Transformations
2026-05-08 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Hopkins High School, 2400 Royals Drive, Hopkins, MN, 55305, United States
Experience the language of the soul. This season’s finale celebrates the endurance of the human spirit through a journey of profound reflection and transformation.

Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2

Allegro maestoso

Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn

Valerie Coleman: Umoja

Free, no ticket required.Donations gratefully accepted.

WSO Program May 2026 050426Download

Journey and Belonging
2026-03-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Hopkins High School, 2400 Royals Drive, Hopkins, MN, 55305, United States
Embark on a musical journey from adventure, to the sweeping landscapes of America and the heart of the Czech homeland. The WSO welcomes back trumpeter Charles Lazarus (Minnesota Orchestra) for this exciting program.

Hector Berlioz: Le Carnaval Romain

Steve Heitzeg: American Nomad

Avenue of the Americas (For Those Without A Home)

Little Hymn to the Fields

Trip (Where the Chords Have No Name)

Charles Lazarus, Trumpet

Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88

Free, no ticket required.Donations gratefully accepted.

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From Stage to Screen
2026-01-18 15:00 - 17:00 | Hopkins High School, 2400 Royals Drive, Hopkins, MN, 55305, United States
Join the WSO for an afternoon of music composed for the stage and screen, capped off with a tribute to legendary film composer John Williams.

Giacchino Rossini: William Tell OvertureLudwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Movement IICamille Saint-Saëns: Danse MacabrePietro Mascagni: Cavalleria rusticana: IntermezzoLeonard Bernstein, arr. Mason: West Side Story: SelectionsJohn Williams, arr. Lavender: Tribute to John Williams

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Free, no ticket required

Donations gratefully accepted.

Spirit and Renewal
2025-11-09 15:00 - 17:00 | Eisenhower Community Cente, 1001 Highway 7, Hopkins, MN, 55305, United States
From start to finish, you will feel the energy and anticipation build, featuring the music of Farrenc, Copland, and Schumann.

Louise Farrenc:Overture No. 2 in E-flat Major, op. 24

Aaron Copland:Appalachian Spring Suite

Robert Schumann:Symphony No. 4 in D Minor (1851 version)

Free, no ticket required.Donations gratefully accepted.

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Drama, Satire, and Soul
2025-10-05 15:00 - 17:00 | Hopkins High School, 2400 Royals Drive, Hopkins, MN, 55305, United States
The season opens with a program featuring the music of Russian composers Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff.

Guest Artist: Fanya Lin, piano

A top prizewinner of the Hastings, France-Amériques, New York, and Seattle International Piano Competitions.

Keehun Nam, Music Director

Piotyr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Waltz and Polonaise from Eugene Onegin

Sergei Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kijé Suite

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor

Free, no ticket required.Donations gratefully accepted.

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Mystical Legends
2025-04-27 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
The WSO Presents: MYSTICAL LEGENDS
Hannah Schendel, Music Director
Gao Hong, Pipa

Alexander Borodin: Overture to Prince Igor

Gao Hong: Flying Dragon Concerto
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade

Eisenhower Community Center
1001 Highway 7
Hopkins, MN 55305

Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Thank you to the Plymouth Rotary Club for sponsoring this event!

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Brahms Requiem Benson Great Hall
2025-03-02 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
Gerard Sundberg, Baritone
Emma Davis, Soprano
The WSO Presents:
BRAHMS REQUIEM at Benson Great Hall
at Bethel University
Guest Collaborators:
Two Rivers Chorale and The Edina Chorale

Guest Soloists:
Emma Davis, Soprano
Gerard Sundberg, Baritone
Hannah Schendel, Music Director
Joshua Bauder: Arise
(World Premiere)
Timothy Sawyer, Conductor
Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste
(Of a Sorrowful Evening)
Hannah Schendel, Conductor
Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
(A German Requiem)
(Sung in German)
Hannah Schendel, Conductor

Benson Great Hall at Bethel University
3900 Bethel Drive
Arden Hills, MN 55112

Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
This performance will also be performed on Friday, February 28 at Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie

Brahms Requiem at Wooddale Church Eden Prairie
2025-02-28 19:30 - 21:00 | MN
Gerard Sundberg, Baritone
Emma Davis, Soprano
The WSO Presents:
BRAHMS REQUIEM at Wooddale Church Eden Prairie
Guest Collaborators:
Two Rivers Chorale and The Edina Chorale

Guest Soloists:
Emma Davis, Soprano
Gerard Sundberg, Baritone
Hannah Schendel, Music Director
Joshua Bauder: Arise
(World Premiere)
Timothy Sawyer, Conductor
Lili Boulanger: D’un soir triste
(Of a Sorrowful Evening)
Hannah Schendel, Conductor
Johannes Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem
(A German Requiem)
(Sung in German)
Hannah Schendel, Conductor

Wooddale Church
6630 Shady Oak Road
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
This concert will also be performed on Sunday, March 2 at Benson Great Hall at Bethel University.

