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MPR News Staff
St. Paul, Minn.

Minnesota Orchestra sets May concerts in Cuba

Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra musicians play together at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Feb. 7, 2014.
Jeffrey Thompson / MPR News 2014

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The Minnesota Orchestra will perform two concerts this May in Cuba, becoming the first American orchestra to play on the island since the United States moved in December to normalize relations.

The performances on May 15 and May 16 will come as part of Havana's International Cubadisco Festival and feature the Beethoven Choral Fantasy with the Cuban National Choir and Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez, the orchestra said Thursday.

"Our musicians have embraced the possibility of giving these performances with great flexibility on a short time scale and offered to postpone a vacation week in order to take advantage of an incredible opportunity," orchestra president Kevin Smith said in a statement.

This won't be the orchestra's first time on the island. It played Cuba in 1929 and 1930.