Osmo Vänskä announced plans today at the Minnesota Orchestra's annual meeting to conclude his tenure as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra in August 2022. The 2021-22 season, his final as music director, will mark his 19th year at the helm of the Minnesota Orchestra, capping what is widely considered one of the great musical partnerships in Minnesota Orchestra history. Beyond 2022, Mr. Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra will maintain their musical relationship, with Mr. Vänskä returning for ongoing concert engagements.
Mr. Vänskä became the Minnesota Orchestra's 10th music director in September 2003 and, as one Helsinki critic described, it quickly became evident that "Minnesota Orchestra fits Osmo Vänskä like a glove." Over the course of his tenure, Mr. Vänskä has consistently led the Minnesota Orchestra in performances of rare insight and virtuosity, whether in its acclaimed concerts at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, through its celebrated recording initiatives, or via its five international tours to Europe. In recent years, Mr. Vänskä has redefined traditional roles and approaches at the Minnesota Orchestra, embracing a new programming model that expands the leadership of musicians in artistic programming, and championing a new touring model-centered on musical diplomacy and exchanges-that has led to historic tours of Cuba and South Africa.
"I feel more than ever that the Minnesota Orchestra is my orchestra," said Mr. Vänskä. "As I've been thinking about how best to take care of the Orchestra's future, it has felt very natural to me that the end of my current contract is the right time for different leadership and new directions for both the Orchestra and for me. We have explored so much together, and I cannot begin to say what the Minnesota Orchestra and this community mean to me. The Orchestra musicians always give of themselves totally, and making music here is a great, deep joy. This is what we will continue to do over the next three seasons-and then I look forward to continuing our partnership in a different way."
In upcoming seasons, Mr. Vänskä and the Orchestra will complete their recorded cycle of Mahler symphonies for BIS; embark on signature local, national, and international touring projects; and undertake a 2021-22 season that celebrates Mr. Vänskä's impact in the community.
"Osmo Vänskä is a leader of great integrity," said Board Chair Marilyn Carlson Nelson. "His work ethic, his commitment to excellence, his humility and humanity have always aligned with the things we value most in our community, and that is why this is a partnership for the ages. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Osmo in new ways going forward."
Co-Principal Viola Richard Marshall said, "Osmo has found the heart and soul of the Minnesota Orchestra. Whether performing in a high school auditorium in Greater Minnesota or the Musikverein in Vienna, he gives the same commitment to his art and asks for excellence every time. I have been in the Orchestra for over 30 years, and the Orchestra today is the best it has ever been in my experience. Osmo has engraved his mark on the Minnesota Orchestra, and we are better musicians and people because of it."
In 2022, Mr. Vänskä will join founding Music Director Emil Oberhoffer and sixth Music Director Stanis?aw Skrowaczewski as the longest-tenured music directors in Minnesota Orchestra history; each led the ensemble for 19 seasons.
"Osmo has been shaping the Minnesota Orchestra for nearly two decades-its sound, musician membership, programming, visibility-and the result is an orchestra that is performing at the peak of excellence on international stages and with a profound commitment to its Minnesota community," said President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns. "This is a remarkable impact, and we look forward to celebrating it in the seasons ahead and then to developing a new relationship with Osmo in the years beyond 2022."
Mr. Vänskä and Concertmaster Erin Keefe, his wife, will continue to make their home in the Twin Cities. A committee has been formed by the Minnesota Orchestra to begin the search for his successor.
"When Osmo became music director he implored us to dig deep, work hard and make our dreams a reality," said Ellen Dinwiddie Smith, horn player and chair of the Musicians' Artistic Advisory Committee. "His belief in the Minnesota Orchestra sustained us and led us back to our place as one of the most productive and storied orchestras in the world. The recording cycles we've undertaken cement our names together in history. We are heartened that is this not goodbye and that we will continue to share the stage with him in years to come."
Milestones of Mr. Vänskä's Minnesota tenure include:
Osmo Vänskä also serves as honorary conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Lahti Symphony, which he led for two decades as music director. He was named 2005 "Conductor of the Year" by Musical America and is the subject of a 2009 biography Osmo Vänskä: Orchestra Builder by Michael Anthony. Additional awards and distinctions include honorary doctorates from the University of Glasgow and the University of Minnesota, a Champion of New Music Award from the American Composers Forum, and Columbia University's Ditson Award for Services to American Music.
About the Minnesota Orchestra
The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra ranks among America's top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world. It is known for award-winning recordings, as well as for notable educational engagement programs and a commitment to new orchestral repertoire. Founded as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble gave its inaugural performance on November 5, 1903, six weeks before the Wright brothers made their unprecedented airplane flight. The ensemble typically presents nearly 175 programs annually, primarily at its home venue of Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis. Its programs are heard nationally and internationally in award-winning broadcasts produced by Minnesota Public Radio. Previous Music Directors include Emil Oberhoffer (1903-1922), Henri Verbrugghen (1923-1931), Eugene Ormandy (1931-1936), Dimitri Mitropoulos (1937-1949), Antal Dorati (1949-1960), Stanislaw Skrowaczewski (1960-1979), Sir Neville Marriner (1979-1986), Edo de Waart (1986-1995), and Eiji Oue (1995-2002).
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