The Minnesota Sinfonia is a professional, nonprofit chamber orchestra offering free-admission concerts and educational programs in and around the Twin Cities, playing for over 27,000 people each year. The only professional orchestra of its kind, The Sinfonia welcomes children to all of its free performances, and dedicates over half of its educational services to inner-city schools. Founded in 1989 by Artistic Director Jay Fishman, The Sinfonia is a professional chamber orchestra whose mission is to serve the musical and educational needs of Minnesota, especially families with children, inner-city youth, seniors, and those with limited financial means.
The Minnesota Sinfonia created a composers’ commissioning project as an opportunity for Minnesota based composers to have a truly one-on-one collaborative experience that encourages artists to continue to create new music. Dr. Justin Henry Rubin found that to be true of his experience working with the Sinfonia on Concierto Pequeño in 2015. He even invited his own composition students to observe the process and benefit from the insights he was gaining. The piece was later chosen to be a part of MPR’s Regional Spotlight Show. “I have never had such an in-depth and personalized experience,” said Rubin.
“I have never had such an in-depth and personalized experience,” —DR. JUSTIN HENRY RUBIN
Yue Lor, another composer chosen for the project, is a senior studying music composition at Concordia College. He plans to continue his music composition studies in graduate school. His composition, Subtle Bliss-Raging Anger, was premiered in February 2015. The composers’ commissioning program provided this young composer with the exciting opportunity to have his work performed by a professional orchestra, and to experience the rehearsal process of his piece. Throughout the process he received encouragement and feedback from professional musicians and the conductor, Jay Fishman.
