Celebrate 50 Years of Orchestra Hall and Roaring Twenties Centennial at Summer Festival 2024

The summer festival at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis is scheduled to honor the artistic contributions of the 1920s, coinciding with the centennial of the Roaring Twenties. The event will also mark the 50th anniversary of Orchestra Hall, showcasing music performed during its inaugural season in 1974-75. The Day of Music, an annual event, will include backstage tours and family activities. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker will curate the festival and perform as a soloist.

The festival will introduce conductors making their debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, including Norman Huynh, Delyana Lazarova, Stephanie Childress, and Lina González-Granados. The event will focus on the Roaring Twenties, featuring works by jazz-inspired composers Ravel and Gershwin.

Free outdoor concerts will take place from July 8 to 13 in the Twin Cities metro area and beyond, as part of the Symphony for the Cities initiative. The following week, Delyana Lazarova will conduct concerts featuring Orchestra violinist Natsuki Kumagai.

The Day of Music will take place on July 27, showcasing local musicians, dancers, and visual artists. It will also include a family concert and a performance by the ensemble. Both concerts will include Igor Stravinsky’s Infernal Dance from The Firebird, a piece performed at the first concerts at Orchestra Hall in 1974.

The Roaring Twenties theme will be highlighted on July 26, with Stephanie Childress and the Orchestra performing jazz-inspired works. On August 2, Lina González-Granados will conduct George Gershwin's Concerto in F. The festival will end with a presentation of the 1951 film An American in Paris, featuring Gershwin's music.

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