Osmo Conducts Bartók

Music Director of Minnesota Orchestra for 18 years and of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra since 2020, Osmo Vänskä is recognised for compelling interpretations of repertoire of all ages and an energetic presence on the podium. His democratic and inclusive style of work has been key in forging long-standing relationships with different orchestras.

Celebrating the last year of his tenure with Minnesota Orchestra this season, Osmo Vänskä presents some of his signature repertoire. He is joined by favourite guest soloists including Joshua Bell and Lisa Batiashvili, and continues with This Is Minnesota Orchestra, an Emmy Award-nominated series of performances for TV, radio and online audiences launched in 2020, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vänskä has undertaken five major European tours, as well as historic trips to Cuba in 2015 – the first visit by an American orchestra since the two countries re-established diplomatic relations – and South Africa in 2018, as part of worldwide celebrations of Nelson Mandela’s Centenary – the first visit by an American orchestra, drawing together South African and American performers in musical expressions of peace, freedom and reconciliation, on a five-city tour following a successful return to London’s BBC Proms.

After a successful first season with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, including opening and closing the Lotte Concert Hall Festival and recording works by Korean composer Isang Yun, he embarks on his second year with numerous concerts and community outreach projects.

He returns this season to the Symphony and Philharmonic orchestras of Pittsburgh, Antwerp, Helsinki, Netherlands Radio and Tokyo Metropolitan. While past guest conducting invitations include renowned international ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Chicago symphony orchestras in North America; Orchestre de Paris, Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester in Europe, and London Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK; and the Shanghai Symphony and China, Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwan philharmonic orchestras in Asia.

Imani Winds is the 2024 Grammy winner in the Classical Compendium category for Jeff Scott’s “Passion for Bach and Coltrane” released on their recently formed record label, Imani Winds Media.

Celebrating over a quarter century of music making, the three time Grammy nominated group has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Lean more

Yiran Zhao is a conductor, composer, pianist, and soprano. She holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Yale School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Piano and Theory & Composition from Westminster Choir College.

Yiran entered Curtis Institute of Music in 2025 as a Rita. E Houser Conducting Fellow studying with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Jim Ross and assisting various orchestras and Curtis Opera productions. Learn more

John de Lancie has had an eclectic career as an actor, director, producer, writer, educator, and comedian. In addition to the iconic role of Q on the Star Trek series The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space 9, and Picard, he has appeared in numerous television shows including Breaking Bad, CSI, The West Wing, Sports Night, Judging Amy, and Legend.

His film credits include The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Taking Care of Business, Fearless, Multiplicity, Woman on Top, Good Advice, Pathology, and The Last Session. He has performed in many stage productions, and has been a member of the American Shakespeare Center, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Old Globe.

The son of renowned Philadelphia Orchestra oboist John de Lancie, Mr. de Lancie grew up in a musical household. Over his career, Mr. de Lancie has performed as narrator with a number of major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. His repertoire includes Peer Gynt, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, and Peter and the Wolf, among many others.

He has written and directed ten symphonic plays produced with the Milwaukee Symphony and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic, and Pasadena Symphony. Mr. de Lancie wrote, directed, and hosted “First Nights,” a concert series at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the LA Philharmonic that explored the lives and music of Stravinsky, Beethoven, Mahler, Schumann, and Prokofiev. Mr. de Lancie has also directed the operas Tosca and Cold Sassy Treein Atlanta, Madame Butterfly in San Antonio, and Cinderella in Sacramento.

Mr. de Lancie is a graduate of Kent State University and The Juilliard School. When time permits, he is also an avid sailor.

Acclaimed for its “otherworldly ensemble and professional level of sophistication” (New York Times), the Curtis Symphony Orchestra offers a dynamic showcase of tomorrow’s exceptional young talent. Each year the 100 extraordinary musicians of the orchestra work with internationally renowned conductors, including Osmo Vänskä, Vladimir Jurowski, Marin Alsop, Simon Rattle, Robert Spano, and Yannick Nézet Séguin, who also mentors the early-career conductors who hold Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellowships. This professional training has enabled Curtis alumni to assume prominent positions in America’s leading orchestras, as well as esteemed orchestral, opera, and chamber ensembles around the world.