Minnesota Sinfonia

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

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

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.

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/

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!

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

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

10/20/2024

10/20/2024

A delighted SRO crowd gave a heartfelt farewell to the Minnesota Sinfonia Friday night at First Covenant Church. The Sinfonia’s final public performance will be held this afternoon at the Basilica of St. Mary. Don’t miss this last opportunity to experience the wonder, power and beauty of this marvelously talented ensemble! We’re saving a seat just for you! 🎼🎻🎺🪈🎹💕

10/17/2024

From the October 16th Minnesota Star Tribune issue -
"The Big Gigs: 10 Best Concerts to See in the Twin Cities This Week"

Minnesota Sinfonia
For 35 years, the Sinfonia has been evangelizing for the power, beauty and educational importance of classical music by bringing free concerts to Twin Cities parks and churches and presentations to schools in low-income areas. But local corporations and foundations seem no longer interested in funding such things, so this weekend marks the final concerts for founder/conductor Jay Fishman and the orchestra, although “Music in the Schools” will continue through 2025. The orchestra’s public farewell will feature a work by Sergei Prokofiev and symphonies by Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn. (7 p.m. Fri., First Covenant Church, 1280 Arcade St., St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., free, mnsinfonia.org)

** Thanks for your longstanding support, Star Tribune! **

10/17/2024

A fascinating review of the Minnesota Sinfonia and Artistic Director Jay Fishman's history, objectives and acomplishments. A great read - thanks MinnPost!

Known for improving students' and low-income people's access to classical music, the orchestra will take final bows this weekend.