Scandinavian Express
2025-01-19 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
The WSO Presents: SCANDINAVIAN EXPRESS

National Anthem (to be determined)

Elfrida Andrée: Concert Overture in D Major

Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite

Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1

Hopkins High School
2400 Royals Drive
Hopkins, MN 55305
Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Be sure to wear your Scandinavian sweater for this warm performance on a cold day!

Star Crossed Lovers
2024-11-17 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
The WSO Presents: STAR-CROSSED LOVERS
Hannah Schendel, Music Director
Soloist: WSO Concert Competition Winner, Kelly Grill, Marimba

Richard Wagner: Prelude to Die Meistersinger

Emmanuel Séjourné: Concerto for Marimba and Strings
Kelly Grill, Marimba

Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet Suite No. 2

Eisenhower Community Center
1001 Highway 7
Hopkins, MN 55305

Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.

Viaggio in Italy
2024-10-06 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
The WSO Presents: Viaggio in Italy
Hannah Schendel, Music Director
Guest Artist: Cassie Pilgrim, Principal Oboe, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Giuseppe Verdi: Overture to Luisa Miller

Alessandro Besozzi: Oboe Concerto in G Major
Cassie Pilgrim, Oboe

Ottorino Respighi: Trittico Botticelliano

Ottorino Respighi: Fontane di Roma

Hopkins High School
2400 Royals Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305

Free, no ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Cassie Pilgrim’s performance is sponsored by Midwest Musical Imports.

Scottish Fantasy
2023-03-05 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
Richard Haglund, Guest Conductor
Ariana Kim, Violin
MENDELSSOHN: Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op. 26 (Hebrides)
BARBER: Essay No. 1, Op. 12 (1937)
BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46 for Violin and Orchestra
Ariana Kim, Violin
ARNOLD: Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59 (1957)
Richard Haglund is the founder and Music Director of the Erato Chamber Orchestra in Chicago. As a guest conductor, Haglund has led professional ensembles across the country and around the globe. These include the Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Cluj, Romania, the St. Petersburg Hermitage Orchestra in Russia, the Varna Philharmonic and Gabrovo Chamber Orchestra in Bulgaria, Capella Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia and the National Symphony of Moldova in Chişinău. A native of Minnesota, Haglund holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Bard College Conservatory of Music. He is often in demand as a guest conductor, performer and clinician.
Noted by The New York Times for giving “the proceedings an invaluable central thread of integrity and stylishness,” violinist Ariana Kim made her New York recital debut at Carnegie’s Weill Hall during her graduate doctoral studies at Juilliard and is now a tenured a professor at Cornell University. At 16, Ariana made her debut with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and at 24 was appointed acting concertmaster of the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans; she has since become one of the most respected artists of her generation. As a violinist of the Aizuri Quartet she was awarded the 2017 Osaka International Competition Grand Prize, the 2018 M-Prize, and earned a 2019 GRAMMY nomination for the album Blueprinting. During her tenure, the ensemble served as a Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and presented recitals at Suntory Hall Tokyo, the University of Toronto, the Caramoor Center, National Sawdust, Princeton University, and the Kennedy Center. Recently having returned from a sabbatical year in South Korea, Ariana spent seven months studying the gayageum (an ancient zither-style instrument), performing throughout the country, and serving as a guest professor at Seoul National University. Equally devoted to contemporary and traditional literature, Ariana recently completed a 10-year position with the experimental music septet Ne(x)tworks, and is currently in her 15th season with The Knights. She was appointed co-artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota and Paesaggi Musicali Toscani in Siena, Italy in 2019. Her upcoming solo album – exploring improvisation through the lens of Mozart and Beethoven sonatas alongside world folk music – is set for release in the fall of 2023.
Free, no ticket required. Donations gratefully accepted.
Join us for a reception to meet the musicians following the concert.

Rococo Variations
2022-11-20 14:00 - 17:00 | MN
Dennis Friesen-Carper, Guest Conductor
Ava Lambert, Cello
NOTE!
Pre-Concert Discussion at 2:00
Concert at 3:00
MOZART: Overture to Escape from the Seraglio
TCHAIKOVSKY: Rococo Variations
Ava Lambert, Cello
ELGAR: Enigma Variations
MIRANDA/arr. Brown, Friesen-Carper: “The Club” from In the Heights
Dennis Friesen-Carper has performed and had his music performed across Europe, North America, and Asia. Former Music Director of the Pasadena Philharmonic Orchestra and Indiana Opera North, his recent conducting appearances include the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra, the St. Olaf College Philharmonia, Shanghai University Symphony, and a recording of violin showpieces with the Polish Radio Symphony of Warsaw. In July, National Public Radio’s Performance Today featured his performance with pipa virtuoso/composer Gao Hong. In December 2022 he will conduct new works for symphony orchestra with ancient Chinese ceremonial carillon in New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Free, no ticket required. Donations gratefully accepted.
Join us for a reception to meet the musicians following the concert.

