Music Director Thomas Søndergård Makes His Mark at Minnesota Orchestra

In Tuesday’s (1/21) New York Times, David Allen writes, “Visitors stepping into Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on a recent, frigid Saturday were greeted with a roaring fireplace and Scandi furniture … The occasion was the Minnesota Orchestra’s first Nordic Soundscapes Festival. The inspiration was Thomas Søndergård, the Danish conductor in his second season as music director. Scandinavian themes are nothing new in Minneapolis, which was partly built on immigration from that region, or at this ensemble. Its audiences were known to fly Finnish flags in honor of Osmo Vänskä, [whose] tenure as music director ended in 2022. But Sondergard, 55, is slowly making his influence felt on everything from what the orchestra plays to the interior design of its spaces…. The festival’s repertoire was notably broad: Loosely centered on the Danish composer Carl Nielsen, it made room for overlooked composers as well as important contemporary scores.” Composers included Elfrida Andrée, Bent Sorensen, Outi Tarkiainen, and Sibelius. “Søndergård has shown a flair for programming, pairing Ravel with Adès in a series of concerts, and celebrating Pride with Ethel Smyth, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky … (He married the baritone Andreas Landin just before his appointment in Minnesota was announced.) In May, he will lead Puccini’s ‘Turandot’ … He has thrown himself into community engagement.”