“SYMPHONY IN 60” PROGRAM FEATURES STRAVINSKY’S RITE OF SPRING

Osmo Vänskä conducts the Orchestra on Thursday, March 30, with a one-hour program about Stravinsky’s groundbreaking work, The Rite of Spring

Optional activities are offered before and after “Symphony in 60” concerts, including a pre-concert happy hour at Orchestra Hall and an onstage gathering with Orchestra musicians immediately after the concert

On March 30, the Minnesota Orchestra’s “Symphony in 60” series—featuring classical concerts in a one-hour format, bookended by optional pre- and post-concert social activities—presents a program centered around Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Conducted by Music Director Osmo Vänskä, the concert begins with commentary from Orchestra violist Sam Bergman, who will provide stories, musical demonstrations and guideposts for Stravinsky’s groundbreaking work prior to the Orchestra’s performance of the complete piece. Please note that there is no intermission in this 60-minute concert and that the program features a combination of conversation and musical performance.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with an optional happy hour at Orchestra Hall, which offers 50% off all beverages at lobby bars pre-concert. The concert program runs from approximately 8 to 9 p.m., with no intermission, and is followed immediately by a gathering in which audience members are welcomed onstage to meet and greet Minnesota Orchestra musicians.

The concert is performed at the Orchestra’s home venue in downtown Minneapolis, Orchestra Hall, on Thursday, March 30, 2017, at 8 p.m., with ticket prices at $30 for adults, and $12 for children ages 6 to 17 and students with valid ID. Tickets are available online at minnesotaorchestra.org and by phone at 612-371-5656. For further purchasing details, refer to the section at the conclusion of this press release.

Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, the Minnesota Orchestra’s tenth music director, is renowned internationally for his compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires. In addition to the Orchestra’s May 2015 tour to Cuba, he has led the Orchestra on five major European tours, the most recent of which took place in August 2016, as well as regular tours to communities across Minnesota. His recording projects with the Minnesota Orchestra have also met with great success, including the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for their recording of Sibelius’ First and Fourth Symphonies on the BIS Records label. The final disc in the series was released in the United States in September 2016. Earlier this year, BIS released the newest Vänskä-Orchestra album, which features in-concert recordings of Sibelius’ Kullervo and Finlandia, and Kortekangas’ Migrations. As a guest conductor Vänskä has led all the major American and European orchestras. For more information, visit minnesotaorchestra.org.

Sam Bergman, host

Sam Bergman joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2000. In addition to performing as violist, he serves as host and writer for the Orchestra’s Inside the Classics concert series, and also hosts the Orchestra’s Symphonic Adventures programs for high school audiences. In recent years he has performed as a guest or substitute musician with ensembles including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. He has performed works in many Minnesota Orchestra chamber music concerts, most recently Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 in January 2017. He has written frequently for the Orchestra’s website, including a series of posts about the historic Cuba tour in May 2015. More: minnesotaorchestra.org.

Symphony in 60
STRAVINSKY’S RITE OF SPRING

Thursday, March 30, 2017, 8 p.m. / Orchestra Hall

Minnesota Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Sam Bergman, host

STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring

Tickets: $30; $12 for children ages 6 to 17 and students with valid ID.

OH+ Events
Free Samples from our Pint of Music partner, Summit Brewing Company, will be available, while supplies last, in the lobby from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Pre-Concert Happy Hour: All beverages will be 50% off at lobby bars from 6 p.m. to 7:50 p.m.

For more information on this and other OH+ Events: minnesotaorchestra.org/ohplus.

TICKET PURCHASING INFORMATION

Subscription packages and individual tickets can be purchased online at minnesotaorchestra.org, or by calling 612-371-5656 (612-371-5642 for subscriptions) or 800-292-4141. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Orchestra Hall Box Office, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and beginning two hours before all ticketed performances); and at the Minnesota Orchestra Administrative Office, International Center, 5th floor, 920 Second Avenue South, Minneapolis (open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). For more information, call 612-371-5656, or visit minnesotaorchestra.org. For subscriptions, call 612-371-5642 or visit minnesotaorchestra.org/subscribe. For groups of 10 or more, call 612-371-5662.

All programs, artists, dates, times and prices subject to change.

The Star Tribune is the Minnesota Orchestra’s media partner for the 2016-17 season.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.