Poster Thomas Sondergard
Danish conductor and percussionist Thomas Søndergård, who was appointed as the Orchestra's 11th music director in July 2022, has unveiled his debut season schedule featuring a range of contemporary and mainstream repertoire, including collaborations with renowned soloists and LGBTQ+ composers.
Courtesy of Chris McDuffie
Performance Today®

Thomas Sondergard

Thomas Sondergard first conducted the Minnesota Orchestra in December 2021, immediately establishing a rapport with musicians and audiences. He was appointed as the Orchestra's 11th music director in July 2022. One of the highlights of his first season was a series of concerts featuring music by LGBTQ+ composers. Learn (and hear) more about Thomas Sondergard on this episode of Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Joaquin Turina: Circulo Op. 91 Movement 1 Amanecer (Dawn)
Lincoln Trio
Album: Turina: Chamber Music For Strings And Piano
Cedille 1450

Daniel Freiberg: Latin American Chronicles, Movement 3: Influencias
Salvador Flores, soprano saxophone | U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" | Captain Bonnie Alger, conductor
U.S. Army Band - Pershing's Own, U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.

Alexander Glazunov: String Quintet in A-major, Op. 39
Aaron Boyd, Jennifer Frautschi, violins | Paul Neubauer, viola | Nicholas Canellakis, Inbal Segev, cellos
Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute, Spieker Center for the Arts, Atherton, CA

Joaquin Turina: La Oracion del Torero, Op.34 (The Bullfighter's Prayer)
Cuarteto Latinoamericano | Aron Bitran, conductor
The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, Palm Beach, FL

Hour 2

Steven Banks: Come As You Are: Movement 3 Strength of My Life
Steven Banks, saxophone | Lara Downes, piano
Album: Settle: Migration Music Part 3
Rising Sun 015

Bela Bartok: Viola Concerto: Movements 3-4
Jordan Bak, viola | Sphinx Symphony Orchestra | Roderick Cox, conductor
Sphinx Organization, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, Detroit, MI

Steven Banks: As I Am
Steven Banks, baritone saxophone | Pedja Muzijevic, piano
Spoleto Festival USA Bank of America Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto No. 23 in A major for Piano and Orchestra, K. 488
Ingrid Fliter, piano | Minnesota Orchestra | Thomas Sondergard, conductor
Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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