A Musician's Summer Recap

Each year, as the season winds down and the final notes of our Summer at Orchestra Hall festival are played, MinnOrch musicians take some time for a change of pace. With an action-packed 2024-25 season ahead, some time to explore, rest and play is just what the doctor ordered. Exciting new premieres, close encounters with the wildlife of the Grand Tetons, summers of rest right here in Minneapolis—it was all that and much more. Take a look at what they’ve been up to during their time off from their day jobs: 

Cellist Sonia Mantell had a great time playing at the Lakes Area Music Festival—affectionately called “lamf”—which is a popular nearby fest many MinnOrch musicians play in their off-time: 

"I spent time in Brainerd, Minnesota, participating in the last two weeks of the Lakes Area Music Festival. One of the highlights for me was opera week, where we performed Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress—everyone sounded so incredible. It was great to be reunited with old friends and colleagues from MinnOrch and meet new people here!"

Principal Timpani Erich Rieppel had an action-packed summer with travels still ongoing: 

"My summer started in a state of heat with a trip to my mother’s country, Panamá. While there I performed a chamber concert with my father and other friends; we commissioned and premiered a piece by Panamanian composer Samuel Robles which we plan to play again. I returned to Minnesota for a short 36 hours, then drove to the Grand Tetons to play for a couple weeks with the festival out there—incredible music-making and scenery! I drove back to Minnesota to enjoy some Summer at Orchestra Hall with my favorite band, then drove north to Lakes Area Music Festival to play my 11th season with this esteemed and lovely group of individuals. I will cap the summer with a trip to Europe, including a visit to the Adams timpani factory in Ittervoort, Netherlands."

Speaking of home-goings, Principal Bassoon Fei Xie headed back to his home country to perform (and break world records): 

"I was invited to be a guest artist at the sixth International Bassoon Festival in QingDao, China from July 13-18. I had the great pleasure of giving masterclasses and playing a solo recital. I was also part of the Guinness World Records challenge: the largest bassoon ensemble, where we succeeded with 584 bassoonists playing together!"

Violinist Emily Switzer and sister Sarah Switzer (viola) spent some time in the mountains: 

"Sarah and I were up at the Grand Teton Music Festival for two weeks, where we enjoyed terrific music, stunning scenery, and *not* encountering any bears. Experiences for the bingo card: moose-spotting, meteor shower, trail-riding and having The Magic Flute on endless mental repeat for the next two months."

Sometimes we just need a summer at home. Violist Lydia Grimes recalibrated around the lakes and with a little bit of Catan.  

"This summer I worked (performing with the Minnesota Orchestra as part of the Summer at Orchestra Hall festival) and then headed to Lakes Area Music Festival for their finale weekend! I moved into a new apartment near the downtown lakes where I have been going swimming in Cedar Lake and going on walks around Lake of the Isles. Besides that, I’ve been playing soccer and a lot of Catan on my phone."

Cellists Beth Rapier and Anthony Ross found time for wildlife spotting in the Grand Tetons in between busy days of performance: 

"After Summer at Orchestra Hall, we headed to Wyoming for two weeks of concerts with the Grand Teton Music Festival. It was our first time to play here together, and highlights included a gala concert with Yo-Yo Ma featuring a performance by the cello section of Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 led by Tony and joined by Yo-Yo. The festival ended with two joyous performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.    

Free days were for spectacular mountain hikes. We really got lucky with our wildlife sightings as well."

Finally, several members of the bassoon section did us proud with a premiere out in California: 

MinnOrch bassoonists Fei Xie, Chris Marshall, Julianne Mulvey and recently retired Contrabassoonist Norbert Nielubowski were invited to perform the West Coast premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ bassoon quartet 4 Bassoons Talking at the Cabrillo Music Festival at Santa Cruz, California. The quartet performed this piece last winter as part of the Orchestra’s chamber music series—finding the piece was a serendipitous story we shared over on social media (check it out!).  

This premiere had its own moments of serendipity: the work was written as a birthday present for bassoonist Cheryl Huddleston, the spouse of Cristian Măcelaru, who is the Music Director of the Cabrillo Music Festival. Cristian, or “Cristi” for short, will be reunited with this bassoon section next June when he leads concerts featuring Fei Xie’s performance of the Jolivet Bassoon Concerto.