St. Olaf celebrates 150 years with concerts at Orchestra Hall in April
In honor of its 150th anniversary, St. Olaf College will host an unforgettable two-day musical event at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. This celebration — the St. Olaf Music Festival: Honoring 150 Years — will feature two concerts. The first will showcase the talents of the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Jazz Band on Friday, April 18, and the second will showcase the talents of the St. Olaf Choir and St. Olaf Orchestra on Saturday, April 19.
“The St. Olaf Orchestra is excited to perform at the beautiful Orchestra Hall,” says Chung Park, conductor of the St. Olaf Orchestra. “The orchestra will look back upon the college’s Norwegian heritage with works by Svendsen and Grieg, while also celebrating America’s cultural treasures in the music of Ellington and Gershwin.”
The festival will showcase a diverse repertoire spanning classical masterpieces, jazz standards, and modern compositions. Audiences can expect performances of works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, Moses G. Hogan Jr., and George Gershwin, among others. Both concerts will also feature a pre-concert Q&A session with the conductors hosted by Brian Newhouse, former managing director of classical programming for Minnesota Public Radio. These sessions will take place one hour before the concert and will cover the concert repertoire, St. Olaf College music program, and more. They are open to all audience members.
“The St. Olaf Jazz I program celebrates the timeless genius of Duke Ellington, a pioneer whose mastery of swing, ballads, and innovative compositions redefined the landscape of jazz,” says Jefferson. “In the same spirit, St. Olaf College has cultivated its own legacy over the past 150 years, keeping a tradition of musical excellence and artistic collaboration, where creativity and innovation continue to flourish.”
Tickets for the St. Olaf Music Festival are now on sale and can be purchased online at the Minnesota Orchestra website. The concerts will take place on April 18 at 7:30 p.m. and April 19 at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $24 to $55 and are free for students of all ages. Following each concert, attendees will have the opportunity to join a social hour and meet the conductors in the lobby of Orchestra Hall.