Minnesota Sinfonia

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Minnesota Sinfonia Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Minnesota Sinfonia, Orchestra, 901 N 3rd Street, Suite 112, Minneapolis, MN.

The MN Sinfonia is a community-supported nonprofit with a mission to serve the musical and education needs of Minnesotans with a special emphasis on serving families with young children, inner-city youth, seniors, and those with limited financial means.

What a wonderful experience for our community to have one last opportunity to see and hear the Minnesota Sinfonia perfor...
07/15/2026

What a wonderful experience for our community to have one last opportunity to see and hear the Minnesota Sinfonia perform. Our thanks go out to the individuals and institutions that have supported the Sinfonia's efforts over the years. We deeply appreciate the drive, talent and dreams of Artistic Director Jay Fishman, all of our wonderful musicians and of course all the amazing guest soloists who have aided our efforts to educate through the creation of beautiful music over these many seasons. We also thank the MN JCC for inviting us to help them tell the story of these incredible 'Violins of Hope'. May their stories never be forgotten!

On last Friday evening at First Covenant Church, a full house had the pleasure of hearing the Minnesota Sinfonia perform...
06/28/2026

On last Friday evening at First Covenant Church, a full house had the pleasure of hearing the Minnesota Sinfonia perform lovely selections by Prokofiev, Stutschewsky, Bruch and Bloch on instruments from the Violins of Hope collection. Our featured soloist, Amit Peled, played a cello from the collection and performed hauntingly beautiful solos from the Hassidic Suite and Kol Nidrei. We are honored to have had the pleasure of performing with Amit over these many years!

The Sinfonia’s penultimate concert was a delight and gave a full measure of appreciation to all the musicians who have owned and played the Violins of Hope instruments over these many decades. We will never forget those musicians, and we will never forget the joy and beauty that Artistic Director Jay Fishman and all the Sinfonia musicians have given us in almost four decades of performances. We wish you all the best in the coming years!

For those who are able to attend, the Minnesota Sinfonia’s final concert is today at 2pm at the Bethel University’s Benson Great Hall, which is located at 3900 Bethel Drive in St. Paul. It will be preceded at 1pm by a presentation on the background and history of the Violins of Hope collection. We hope to see you there!

From the Board of the Minnesota Sinfonia

The Jewish Community Center Minnesota has invited the Minnesota Sinfonia to be a part of the Violins of Hope, which will...
04/28/2026

The Jewish Community Center Minnesota has invited the Minnesota Sinfonia to be a part of the Violins of Hope, which will be touring through Minnesota in May and June, 2026. Violins of Hope is a collection of string instruments that were owned by Jewish musicians, many of whom perished in the Holocaust.

In collaboration with the JCC, our Artistic Director Jay Fishman and the MN Sinfonia are partnering with five area churches and universities to present a series of concerts with Sinfonia musicians performing on some of the violins in this remarkable and historical collection. These performances are being presented with no religious affiliation, but rather, as a chance to share in history. The MN Sinfonia Board is pleased to bring these historical performances to the Twin Cities community.

The programs will feature Jewish-themed music honoring the millions of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. A quartet program will include music by Viktor Ullmann, Henriette Bosmans and Felix Mendelssohn. The Sinfonia concert programs will include Sergei Prokofiev’s 'Overture on Hebrew Themes', Max Bruch’s 'Kol Nidrei', 'Hassidic Suite' by Joachim Stutschewsky and Ernest Bloch’s 'Concerto Grosso Number One'. Cellist Amit Peled will be the featured soloist on the 'Kol Nidrei' and 'Hassidic Suite', and he will be playing on a cello from the Violins of Hope collection.

In keeping with longstanding MN Sinfonia tradition, the concerts will be free of admission charges, and of course, make sure to bring the kids. Don’t miss this last opportunity to join your fellow community members in experiencing the Sinfonia (as the Star Tribune phrased it) "evangelizing for the power, beauty and educational importance of classical music”!

