Childress Leads

Young Franco-British conductor Stephanie Childress leads the Minnesota Orchestra through Beethoven's unique Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano, featuring violinist Sarah Grimes, cellist Silver Ainomae and pianist Alessio Bax. Despite still being in her mid-twenties - an exceptionally young age for such an accomplished conductor - Childress has already conducted some of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (Japan) and many orchestras across the United States. See just why she's such an exciting star in this magnificent program, which also features performances of Britten's Simple Symphony and Schumann's Third Symphony.

A Hidden Gem

Beethoven's triple concerto is unlike much else in the composer's repertoire. It is the only concerto he composed for multiple solo instruments, and the skill required by all three soloists - who must act more similarly to a chamber group than competing individual virtuosos - it is not as commonly performed as some of his other concerto. The pianist at its debut public performance in 1808 was the Archduke of Austria, for whom it had been composed.