Minnesota Orchestra Back With 2 Weeks Of Concerts

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Orchestra has announced its first concerts since ending a 15-month lockout of union musicians.

The orchestra said Friday it will hold two weeks of homecoming concerts Feb. 7-15 at the renovated Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

The orchestra returns Feb. 7-8 with a pair of concerts led by conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Those concerts will be highlighted by Beethoven's Third Symphony and Skrowaczewski's own orchestration of Bach's D-minor Toccata and Fugue. The second work opened the first concert at Orchestra Hall in 1974.

French conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier will conduct concerts Feb. 14-15 featuring Holst's "The Planets" and Elgar's Cello Concerto.

The orchestra and musicians ratified a new three-year contract Tuesday, ending the lockout.

The complete season will be announced later.

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