Minnesota Orchestra's Artistic Leader to Conduct First Family Concert: Recalling Musicians' Early Love for Music

On Sunday, January 7, Thomas Søndergård will conduct his first family concert as the Minnesota Orchestra's artistic leader. This is an unusual task for a music director, especially in their first season. Søndergård aims to cater to all age groups. He will be reminded of the moment each musician discovered their love for music, a sentiment he once experienced.

Violinist Hanna Landrum, from Frontenac, Minnesota, remembers her first musical experience at Orchestra Hall. She attended a concert featuring young violinist Hilary Hahn when she was 6 or 7. Landrum, who had just started violin lessons, was impressed by Hahn's performance. After the concert, she got Hahn's autograph on her Minnesota Orchestra program. Hahn's advice to keep practicing was beneficial for Landrum.

Sam Bergman, a viola player, began his musical journey with the violin. His second violin teacher was Marylou Speaker Churchill, the principal second violin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. At 9, Bergman spent a week at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony's summer home in the Berkshire mountains. This experience, which included backstage access, daily violin lessons, and interactions with the BSO players, made him consider a career in music.

Cellist Sonia Mantell’s early musical influence was a VHS tape of the opera Where the Wild Things Are, composed by Oliver Knussen. The opera, based on Maurice Sendak's children's book, introduced Mantell to the emotional and atmospheric power of music. She later met the composer during her undergraduate studies, a moment she values.

Timpanist Erich Rieppel's interest in music developed later in life. As a child, his father would lift him and fly him around the living room while singing the “Ride of the Valkyries” theme. It was only years later that Rieppel recognized the tune was from Richard Wagner's Ring cycle. For Søndergård, his first exposure to classical music was at Copenhagen’s Royal Theatre, where he saw the ballet Coppélia with music by Leo Delibes. The experience had a significant impact on him. The January 7 concert, Classics with Thomas Søndergård, is expected to be a significant event, with limited tickets remaining.

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