Osmo Vänskä conducting the Minnesota Orchestra. Photo by Tom Wallace.

The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and countless of its patrons have repeatedly stressed that they want Osmo Vänskä back as their leader. Vänskä himself has said via Facebook he woud like to be asked back. Common sentiment among those in the know is that for Vänskä to return, MOA president Michael Henson must go. Now Vänskä has made at least an indirect statement to the same effect by publicly endorsing -- again on Facebook -- a blogger's "open letter" to new MOA board chair Gordon Sprenger listing reasons why, in his view, Henson must be dismissed, among them lack of outside support and musician hostility.

Scott Chamberlain, who blogs about the orchestra at Mask of the Flower Prince, posted the letter yesterday. Vänskä "liked" a link to the post on Chamberlain's Facebook page, and on another page linking to the blog, he wrote "Well said, again and again! Thanks Scott!"

Sprenger's comments in a recent interview on Minnesota Public Radio seem to indicate where he is throwing his support. He praised Henson, calling him a "very, very good leader for the orchestra," and noted that Vänskä "did resign during this time."