Osmo Vanska and Minnesota Orchestra Will Embark On Tour To South Korea and Vietnam

Minnesota Orchestra President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns announced today that Music Director Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra will embark on a tour to South Korea and Vietnam in June 2020, continuing its legacy of musical diplomacy and mounting one of the signature events of Vänskä's final three years as the Orchestra's music director. Vänskä and the Orchestra, at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, will perform in Hanoi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of restored diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam. The Orchestra will additionally perform in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) and participate in engagement activities with students in both cities. The tour, which will run from June 21 to July 3, will open with a performance on June 24 in South Korea at Seoul's Lotte Concert Hall, creating an opportunity to foster connections with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, where Vänskä was recently appointed music director. Tours centered around cultural exchange have become a hallmark of the Minnesota Orchestra during Vänskä's tenure, with the ensemble traveling recently to South Africa and Cuba.

"We are thrilled at the prospect of performing in Vietnam to help represent musically the coming together of our nations over the last 25 years," said Burns. "Bringing people together through music, sometimes across unexpected borders, is mission-driven work that our Orchestra is deeply committed to, and we feel privileged to celebrate both a diplomatic milestone in Vietnam and a newfound musical connection in South Korea due to Osmo's recent appointment."

The tour is made possible in part by a generous lead gift from Kathy and Charlie Cunningham with additional support from other board members. Classical Movements, the Orchestra's long-time international tour partner, will serve as Creative Advisor for the Vietnam tour, a role it played in the Orchestra's previous tours to South Africa and Cuba. The Orchestra's performance in Seoul will be presented by Lotte Concert Hall and managed by HarrisonParrott, worldwide general managers for Osmo Vänskä and the Orchestra's international touring partner.

"I believe that music has the extraordinary capacity to bring cultures together and to create understanding between people," said Vänskä. "Our tours to Cuba and South Africa have been a very meaningful part of my tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra-and now once more we have the opportunity to help build goodwill between countries through music. It will be an honor to represent the U.S. and perform in Vietnam, and I'm personally so gratified I'll have the opportunity to introduce the Minnesota Orchestra to South Korean audiences." The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra announced last May that Vänskä would become its new music director-a role he'll hold concurrently with his Minnesota post-beginning in January 2020.

In collaboration with the Orchestra, Classical Minnesota Public Radio is now exploring ways to share the Orchestra's South Korea and Vietnam performances with as many listeners as possible.