For details on the Violins of Hope collection, visit its website: https://www.violins-of-hope.com

For further information on JCC Minnesota’s full complement of Violins of Hope events: https://violinsofhopemn.org

Our wonderful Minnesota Sinfonia, gathered to record our latest Music in the Schools program: 'Introducing the Orchestra...
07/22/2025

Our wonderful Minnesota Sinfonia, gathered to record our latest Music in the Schools program: 'Introducing the Orchestra - the Science Behind the Sound'. A continuation of the positive impact the Sinfonia has had on thousands of students over the years.

Check the program out at: https://www.mnsinfonia.org/2024-2025-mis-introducing-the-orchestra

Today marks the beginning of Minnesota Sinfonia’s special encore Summer Season! During this last school year, the Sinfon...
06/24/2025

Today marks the beginning of Minnesota Sinfonia’s special encore Summer Season!

During this last school year, the Sinfonia brought our Music in the Schools (MIS) program to 16 Minneapolis and St Paul public schools. Now it will perform six additional children’s concerts this June and July. The program will be the same as was presented in the schools, so you and your children can experience what MIS was all about. The Sinfonia is excited to share with you: “Introducing the Orchestra – the Science Behind the Sound”. For more information, including resources to help prepare your children for the performance, please visit:

https://www.mnsinfonia.org/2024-2025-mis-introducing-the-orchestra

**** Upcoming Concert Schedule ****

June 24th @ 10:30 am - Staring Lake Amphitheater
14800 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie 55347
June 26th @ 11:00 am - Como Park Pavilion **
1360 Lexington Parkway N, Saint Paul 55103
June 27th @ 10:30 and 11:45am - The Trailhead (Wirth Park) - 2 concerts!
1221 Theodore Wirth Pkwy, Minneapolis 55422
June 29th @ 7:30 pm - Caponi Art Park
1220 Diffley Road, Eagan 55347
July 7th @ 10:30 am - Wayzata Community Church (inside)
125 Wayzata Boulevard, Wayzata 55391

Don’t miss these last opportunities to enjoy the wonder and beauty that we’ve experienced over the many years that the Sinfonia has enriched our students and our community!

** Please note that the Como Park concert was originally incorrectly advertised to begin at 7:00 pm. It actually starts at 11:00 am.

“Tony took me under the bridge to the other side of the park where it was still all shrub, and he said, “Jay, I’m going ...
06/24/2025

“Tony took me under the bridge to the other side of the park where it was still all shrub, and he said, “Jay, I’m going to build you an amphitheater here.” And we’ve played there every year since,” MN Sinfonia director Jay Fishman reminisces on the moment that would spark a 20 year long tradition of performances at Caponi Art Park's Theater in the Woods.

After over 35 years of bringing free, accessible, and high caliber classical performances to underserved and low income communities, in October 2024 MN Sinfonia announced they would cease public performances due to corporate and government arts funding cuts. But with enough reserves to continue partial operations this year, the orchestra is embarking on a 6-show children’s summer concert series, playing for a final time at the park on June 29th.

JOIN US this Sunday for a night of free live music, storytelling, education, and celebration of the remarkable legacy of MN Sinfonia! 🎶

🗣️ Read the full interview with Jay HERE: https://www.caponiartpark.org/events/mn-sinfonia-childrens-and-family-concert/

As you'll recall, the October set of Farewell Concerts were to be Sinfonia’s last public performances. After presenting ...
05/13/2025

As you'll recall, the October set of Farewell Concerts were to be Sinfonia’s last public performances. After presenting our Music in the Schools (MIS) in 16 Minneapolis and St Paul public schools this past year, we still have enough money available to perform six additional children’s concerts this June and July. The program will be the same as what we took into the schools, so you and your children will have the chance to see what our MIS program was all about. It's entitled 'Introducing the Orchestra – the Science Behind the Sound'. For more information, including resources to help prepare your children, please visit:

https://www.mnsinfonia.org/2024-2025-mis-introducing-the-orchestra

And, as always, admission is free to all Sinfonia concerts! Don't miss this final encore season of the Minnesota Sinfonia!

Obituary for Kevin Lu ChenKevin Lu Chen, a gifted 15-year-old music composer and pianist from Plymouth, Minnesota, passe...
01/11/2025

Obituary for Kevin Lu Chen

Kevin Lu Chen, a gifted 15-year-old music composer and pianist from Plymouth, Minnesota, passed away on January 7, 2025. Kevin was born on May 17, 2009 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Kevin was known for his gracious demeanor and warm smile. He attended Wayzata High School and MacPhail Center for Music. He was a member of the Wayzata FIRST Robotics team and Wayzata High School Orchestra. He filled his life in the pursuit of solving mathematical and computer programming challenges, as well as creating classical music.

