Preserving the Minnesota Orchestra's Concert Broadcast History

The Minnesota Orchestra successfully digitized and preserved 224 performances from its archival collection of broadcast concert recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, which previously existed only in unstable formats. The distinctive recorded sound of the Minnesota Orchestra is arguably the most critical component of its history to preserve. The first phase of this project has preserved important repertoire and legendary performances from a pivotal and highly active period in the Minnesota Orchestra’s life that is rich in material of artistic and historical value to our own community and the nation. In addition to the musical record, most of these broadcast concerts also feature intermission interviews with guest artists, guest conductors, and other notable personalities that may be a rich source of information for researchers and others.

The digitized and preserved concert recordings from this project are now being held in the archives of the Minnesota Orchestra’s library, Minnesota Public Radio’s Digital Media Archive, and the University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archive. Each institution has its own policies for on-site access to materials by researchers and the public at large.
Recipient: Minnesota Orchestra Association