A friendship between an indie hip-hop artist and a world-class symphony orchestra might seem unlikely. But the new record is the product of a long partnership—and the innovative character of both parties. Dessa’s music often defies genre: she’s recorded aggressive rap records with the Doomtree crew; released melancholic ballads and infectious pop songs as a solo artist; co-written for a 100-voice choir with composer Jocelyn Hagen; and contributed to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s The Hamilton Mixtape. The Minnesota Orchestra, has recorded more than 450 works in a recording history that dates back more than ninety years (winning the 2014 GRAMMY award for Best Orchestral Performance). Most recently, the Orchestra has recorded acclaimed complete cycles of symphonies by Sibelius, Beethoven and, now in progress, Mahler, with Music Director Osmo V?nsk?. Over the past few years, Dessa and the Orchestra have sold out Orchestra Hall six times over (at just under 2,000 attendees each go); Dessa has performed at black-tie orchestral special events, and even accompanied the Orchestra on its history-making tour through South Africa as a social media correspondent for Minnesota Public Radio’s classical station. OVERVIEW - Live album featuring 17 of Dessa’s strongest songs, ambitiously rearranged by musician and composer Andy Thompson, and recorded live across two sold-out shows performed in March of 2019 - The concerts were held in downtown Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall, a striking venue with an unmistakable acoustic design. - Executive produced by Lazerbeak and Minnesota Orchestra Director of Live at Orchestra Hall programming, Grant Meachum
