With today's announcement of Osmo Vänskä's resignation as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, here is a timeline of important milestones and highlights during Vänskä's tenure.
May 2001
Osmo Vänskä named new music director of Minnesota Orchestra, a post that will become effective in 2003
Sept. 2003
Vänskä becomes the 10th music director in Minnesota Orchestra history
2004
First full tour of Europe led by Osmo Vänskä, including Vienna, Berlin and London
December: Vänskä named Conductor of the Year 2005 by Musical America
2005
January: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album of Beethoven: Symphonies No 4 & 5 (BIS 1416)
Orchestra embarks on Regional Minnesota Tours, performing in cities in Greater Minnesota
Orchestra honored with Leonard Bernstein Award for Education Programming
2006
March 26: Brian Newhouse and Osmo Vänskä co-host a music performance and discussion at Barnes & Noble, Edina. In addition to speaking, conducting and signing autographs, Vänskä performs on clarinet
Orchestra embarks on Regional Minnesota Tours, performing in cities in Greater Minnesota
Vänskä premieres his original work, Here! ... Beyond?
June 27: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album of Beethoven: Symphonies No 3 & 8 (BIS 1516)
August: Tour of European Festivals led by Vänskä, including Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Helsinki.
September: Minnesota Orchestra performs a free concert at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, in an event dubbed "Osmo at Harriet"
October: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album of Beethoven: Symphony No 9 (BIS 1616)
Orchestra honored with Leonard Bernstein Award for Education Programming
2007
Orchestra embarks on Regional Minnesota Tours, performing in cities in Greater Minnesota
Orchestra honored with Leonard Bernstein Award for Education Programming
2008
January: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album of Beethoven: Symphonies No 1 & 6 (BIS 1716)
Orchestra embarks on Regional Minnesota Tours, performing in cities in Greater Minnesota
Vänskä's composition The Bridge, written as a reflection on the 2007 collapse of the 35W bridge, premiered by the Minnesota-based Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, under music director William Schrickel
August: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album of Beethoven: Symphonies No 2 & 7 (BIS 1816)
2009
March: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases Stephen Paulus's oratorio album: To Be Certain Of The Dawn (BIS 1726)
Second full tour of Europe led by Vänskä.
2010
March: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, performs at Carnegie Hall, inspiring The New Yorker's Alex Ross to write, "For the duration of the evening of March 1st, the Minnesota Orchestra sounded, to my ears, like the greatest orchestra in the world."
April: Minnesota Orchestra releases album Tchaikovsky: Romantic Piano Concertos Vol. 50 (Concertos 1, 2 & 3/ Concerto Fantasia), conducted by Vänskä, with pianist Stephen Hough
June: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases album Bruckner: Symphony No 4 (BIS 1746)
August: European Festivals tour, including two performances at the BBC Proms (56 & 57) in London, to critical acclaim
Vänskä given the Dinton Award by Columbia University, honored for his support of American music
Vänskä named 2010 Artist of the Year by Minneapolis Star Tribune
2011
January: Minnesota Orchestra releases Beethoven: Piano Concertos 4 & 5 (BIS 1758), led by Vänskä with Yevgeny Sudbin, piano
Orchestra honored with Leonard Bernstein Award for Education Programming
2012
January: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases Sibelius: Symphonies No 2 & 5 (BIS 1986)
Orchestra honored with Leonard Bernstein Award for Education Programming
October: Labor dispute lockout begins
2013
January: Vänskä conducts Chicago Symphony Orchestra in its Asian tour
March: Minnesota Orchestra, led by Vänskä, releases Sibelius: Symphonies No 1 & 4 (BIS 1996)
Oct. 1: Vänskä resigns as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra
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