Dessa shares her final reflections on the Minnesota Orchestra's historic tour of South Africa, exploring the nuances of what Kevin Smith, the orchestra's former president, calls "musical diplomacy."


Navigating Joburg: Thoughts on music, race and culture on the last day of the Minnesota Orchestra's South African tour

Saturday marked the final night of the Minnesota Orchestra's tour of South Africa. Dessa captured moments from the ensemble's last performance in Johannesburg.


Day 11 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra plays final night of tour

Friday was a big night for the Minnesota Orchestra players -- maybe the most significant concert of the five they had planned in South Africa -- as they played at the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto. Dessa was there to capture the scene.


Day 10 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra has its biggest night yet in Soweto

After a day of coaching students, the Minnesota Orchestra performed to an excited crowd in Pretoria on Thursday. Dessa captured the scene in photos and videos.


Day 9 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra performs in Pretoria and reflects on impact

A week into its South African itinerary, the Minnesota Orchestra has performed two official concerts. But the musicians have spent many more hours on cultural exchange trips, performing for students at township schools, rehearsing with young players and playing a free show at an outdoor pavilion. Dessa reflects on it all in this special essay.


Taking our breath away: Excellence at altitude with the Minnesota Orchestra

Cultural exchange programming can be tricky business. Wednesday, however, felt like a win for the Minnesota Orchestra -- at least to Dessa. The orchestra rehearsed and ate dinner alongside student musicians from Pretoria, South Africa. Here are a few clips taken during and after the rehearsal.


Day 8 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra rehearses with student musicians

With the Minnesota Chorale and South African choristers set for a serious multilingual rehearsal, Dessa took the time Tuesday to learn the distinctive clicking sounds of regional languages -- from the back seat of an Uber ride, of course. Watch her video.


Day 7 in South Africa: A new language is only a few clicks away for Dessa

On Monday, the Minnesota Orchestra enjoyed a rare day off in South Africa. But Dessa found fun in the musicians' hilarious landing ritual and an unusual interruption to the brass quintet's performance.


Day 6 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra's brass quintet presses on amid challenges

The Minnesota Orchestra performed Sunday in Durban before heading to Johannesburg as part of its South Africa tour. Dessa captured the scene in words, pictures and videos on social media. Check out some of the reactions from locals.


Day 5 in South Africa: Minnesota Orchestra performs in Durban

On Saturday, Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra said goodbye to Cape Town and moved on to the next stop on their South Africa tour, Durban. Here are some of her highlights and keen observations from the day on social media.


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