Osmo Vänskä pulls out the licorice stick to sit in with about 50 members of his Minnesota Orchestra on May 22. The Minnesota Chorale with Kathy Romey and other musical guests are on the bill for a benefit at Benson Hall for those affected by the Japanese tsunami. The program is being conducted by Akira Mori, currently at Drake University in Des Moines. Mori is familiar to Minnesota audiences for his time with the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and his stint as acting assistant under Eiji Oue at the Minnesota Orchestra.
The program on the 22nd includes Copland, Rimsy-Korsakov, Barber and several songs from Japan. It's a free concert with donations accepted at the door. Benson Hall is on the Bethel University campus in Arden Hills, 3900 Bethel Drive. The concert starts at 4 p.m.
