“When classical music rises this week from the annual Cubadisco festival, the most important gathering of the Cuban music industry, it will be the Minnesota Orchestra that first graces the stage,” writes Euan Kerr at Minnesota Public Radio on Monday (5/11). “ ‘Typically we plan years in advance,’ Minnesota Orchestra President Kevin Smith said. ‘And if you wanted to be first you had to be pretty fast out of the box here.’ … The Minnesota Orchestra had an ace in the hole—a strong relationship with Classical Movements, a specialized tour company with personnel that has longstanding connections in Cuba.” Shortly after President Obama’s announcement of normalized relations between the U.S. and Cuba, “The Minnesota Orchestra had an invitation from the Cuban Ministry of Culture and a contract for a four-day visit to perform at Cubadisco. Smith said the project captured the imagination of everyone in the organization.… The Minnesota Orchestra leaves early Wednesday morning for Havana.” In an Associated Press article about the Minnesota Orchestra’s Cuba visit, Jeff Baenen quotes League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen: “It sends a very clear message this is an organization back on its feet, doing important work.” The concerts will be broadcast live across Cuba and in the U.S. through Classical Minnesota Public Radio.
Posted May 12, 2015
Pictured: Teatro Nacional de Cuba, where the Minnesota Orchestra will perform on May 15 and 16.
