In Friday’s (9/16) Star Tribune (Minneapolis), Graydon Royce writes, “George Linkert couldn’t get to sleep Wednesday night, he was so keyed up about playing with the Minnesota Orchestra. ‘I’ve always imagined I would come to a concert at Orchestra Hall and they would announce from the stage that their trombone player can’t perform, and can anyone in the audience play the trombone,’ Linkert said Thursday morning. Linkert, of Mound, was one of 53 musicians whose fantasies came true Thursday as they rehearsed alongside the professionals of the Minnesota Orchestra. They return Friday morning for another run-through, and then they will perform Alexander Borodin’s ‘Polovtsian Dances’ Friday night in front of 2,400 patrons, as part of a program that will sample the upcoming season at Orchestra Hall. … The happy campers were chosen from 92 applicants who responded to the orchestra’s announcement last spring. The list was winnowed on several criteria: how many players were needed in certain sections, level of experience, work with ensembles and a written essay.” Thursday morning, conductor Sarah Hicks, “dug in on certain sections, demanding better performances, which Williams said helped the campers feel more a part of the ensemble. ‘It’s important to foster connections to the orchestra,’ Hicks said during a break. ‘We aren’t this big, scary monolithic thing. We’re real people.’ ”
Posted September 16, 2011
