Bethlehem Music Series

Founded by Steven Amundson of St. Olaf College and now directed by William Schrickel, former Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and founding member of the Minneapolis Artists Ensemble, the MSC's reputation for artistic excellence continues to grow as it provides brilliant, innovative programming with world-class soloists.  William Schrickel has been the Music Director of the Metropolitant Symphony Orchestra since 2000. A former Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota ORchestra, he was also Music Director of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra from 2002-2008 and received a prestigious Award for Adventurous Programming from ASCAP and the League of American Orchestras in 2006.  An active chamber musician, Schrickel has been a member of the the Hill House Chamber Players in St. Paul and was a founding member of the Minneapolois Artists Enesemble. 

Joining the MSO for this concert are mezzo soprano, KrisAnne Weiss  and trumpeter Takako Seimiya Senn. Ms Weiss has been praised by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel for her 'even, warm sound and facile technique'. KrisAnne continues to amass regional credits in opera, concert, and recital. She has performed leading roles in L'Italiana in Algeri, The Dangerous Liasions, The Merry Wives of WIndsor, Cosi fan tute, and Madame Butterfly.

An artist with international credentials, Takako Seimiya Senn won first prize in the prestigious Tokyo Bunkakaikan Hall Competition in 1993 and continues to be in demand as a soloist and freelance performer. Recently, she won first place for the Solo Concerto Competition for MSO to perform in their 2009-2010 season. Senn will be the featured soloist in Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto, and mezzo soprano KrisAnne Wiess sins the premiere of Minneapolist composer John Tartaglia's Dark Night-Glad Day, a work incorporating poetry taken from the late Bill Holm's final book, The Windows of Brimnes. The program concludes with Russian Easter Overture, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's radiant symphonic tour de force.

Come and be filled with rich sonorities from the Russian music tradition.

http://www.msoa.net/