CONCERTS

MPO's 2021-22 Season: Illuminations
Colors and shades. Darkness and Light. Prisms and rainbows. Our 2021-22 season is a spectrum of sounds that calls us to see and hear our world in new ways.
The sonnets, serenades and symphonies of Coleridge-Taylor, Elgar and Dvořák display the shared influence and storytelling prowess of three turn of the century contemporaries. Beethoven’s “Pastoral” symphony explores an inner world of feelings inspired by life in the Austrian countryside, and Still’s fifth symphony is a musical epic wherein “the lands of the Western Hemisphere are raised from the bosom of the Atlantic.” Michael Abel’s Global Warming sets a vast, futuristic desert against a lush interplay of global musical traditions. Mary Kouyoumdjian and soloist Jeff Anderle join us for the world premier of a new concerto for bass clarinet. Finally, Florence Price’s fourth symphony weaves spirituals, dances, hymns and symphonic drama together in a lush, complex and captivating symphony that only she could have penned.
We are so excited to return to the concert hall, to see you there, and to share this transformative music with you.
Waves
Saturday, November 13, 2021
7:30pm @ Sundin Music Hall
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Petite Suite de Concert
Edward Elgar: Serenade for Strings
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”
Luminous and lyrical melodies flow one upon another in the works of three turn of the century contemporaries. Circling around these melodies are the lush colors of Elgar’s serenade, the unfettered playfulness of Coleridge-Taylor’s suite, and the drama of Dvořák’s monumental symphony “From the New World.”
Rainbows – Children’s Concert
Sunday, November 14, 2021 – Time, location and repertoire TBD
Saturday, March 19, 2022
7:30pm @ O’Shaughnessy Auditorium
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale”
William Grant Still: Symphony No. 5 “The Western Hemisphere”
Across an ocean and a century, the symphonies of Beethoven and Still connect our inner worlds with the natural wonders of the world around us. Where bucolic brooks and stormy skies reflect feelings of tranquility and fear in Beethoven’s “Pastoral” symphony, Still’s is a kind of musical creation story, wherein “the lands of the Western Hemisphere are raised from the bosom of the Atlantic.”
Prisms
Saturday, June 4, 2022
7:30pm @ O’Shaughnessy Auditorium
Michael Abels: Global Warming
Mary Kouyoumdjian: Clarinet Concerto [WORLD PREMIER]
featuring Jeff Anderle
Florence Price: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor
A stunning panoply of musical traditions and compositional voices closes the 2021-22 season. Abels’ Global Warming paints a vast futuristic desert next to a joyful dance of interwoven musical traditions. Price’s fourth symphony sings echoes of spirituals, antebellum dances and organ hymns together with lush harmonies and orchestral colors that only she can achieve. And our world premier of a new clarinet concerto by Mary Kouyoumdjian, featuring soloist Jeff Anderle, brings one of the 21st century’s most distinctive compositional voices to Minnesota.
Lake Harriet and QMC Concerts
Dates TBD – June 2022
Repertoire TBD

Journey North Opera Company
Missy Mazzoli - Proving Up
Journey North Opera Company’s production of Proving Up has been postponed until 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit journeynorthopera.com to learn more about our company.
RECENT CONCERTS
MPO's 2020-21 Season: Second Spring
Watch the full season on the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra’s YouTube channel
What connects us? How do we experience grief, resilience, acceptance and hope at a time when we’re held at a distance from others? What will it feel like to return, to play joyfully and without fear, to shake hands with our neighbors? The musical journey of our 2020-21 season invites us to encounter those questions together, to share the answers we imagine, and to be fortified by our connection with each other. This season we are proud to share a kaleidoscopic diversity of chamber music by living composers, composers from underrepresented populations and composers you may already know and love. We are excited to share the unexpected intimacy of virtual performances with you, and we are grateful for your welcoming us into your homes.
Visit mnphil.org for more information, including links to our free virtual concerts.
Beginnings: Season Opener Pop-up Concert
November 21 @ 7pm
Astor Piazzolla – “Cafe” 1930 from Histoire du Tango
Heitor Villa-Lobos – Prelude No. 1
Variations
December 19 @ 7pm
Dušan Bogdanović – Jazz Sonata: 1
Heitor Villa Lobos – Choros No. 2
Johann Sebastian Bach – Partita No. 2 in d minor, Sarabande
Libby Larsen – Jazz Variations for solo bassoon
Anthony R. Green – Chorale for Phillis, Harriet, and Mum Bett
Claude Bolling – Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio
Eric Ewazen: Winter Pop-up Concert
February 27 @ 7pm
Eric Ewazen – Trio for Horn, Violin and Piano
Invocations
April 10 @ 7pm
Anthony R. Green – Catto’s Courage
William Grant Still – Incantation and Dance
Lillian Fuchs – Selections from Twelve Caprices for Viola
Ralph Vaughan Williams – Selections from Along the Fields
Ryan Brown – The Light By Which She May Have Ascended
Jean Sibelius – Andante Festivo
Bartók in the Bronx: Spring Pop-up Concert
May 15 @ 7pm
Violet Archer – Three Duets
Bela Bartók – Selections from 44 Duos for Two Violins
Transformations
May 22 @7pm
William Grant Still (arr. Lesnick) – I Ride an Old Paint
Paul Bonneau – Caprice en Forme de Valse
Amy Beach – Pastorale for Wind Quintet
Missy Mazzoli – Kinski Paganini
Jonathan Russell – In the Fir Trees: Fireflies
Sahba Aminikia – House of Circus [WORLD PREMIER]
The thirteen-piece chamber orchestra, led by Brian Dowdy, had palpable ensemble energy on opening night. Dowdy creates a sensitive environment for the singers to shine
Kristen Moore
Schmopera
