(classical music) - When we rehearsing in the hall, there's obviously no audience.

There's a lot of reverberation.

We hear a lot of sound coming off of that back wall, and then it comes to us.

(classical music) It's actually easier to hear each other on stage when we've got a full audience out there.

But beyond just the logistics of it, the energy that we pick up from our audience is like, it's hard to describe because they're so engaged and excited to be there.

(classical music) You pick up on the feel of that, and you just kind of sit up a little straighter and you just focus, but you're focused in a good way about like, let's do something really important here, let's do something really energetic, exciting here.

(energetic classical music) They're wanting that you deliver it and it's like a symbiotic relationship that is unlike any other.

(energetic classical music) - The Minnesota Orchestra audience is one of the most engaging and engaged audiences I've ever played for.

At the front of every score, the composer will say, "Here's the makeup of what the orchestra should be for this piece."

And I think in every single score it should also say, "and 2,000 people in the audience," because what is art without an audience?

I am very lucky to be right at the edge of the stage because I get to speak with the audience members on a regular basis because I'm right there, and I often welcome people to the bass section who are sitting in the chairs that are right next to us, so that's really fun.

One of the times that I was engaging with people at the edge of the stage, I was like, "Oh, come up, please put your hand on the bass, Feel these vibrations."

And it turns out that this woman and man met each other in meeting my bass and me introducing them to this beautiful instrument that I play, they started talking, turns out they started dating and were married within three months, which was just like, "What," I just, I couldn't, it brought me so much joy and happiness.

Double bass, (chuckles) bringing people together, who knew.

(sedate classical music) - I generally greet audience members before concerts in the lobby just to thank people for coming.

Frequently we'll get in a lengthy conversation and I'll get to find out a little bit about them, and they'll find out a little bit about me.

I've made a lot of connections and the stories are important to me, but one in particular just struck me as so interesting and surprising.

We were about to play Sibelius with Osmo, and I had been out in the lobby talking with patrons, and I went back through the ring corridor and saw an older gentleman and started talking to him, and he told me that he was very excited about he hearing Sibelius's first symphony.

And then he proceeded to tell me that his introduction to Sibelius's first Symphony.

He was on a submarine in World War II.

The officer in charge of the record player was a big Sibelius fan, and that's where this gentleman initially heard that piece and that turned him into a classical orchestral music lover for his entire life.

And that particular piece was very special to him because that was his first introduction to orchestral music.

I just thought, wow, that's crazy.

You were on a World War II submarine listening to Sibelius, and now you're back here, I think it was 70 years later.

Everything is better for me after talking to people in the lobby.

I'm more focused, I'm more into it, I'm more open to being carried away by the music than if I didn't talk to patrons, it's the weirdest thing, it's like the best thing that ever happened to me when I started doing it as far as my career in the orchestra.

(classical music) - We'll have busloads of younger folks show up to our concerts, whether that's their college age kids or sometimes it's high school kids.

And I always jump at that opportunity because to come out into the, in the lobby and see this large group of folks who are in their teens or early twenties, and see their excitement and their enthusiasm about what we were doing is, it really fuels me.

It feeds my soul as well to see that we actually are having an impact on these people and they're so excited.

I tell all of them I was where they were at some point, hoping, thinking, dreaming about possibly getting on stage at some time in my life.

And I just try it as best as I can to encourage 'em to keep going.

And I think I speak probably for everybody on stage.

When we feel your enthusiasm and your passion for what we do, it makes all of the work and the blood, sweat, and tears that we go through to sort of work on this difficult repertoire all worth it.

So if you're a member of our audience, thank you, really appreciate it.

(classical music) (audience applauding)