Minnesota Orchestra and YourClassical MPR's broadcast partnership continues for the 2026-27 season. This page features a schedule of the upcoming concerts that you can hear on YourClassical MPR, and when possible, on-demand audio of the performance available for 30 days after the broadcast. Bookmark this page for updates throughout the season!
The world premiere of Stravinsky’s first ballet, The Firebird, made him famous overnight. For the Minnesota Orchestra’s season-opening celebrations, the creativity of video designer and director Tal Rosner adds thrilling dimension to Stravinsky’s luminous score. Also on the program, Van Cliburn Competition gold medalist Vadym Kholodenko’s technical brilliance will dazzle in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Listen to the concert now!
Program
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Vadym Kholodenko, piano *
Tal Rosner, video designer and director
JOHN STAFFORD SMITH ARR. STANISLAW SKROWACZEWSKI The Star-Spangled Banner
GEORGE WALKER Icarus in Orbit
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 *
Encore: SERGEI PROKOFIEV Gavotte from 10 Pieces Op. 12
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird
Meet YourClassical MPR's Melissa Ousley
Upcoming Broadcasts
This section will be updated on Sept. 28.
Minnesota Orchestra - Listening Project will be recorded to be post produced on another date.
When the Minnesota Orchestra launched its Listening Project in 2021, our goal was to present and record top-notch performances of music by underrepresented composers—in other words, to share music that many of us were not hearing. The project continues this season with Music Director Thomas Søndergård and soprano Janai Brugger.
‘Thomas Søndergård: Taken by the Sound’
Melissa Ousley joined Minnesota Orchestra music director Thomas Søndergård in his native Denmark in 2024 to explore some of the most important places in his life. Join them as they walk through his memories, musical and otherwise, in this documentary short.
‘Celebrating a Century on the Airwaves’
On most Friday nights, no matter where you are in the state — or in the world, for that matter — you can look forward to tuning into YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio to hear a live concert. From a radio debut in 1923 under Bruno Walter to television transmissions in the 1950s and the ensemble’s unprecedented international broadcast from Havana in 2015, the orchestra has always been on the forefront of finding new ways to connect audiences with music.
Reflecting on 100 years of radio broadcast history, MPR host Melissa Ousley sat down with historian John Michel, technical director Michael Osborne and former broadcast host and current orchestra staffer Brian Newhouse for a spirited retelling of this vital history.
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment‘s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
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