Kevin's musical journey began at the age of four when he started playing piano, and by the age of five, he was already composing his own pieces. He studied piano and composition at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, MN, and also played violin. Kevin's talent and dedication to music earned him numerous awards and honors in various competitions at state and national levels, such as MTNA Composition Contest, NFMC Junior Composers Contest, Sinfonia Young Composer Competition, and MacPhail Concerto & Aria Concert. He was also a multiple-time recipient of the Joan Miller Composition Scholarship at MacPhail.

Kevin's music filled his home with joyous energy while bringing strength and comfort to those around him, even during his most challenging times. He was initially diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in August 2022. During this first round of cancer treatments, he wrote "Going Home" https://youtu.be/onKJxoIFNiU?si=dTzRVgxyKd3qZe9I . Since his relapse in January 2024 he wrote numerous additional compositions, some of which can be found on his YouTube channel.

Kevin is survived by his loving family including parents Kelly Lu and Brian Block, father Sean Chen, step siblings Hailey and Kienan Block, and his beloved dog Lily.

Visitation featuring live music and recorded music videos composed or performed by Kevin will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 4-7pm Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Chapel and Funeral Home, 5125 W Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429.

Visitation with live Quartet performing Kevin's music will be held on Thursday, January 16, 10am, King of Grace Lutheran Church, 6000 Duluth St, Golden Valley, MN 55422 . Funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 16, 11am, King of Grace Lutheran Church, 6000 Duluth St, Golden Valley, MN 55422.

Graveside Service will be held on Thursday, January 16, ~12:30pm, Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Chapel and Funeral Home, 5125 W Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that Memorial donations be made to Osteosarcoma research and music charities through: Thrivent Charitable Impact & Giving, Kevin Chen Osteosarcoma and Music Fund, ID: 711151
https://thriventcharitable.thrivent.com/giving/make-gift

An announcement from the Minnesota Sinfonia's conductor, Jay Fishman:I have some very sad news. Kevin Chen, who was one...
01/11/2025

An announcement from the Minnesota Sinfonia's conductor, Jay Fishman:

I have some very sad news. Kevin Chen, who was one of our Sinfonia composers, died on the morning of Tuesday, January 7th.

I first met Kevin when he was seven years old and won the junior division of our Call for Scores for Mn Composers. At that time, I started working with him on his compositions, and as time went on, we became very close friends. During that time, I also became very close to the family.

Kevin was battling cancer for the past several years, and when the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota gave up hope of survival, Kevin was enrolled in a new cancer treatment trial at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. MD Anderson is one of the foremost cancer treatment and research hospitals in the country, and our hope was that this new approach could be helpful. Kevin was the fifth participant in this trial, and he was in Anderson for forty plus days. He had his ups and downs to be sure, but until the end, we all had hopes that he could come through. I went down and visited with him three times while he was there, including this week. Kevin kept fighting – his will to live was amazing, but unfortunately, he could not overcome the horrific effects of the cancer.

I know that many/most of our Sinfonia musicians knew Kevin, asked how he was doing, and asked me to pass along their best wishes. I did, and Kevin and his parents Kelly and Brian were very grateful.

Kevin was a very special person, and he left me/us with many fond memories. He was incredibly bright and an excellent pianist and composer. One of my very favorite stories is when he had just finished a week of in-hospital chemo treatments at the U and of course had not been near a piano for over a week. The day following his release from the hospital, Kevin played the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto for the Mn Orchestra Competition. His performance was amazing. Everything was so clean, and more importantly, it was incredibly musical. I was at the competition, and his performance brought me to tears. Oh, and he won third place.

Kevin provided us with many stories and much joy to his friends and family. He was kind and thoughtful and always treated everyone with dignity and respect. He was a real treasure. His memory will always be with me, and the many friends and colleagues whose lives he touched.

Jay Fishman

Address

901 N 3rd Street, Suite 112
Minneapolis, MN
55401

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16128711701

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