” President Bruce Coppock said.
St. Louis Park native, Isbin will perform Tuesday at the Dakota Jazz Club, a double-bill with the Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo.
The loss of composer Stephen Paulus is being felt nationwide, but no more so than here.
On Sunday William Schrickel will conduct “Ode to the West Wind” 58 years after it was written. A week later, VocalEssence will perform “Seasons.”
Satire, for one reason or another, found an audience in a town where the prevailing view, at least among ubiquitous Lutherans, was that it’s not nice to poke fun at people.