In Hope of a Better Tomorrow
2022-10-09 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
Keehun Nam, Guest Conductor
DVOŘÁK: Carnival Overture, op. 92
IVES/arr. SCHUMAN: Variations on America
STRAUSS: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration)
RAVEL: “The Fairy Garden” from The Mother Goose Suite
After conducting across Europe and the United States, Keehun Nam has returned to Minnesota to grow and invest in musical communities in his home state. Nam currently is the Artistic Director of Southeastern Minnesota Youth Orchestras where he conducts its top orchestra and oversees a program serving nearly 200 students in 5 ensembles. While at Vanderbilt University, Nam founded and was the music director for the Commodore Orchestra – a performing ensemble for non-music major students. Nam has served as a guest conductor across the country for collegiate, community and professional orchestras.
Free, no ticket required. Donations gratefully accepted. Please join us for a reception following the concert to meet the musicians.

Nachito Herrera at Orchestra Hall
2021-10-10 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
IMPORTANT: RSVP required to reserve your free seat. Orchestra Hall requires all attendees at its venue to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. More information provided in the RSVP link:
www.minnesotaorchestra.org/WSO
Minnesota’s adopted son, Steinway Piano Artist Nachito Herrera, is one of the world’s greatest Cuban pianists. Combining Western classical music with traditional Cuban rhythms, Herrera is in high demand in the US and abroad. We are so proud to have him as a featured guest artist in 2021!
Nachito has the amazing ability to inhabit two very different musical worlds – classical and Latin jazz. He is the perfect example of how an enlightened artist can transcend various genres creating something that floats above it all. He is an immigrant who is not just breaking down barriers; he is showing that diversity is an essential part of moving humanity forward.
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18
HERRERA: Esperanza – PREMIERE
Upon waking up after 11 days in the ICU recovering from COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, the melody for Esperanza (Hope) came to Nachito. He has orchestrated it for this performance.
BACH/Herrera: Prelude in C minor
HERRERA: Chopiniando
LECUONA/Herrera: Tribute to Lecuona
This concert is made possible by generous donations from Productivity Inc. and the Meyer-Grabarski Charitable Fund.
Free. Donations gratefully accepted.

Gershwin and the Roaring Twenty-Somethings
2019-10-13 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
This program will showcase the creative powers of our guest artists – all superstars of the Twin Cities’ arts scene. They will write and enact a script to depict an important time of change in American culture and music during the period from 1919 to 1929. As jazz continued to expand, so did the importance of radio. In addition, many of the most famous artists of the time were in their 20s: George and Ira Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington and Kurt Weill. It was the Golden Age!
Program:
Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein/ arr. Rosario Bourdon: Selections from Showboat
Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 1
Kurt Weill/Bertold Brecht: selections from Threepenny Opera
Gershwin/arr. Ferde Grofé: Rhapsody in Blue
Guest Artists:
Maria Jette, soprano
Bradley Greenwald, baritone
Daniel Chouinard, piano
Free, no ticket required. Join us for a reception following the concert to meet the musicians.
The 2019-20 WSO concert season is funded, in part, by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State’s general fund.

St. Patrick's Day at Wayzata Community Church
2019-03-16 19:00 - 2019-03-17 18:59 | MN
Program:
Please join the WSO at the WCC Church Service on Sunday, March 17, 2019
For information and church service times please visit:
https://wayzatacommunitychurch.org

Dona Nobis Pacem at Orchestra Hall
2019-03-03 15:00 - 17:00 | MN
Program:
Weinberg: Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra,
Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem.
Music Director:
Marlene Pauley
Guest Artists:
Anthony Ross, Cello,
Tracey Engleman, Soprano,
Gerard Sundberg, Baritone,
Edina Chorale,
Two Rivers Chorale.
Join the WSO, the Edina Chorale, and the Two Rivers Chorale for their third performance at Orchestra Hall! Free, no ticket required. Join us for a reception following the concert to meet the musicians.
Marlene Pauley, WSO Music Director
John Hoffacker, Edina Chorale Music Director
Timothy Sawyer, Two Rivers Chorale Music Director
Join us after the concert at Monello (The Ivy Hotel) for a reception with Tony Ross from 5:30 to 6:30, followed by a Dine In Give Back dinner event at 6:30 for $39 with a fixed menu. The WSO will receive 10% of sales as a donation. Learn more.
Thank you to our media sponsor: Mpls.St.Paul Magazine

The 2018-19 WSO concert season is funded, in part, by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State’s general fund.

