In March of 2019, Dessa and the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra joined forces to record a live album. They sold out two nights at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, wired it with microphones, and put on an epic show full of rap bangers, infectious pop songs, tragic ballads, costume changes, and a little Bach. But how do hip-hop tracks get transformed into compositions that can be played by more than 75 classical musicians? (Spoiler: it involves arranger extraordinaire Andy Thompson and more than a thousand pages of scores.) Is it true that conductor Sarah Hicks uses a baton molded specially for her hand? (IT IS.) Does Dessa's floor-length red cape write its own Instagram posts? (You'll have to ask it yourself.) This program will pull back the curtain to explore the workings of this ambitious project through stories, images, and live performance from a string quartet composed of Minnesota Orchestra players.

Doors: 6 pm
Performance: 7 pm
End: 8:30 pm
Location: Orchestra Hall Target Atrium
Hosted by Andrea Swensson & Melissa Ousley

This is an invite-only event, but we are giving away a few tickets online and on the radio. We'll have information soon about upcoming broadcast and videos of this event.

Dessa - The Making of 'Sound the Bells' ticket giveaway

Presented by The Current, Classical MPR and Minnesota Orchestra. This event is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.