The Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Kahchun Wong, plays Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition' with a solo performance by the young Japanese violinist Himari.
The Minnesota Orchestra is performing Pictures at an Exhibition at Orchestra Hall on Friday, October 16, and Saturday, October 17, both nights starting at 8 PM. It's part of the concert cycle under music director Dane Thomas Søndergård, who took the helm in September 2025.
The program opens with Ifukube's Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome, then moves into Glazunov's Violin Concerto with violinist Himari leading. The night closes with Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, a piano suite based on paintings that Maurice Ravel later arranged for full orchestra, which is the version you'll hear here.
Himari is the one to watch on this bill. Born in Japan in 2011, she's been described as a once-in-a-generation talent; she debuted with the Berlin Philharmonic at 13 and is currently studying at the Curtis Institute of Music under Ida Kavafian. Conducting is Kahchun Wong, the Singaporean-born principal conductor and artistic advisor of The Hallé and chief conductor of the Japan Philharmonic. The orchestra itself is now in its second century and ranks among the top symphonic ensembles in the country.
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There's a bit more to the evening than just the music. Pre-concert talks run in the Target Atrium, and the Roberta Mann Grand Foyer Lobby is hosting a Baba Yaga exhibit from The Museum of Russian Art—a fitting tie-in, since Baba Yaga is one of the most famous characters in Pictures at an Exhibition. Both the Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 PM at Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall.