Music Without Borders
2018-02-11 09:00 - 11:00 | MN
Program:
Arturo Marquez: Danzon No. 2,
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 18 in c minor,
Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor)
Guest Artist:
Andrew Staupe, Piano
This special concert highlights the universal language of music that transcends all barriers and draws us together.
Free, no ticket required. Donations gratefully accepted.
Please join us for a reception following the concert to meet the musicians.

Wayzata Community Church Martin Luther King Day Celebration
2018-01-14 03:00 - 06:00 | MN
The WSO will perform at Wayzata Community Church as part of their regular Sunday services on January 14, 2018 to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
Services are at 9:00 and 10:45. Visit the church’s website for more information as it becomes available.

Water Music
2017-11-19 09:00 - 11:00 | MN
Special Guest:
Ann Bancroft, Arctic Explorer, will be our guest as we play music inspired by water.
Guest Artists:
Fernando Meza, Percussion.
Benjamin Sieverding, Bass Vocalist.
Program:
Handel: Water Music Suite

Mussorgsky: Dawn on Moscow River
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 Op. 68 in F Major
Water Improvisation, inspired by Tan Dun’s Water Concerto
Jerome Kern: Ol’ Man River
Eric Whitacre: Water Night, featuring orchestra students from Minnetonka High School
Johann Strauss Jr: On The Beautiful Danube Op. 314

Free, no ticket required. Donations gratefully accepted.
Join us for a reception after the concert to meet Ann Bancroft and all of the musicians.

The Planets (SA)
2017-05-07 10:00 - 12:00 | MN
Program: Gustav Holst: The Planets, Op. 32
Each of the seven movements in this suite is named after a planet in the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.
Guest Speaker: Dave Falkner, MN Astronomical Society.

Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Please join us for a reception following the concert.

The Planets (WCC)
2017-04-30 10:00 - 12:00 | MN
Program: Gustav Holst: The Planets, Op. 32
Each of the seven movements in this suite is named after a planet in the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.
Guest Speaker: Dave Falkner, MN Astronomical Society.

Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Please join us for a reception following the concert.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to the legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

WSO performs with the Wayzata Community Church Chancel Choir
2017-03-19 10:00 - 12:00 | MN
The WSO will perform with the WCC Chancel Choir on Sunday, March 19, 2017
Program:
Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem
Free. No ticket required.

Brahms Requiem (Orchestra Hall)
2017-02-26 09:00 - 11:00 | MN
Guest Artists:
Two Rivers Chorale, Tim Sawyer, Director.
Edina Chorale, Tom Paulson, Director.
Tracey Engelman, Soprano.
Thomas Glass, Baritone.

Program: Johannes Brahms: Requiem
Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Please join us for a reception following the concert.

Brahms Requiem (WCC)
2017-02-19 09:00 - 11:00 | MN
Guest Artists:
Two Rivers Chorale, Tim Sawyer, Director.
Edina Chorale, Tom Paulson, Director.
Tracey Engelman, Soprano.
Thomas Glass, Baritone.

Program: Johannes Brahms: Requiem
Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Please join us for a reception following the concert.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to the legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Pairings
2016-11-20 09:00 - 11:00 | MN
Guest Artist:
Anthony Ross, Principal Cello, MN Orchestra.

Program:
Verdi: La forza del destino Overture
World Premiere! Jordan Cox: A Poem for Autumn; inspired by Minnesota Poet Laureate Joyce Sutphen)
Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto #1 in A minor
Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Join us for a reception following the concert.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to the legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Wind Wizards
2016-10-16 10:00 - 12:00 | MN
Guest Artist:
Joseph Peters,
Principal Oboe,
MN Orchestra.
Guest Artist:
David Hull,
Balloon,
Funk Noîse
Program:
Gabrielli: Magnificat for 8 Voices
Beethoven: Piano Sonata #14 in C sharp minor Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”
Mozart: Serenade #11 in E flat Major K. 375
Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C Major K. 314
Dvorak: Symphony #8 in G Major Op. 88

Free. No ticket required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Join us for a reception following the concert.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to the legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

WSO plays at Wayzata Community Church
2016-09-18 04:00 - 07:00 | MN
Join the WSO as they play for services at Wayzata Community Church on Sunday, September 18.
Services at 9:00am and 10:45am.

Join the WSO to celebrate James J. Hill Days in Wayzata
2016-09-10 05:00 - 2016-09-11 11:00 | MN
Please join the WSO at our booth during James J. Hill Days in Wazyata!
September 10 and 11, 2016
Small groups will be performing throughout both days. We’d love to see you there!
