Minnesota Orchestra

Minnesota Orchestra closes its 2017-18 broadcast season with three concerts on Classical MPR that feature Beethoven, Berlioz, Bernstein, and Mahler.

The Minnesota Orchestra prepares to play its final concert in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Saturday marked the final night of the Minnesota Orchestra's tour of South Africa. Dessa captured moments from the ensemble's last performance in Johannesburg.

Friday was a big night for the Minnesota Orchestra players -- maybe the most significant concert of the five they had planned in South Africa -- as they played at the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto. Dessa was there to capture the scene.

The Minnesota Orchestra performs Thursday in Pretoria, South Africa.

After a day of coaching students, the Minnesota Orchestra performed to an excited crowd in Pretoria on Thursday. Dessa captured the scene in photos and videos.

A Minnesota Orchestra woodwind player holds up a reed.

Each piece of Minnesota Orchestra bassoonist Fei Xie’s cane is labeled with the country of origin ("Arg" for Argentina, for example) and the growing season (2005 cane was used for reeds that Fei made in 2016).

A week into its South African itinerary, the Minnesota Orchestra has performed two official concerts. But the musicians have spent many more hours on cultural exchange trips, performing for students at township schools, rehearsing with young players and playing a free show at an outdoor pavilion. Dessa reflects on it all in this special essay.

Cultural exchange programming can be tricky business. Wednesday, however, felt like a win for the Minnesota Orchestra -- at least to Dessa. The orchestra rehearsed and ate dinner alongside student musicians from Pretoria, South Africa. Here are a few clips taken during and after the rehearsal.

Don't miss musical history Friday when the Minnesota Orchestra performs in Soweto, South Africa, the city that was at the center of Nelson Mandela's fight against apartheid. Listen to the concert at 7 p.m. Friday on Classical MPR.

The stage is empty after the Minnesota Orchestra performs Sunday in Durban, South Africa.

The Minnesota Orchestra performed Sunday in Durban before heading to Johannesburg as part of its South Africa tour. Dessa captured the scene in words, pictures and videos on social media. Check out some of the reactions from locals.

On Saturday, Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra said goodbye to Cape Town and moved on to the next stop on their South Africa tour, Durban. Here are some of her highlights and keen observations from the day on social media.

Dessa hangs out with Mike Gast, principal horn of the Minnesota Orchestra.

For Dessa, Wednesday was for traveling and reintroducing herself to the members of the Minnesota Orchestra as they all landed in South Africa. It was a late night, too -- keeping in mind that South Africa is seven hours ahead of Minnesota time. See what transpired in her first field report.

This weekend, the Minnesota Orchestra performs the world premiere of 'Pillars,' an uncommon low-brass concerto composed to honor the memory of a beloved trombonist. Hear it live at 8 p.m. Friday, along with Mahler's Symphony No. 4, on Classical MPR.

Beethoven's Violin Concerto is a poetic summit of the repertoire, widely considered to be the greatest violin concerto ever written. Listen to violinist Augustin Hadelich perform it at 8 p.m. Friday with the Minnesota Orchestra, live on Classical MPR.

Composer Jeff Beal has written more than just the Emmy-winning score to Netflix's political drama "House of Cards." He recently finished a flute concerto which received its world premiere by soloist Sharon Bezaly, conductor Osmo Vanska, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Joshua Bell returns to the Twin Cities to perform tonight with the Minnesota Orchestra. He'll be featured not only in Henri Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 but also Pablo de Sarasate's 'Zigeunerweisen.' Hear the concert live on Classical MPR at 7:30 p.m.