Minnesota Orchestra announces summer concert programs, increased audience capacity

The Minnesota Orchestra announced on Tuesday its concert programming for July and August this year, as well as updates to Orchestra Hall’s audience capacity and safety protocols and changes to livestream concert options.

The Orchestra’s summer season will include four unique programs, each performed at least twice, featuring Jon Kimura Parker as piano soloist and guest conductors Dima Slobodeniouk, Ken-David Masur, Nathalie Stutzmann and Karina Canellakis on the podium throughout July and August, according to a release. The Orchestra also plans to return to the repertoire for large-scale, full-size ensembles.

"This summer, we celebrate the joy of returning to Orchestra Hall with audience members in the house," said Jon Kimura Parker, the Orchestra’s Creative Partner for Summer Programming and guest piano soloist. "Music is filled with emotion, excitement, nostalgia, comfort, and humanity. Together, we will celebrate the summer, and we will celebrate coming together and making music for YOU!"

June concerts will maintain safety measures the Orchestra outlined last month when tickets first became available, due to audiences having made ticket purchases with the protocols in mind.

"We are so pleased that progress in the pandemic and the revised State safety guidelines are making it possible for the Orchestra to connect with a significantly larger in-person audience this summer than we had previously thought would be possible," said President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns.

"In light of this shift, we are recalibrating the Orchestra’s summer concert plans to focus our energies around welcoming back audiences to Orchestra Hall. We will present one of those concerts as a livestream and TPT broadcast, rather than all four programs as we had previously announced. We’ll use this breathing room in the livestream schedule to build out plans and infrastructure for the fall, when we will be back with an updated This Is Minnesota Orchestra livestream and broadcast schedule, which will supplement our regular concert calendar."

For more information on current safety protocols and other important updates, click here.