Education Week 2024

Why do we make music? That question can be pushed aside all too easily in the midst of weekly rehearsals and concerts. But in April 2024, the Orchestra and Music Director Thomas Søndergård spent a week collaborating with students and educators. Revive your belief in the power of music by watching the video below, which reflects on this spectacular week.

Our educational initiatives are our North Star. In fact, our longest-running community program is our Young People’s Concert series, which has brought hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren to hear the Orchestra since 1911. But with Søndergård leading the charge, we decided to try something new, offering our first side-by-side rehearsal and performance experience with music educators.

A total of 54 educators from 37 Minnesota cities took the stage for rehearsals of the Jupiter movement from Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Standing ovations followed each performance, as audiences applauded the value of the educators’ work in enriching the lives of their students.

Earlier in the week, the Orchestra shared in another side-by-side rehearsal with members of both the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and Minnesota Youth Symphonies, bringing the stage to absolute capacity to the delight of students and Søndergård alike. The ensemble also traveled up the road for a Symphonic Adventures concert in the auditorium of Roseville Area High School, performing for 700 students.