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Minnesota Sinfonia

The Minnesota Sinfonia is a professional non-profit orchestra whose mission is to serve the musical and educational needs of the citizens of Minnesota, especially families with children, inner-city youth, seniors and those with limited financial means. The Sinfonia plays concerts for over 25,000 people each year, and is the only professional orchestra of its kind, offering all concerts free of charge, welcoming children to every performance, and dedicating over half its services to inner-city schools. Founded in 1989 by Artistic Director Jay Fishman, the Minnesota Sinfonia is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization supported by corporate, foundation and individual contributors.

Music in the schools

Music in the Schools (MIS) is the Sinfonia’s inner-city education program. Every year, the orchestra works with up to 12,000 elementary students and helps them learn core subjects in exciting new ways–through music!  Music in the Schools is designed specifically for public elementary students of Minneapolis and St. Paul’s diverse population with limited in-school arts opportunities. MIS uses classical music to excite students about math, history, science, social studies and literature, while providing a much-needed part of their arts education.

Each MIS program starts with a three-month curriculum, co-developed by the Sinfonia and local teachers. The curriculum combines classical music excerpts with academic concepts drawn from Minnesota state education standards, and focuses on a different subject each year.

Past programs include History as Seen Through Music, which used Aaron Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait to introduce President Abraham Lincoln, his speeches and his role in the Civil War. The Magical Mysteries of Math & Music used Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony and other well-known classical works to help explain a variety of mathematical concepts. The 2009-2010 program, Music From Other Lands, presented classical music derived from folk songs to help students explore the peoples and cultures of the world while reinforcing state-mandated vocabulary and map-reading skills.

The culmination of each Music in the Schools program is ‘Sinfona Day’ — a visit from the entire Minnesota Sinfonia to each participating school.  As part of the festivities, classrooms host visits from orchestra musicians, who interact with the students and share their own stories and experience.  Following these get-togethers, everyone gathers in the gymnasium for a fun, interactive concert highlighting the music and classroom activities from the preceding weeks As part of the concerts, school choirs and orchestras perform with the Sinfonia in front of their peers, parents and community members, all to rousing cheers from their friends and fellow classmates.

History

In the 1980s, conductor Jay Fishman had a remarkable idea. He envisioned a professional, top-quality orchestra that would dedicate its services to the underserved and low-income residents of Minnesota. In 1989, he created the Minnesota Sinfonia, a professional chamber orchestra whose mission was to serve families, children, inner-city youth, seniors, and those with limited incomes.

Early on, the Sinfonia developed policies of free admission and children welcome to all performances. The Sinfonia was the first, and is still the only professional orchestra in the state to have such policies. As a result, Sinfonia concerts consistently attract large audiences of first-time concertgoers, families with young children and people from all walks of life.

As one of three professional orchestras in the Twin Cities, the Sinfonia is the only one to offer all concerts free of admission charges, to perform in accessible neighborhood locations year-round and to welcome children to every performance. The Sinfonia is dedicated to community service and education. Each year, the Sinfonia performs more free, in-school concerts than any professional orchestra in the state, allocating over 30 percent of its budget and half its concerts to educational programs. Our guiding values are quality, accessibility and education.

Young Artist Competition

The Young Artist Competition is an annual competition for musicians up to age 21. Held every spring, the contest attracts residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, who compete in a friendly environment. Both the junior and senior division winners are awarded solo appearances with the Sinfonia, and the senior division winner also receives a $500 cash prize. The competition is held at the University of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul.

Artistic Director

Jay Fishman has been the artistic and executive director of the Minnesota Sinfonia since its inception in 1989. Under his leadership, the Sinfonia inaugurated its polices of free admission and welcoming children to all concerts, and created Music in the Schools, the orchestra’s education program for inner-city elementary students.

Jay earned a bachelor of science in music education and bachelor of arts in music composition from the University of Minnesota in 1969. In 1974, he earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the Indiana University School of Music. Also in 1974, he was a finalist in the Fulbright-Hayes Conducting Fellowship. From 1974 to 1976, Jay served as music director and conductor for the Louisville Chamber Orchestra. He then traveled to London, where he worked with Sir Neville Mariner of the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra. While in London, he also recorded for BBC Radio.

In 1978, Jay Fishman returned to the United States and for 11 years served as the music director of the Minneapolis Chamber Symphony (MCS), which he founded. Under his leadership, the MCS received local, regional and national accolades, including the Award for Excellence from the McKnight Foundation and ongoing support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

In 1989, Jay founded the Minnesota Sinfonia and took on the role of executive and artistic director. To date, he has conducted over 1,300 performances, and introduced classical music to 150,000 inner-city elementary students. In 2008, he led a symposium on use of the professional orchestra in music education for the Arts Midwest Regional Conference, and spoke on the same subject to the Association of Wisconsin Orchestras in May of 2010.

Musicians

Violin I Julia Persitz (concertmistress), Helen Foli , Natalia Moiseeva , Orieta Dado , Susan Crawford , Adam Han-Gorski

Violin II Mary Sorlie (principal second ), Alastair Brown Inger Dahlin , Elizabeth Decker

Viola Elizabeth Cregan (principal ), Nanette Goldman, Laurel Browne

Celli Camilla Heller (principal), William Goldman , Faith Farr , Diane Tremaine

Bass Jennifer Rubin, Susan Allard

Flute JoAnne Bartlett

Oboes Stanley King (principal ), Merilee Klemp

Clarinet Karrin Meffert-Nelson

Bassoon Laurie Merz

French Horns Lawrence Barnhart (principal ), Charles Hodgson

Trumpet Chris Volpe

Percussion Kory Andry

Singer/Storyteller Kathleen Hardy

Board of Directors

Officers

Chairperson Mary Weber, CSM Corporation

Vice Chair David Haynes, Leonard, Street & Deinard

Treasurer Lori Carlson-Pryzbyiski, RBC Capital Markets

Secretary Kristina Werner, Independent Marketing & Communications Consultant

Chairperson Emeritus Grant Fairbairn, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Directors

• Imanol Arevalo, General Mills
• Shannon Hovey, MotivAction
• Dorothy Jacobs, Retired Musician
• Mira LaCous, Hollywood Pyrotechnics, Inc
• Anneliese Mayer, Merchant and Gould P.C.
• Laurie Merz, Minnesota Sinfonia
• Juanita Namanny, HDR Engineering

Executive List

Artistic/Executive Director - Jay Fishman

Manager - Raphael Fishman

Marketing & Development - Emily Matejcek

External links

• Minnesota Sinfonia official website