Minnesota Orchestra concert with violinist Erin Keefe and conductor Lionel Bringuier, featuring Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto, Schmitt's 'The Tragedy of Salome' and Ravel's 'Daphnis and Chloé'.
Erin Keefe takes the lead with the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall on April 1, 2027. She's been the orchestra's concertmaster since September 2011, and this time she's stepping out of the first chair and into the spotlight for Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1. It's a heavy, demanding piece, and having someone who's been with the ensemble for over a decade lead it feels right.
That concerto is the anchor of the program, but it's not the only thing on the bill. The orchestra will also play Schmitt's The Tragedy of Salome and Ravel's Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloé. Between the two, you've got Schmitt's dramatic, narrative writing and Ravel's lush, shimmering orchestration, so the evening moves from the intense, solitary line of the Shostakovich to the full, sweeping sound of the whole orchestra.
Conducting the night is Lionel Bringuier, who arrives at the podium as music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and remains honorary conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice in his hometown. He'll be leading the Minnesota Orchestra, which is now in its second century and ranks among the top symphonic ensembles in the country. Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård began his third season as music director in September 2025, so the orchestra is well into his tenure by the time this concert rolls around.
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As for the soloist, Keefe has a few other things going on besides her role with the orchestra. She joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2022 and has picked up an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Pro Musicis International Award along the way. The concert runs about two hours including intermission, and the doors at Orchestra Hall open 90 minutes before the performance starts.
