What do you do with a philosophy degree? Well, one possibility is going on to graduate school and becoming a professor who trains future philosophy professors. Or perhaps you could become a pop-flavored hip-hop artist who waxes poetic about heartbreak, loss and empowerment, sprinkling performances with stories of how traditional philosophical quandaries come into play in your own life.

The latter description likely only describes one person, and that would be Dessa. After collecting her philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota, she found her voice with the local Doomtree collective of rappers and instrumentalists, and she's spent almost 20 years rapping and singing complex, clever lyrics with a contemporary R&B soundtrack.

But could she be the artist who spearheads a new subgenre of orchestral hip-hop?

Judging from Thursday evening's first of three concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, it certainly seems that Dessa and her collaborators — particularly arranger Andy Thompson — are onto something fresh and exhilarating. It's their fourth time down a path they first blazed in 2017 and set to record with 2019's "Sound the Bells." And Thursday's almost-capacity crowd at Orchestra Hall clearly liked the formula, judging from its enthusiastic whoops and ovations.

And it is quite an exciting musical development, for Dessa has a singular style that lends itself well to the kind of big sweeping sounds a symphony orchestra can produce. When she isn't spitting out staccato descriptors in rapid rhythms, she's unleashing her soaring soprano voice upon some urgently heartfelt lines that are equally eloquent.

Yet I came away from Thursday's concert wishing that her songs — and particularly Thompson's orchestral arrangements — had been more musically adventurous. Dessa leaned heavily upon ballads, and there were too many instances in which one gradually building orchestral swell of sound accompanied by a martial snare drum started to sound very much like another. And those gathering storms of crescendos too often drowned out Dessa's fascinating lyrics and the exceptional harmonies she plied with her set of six singing collaborators.

While there were times when the ballads struck the right heart-grabbing balance — such as on "Call Off Your Ghost" or "Sound the Bells" — the performance was most thrilling during the fast numbers. Dessa's lightning delivery and wondrous wordplay were impressively enhanced by the orchestra doing things that drums, bass and synths simply can't on such songs as "Warsaw," "Talking Business" and "Fire Drills." And a fresh number, "I Already Like You," might be the sunniest thing Dessa's ever done, despite referring to herself as having "a markedly melancholy disposition."

Projections swirling all over the hall's walls and ceiling enhanced the presentation, but it was Dessa's storytelling skill that sealed the deal. Between songs, she spun the serialized story of a dental difficulty that, believe it or not, she successfully tied into a rumination on the ancient philosophical debate about Theseus' ship — i.e., if you gradually replace all the parts of a ship, is it the same ship? Ideas about identity, impermanence and change made for some deeply engaging soliloquies.

So with all of that epic emotion and big sound from conductor Sarah Hicks and the orchestra, many of the concert's most affecting moments came from one woman simply spinning a story. And using her philosophy education to entertaining effect.

Dessa with the Minnesota Orchestra
When: 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat.
Where: Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
Tickets: $54-$99, available at 612-371-5656 or minnesotaorchestra.org.
Note: Friday evening's concert will also be broadcast on TPT-2 and livestreamed at minnesotaorchestra.org.

Rob Hubbard is a Twin Cities classical music writer. Reach him at wordhub@yahoo.com.