Episode 104: Thomas Søndergärd

What a pleasure it was talking to Danish conductor ThomasSondegard as he began his journey as music director of theMinnesota Orchestra. Bringing broad experience in bothorchestral and opera repertoires, he has been music director ofthe Royal Scottish National Orchestra since 2018. Between 2012and 2018, he served as principal conductor of the BBC NationalOrchestra of Wales, and he has appeared with all the majororchestras in Europe. He is also a familiar figure in Scandinavia,working with such orchestras as Oslo Philharmonic, DanishNational Symphony, Royal Danish Orchestra, and RoyalStockholm Philharmonic.Discussing his special collaboration with the MinnesotaOrchestra musicians, Sondegard knew within minutes of theirfirst encounter that he wanted to work with them, finding arapport they instantly shared, and a willingness to explore newpaths together.We delved into the challenges of rehearsals, the complexity ofthe various musical genres, and the excitement of bringingunknown factors into a performance. He analyzes the intricaciesof Richard Strauss’s Don Juan and Der Rosenkavalier, reflectingon mood and drama of his favorite opera composer.We talked about what to expect in the upcoming programs,including works the audience hasn’t heard in a long time as hedigs deeper into French and American music. He plans tocombine a variety of classical and new music, of which he is aproponent.No doubt, it promises to be an exciting adventure ahead forMinnesota music lovers!