Osmo Vänskä,  Composer, Conductor, Clarinetist 

Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä became the Minnesota Orchestra's tenth music director in September 2003. Praised for his intense and dynamic performances, Vänskä is recognized for compelling interpretations of the standard, contemporary and Nordic repertoires, as well as the close rapport he establishes with the musicians he leads.

In his initial seasons in Minnesota, Vänskä has drawn acclaim for concerts both at home and abroad, including an August 2006 tour of major European festivals, a 2004 tour to European music capitals and performances in communities around Minnesota. During his tenure, he has emphasized Beethoven, Nielsen and Bruckner in programming, been named Conductor of the Year by Musical America and made his Twin Cities clarinet performance debut at the 2005 Sommerfest, playing the Beethoven Clarinet Trio. He won acclaim as a clarinetist in New York when he performed Mozart's Serenade No. 11 as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival in August 2007. Vänskä has extended his tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra through 2011.

In 2004 Vänskä and the Orchestra embarked on a five-year, five-disc recording project with the Swedish label BIS to record the complete Beethoven symphonies. With four albums now issued-featuring Symphonies No. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9-the cycle has drawn superlative international reviews and a Grammy nomination (“Best Orchestral Performance”) for the Ninth Symphony. According to The New Yorker (November 2006), “This is some of the most vivid Beethoven playing on the market.”

The many honors and distinctions awarded Vänskä include an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow, a privilege given in recognition of his tenure as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony. In May 2002 he was honored with a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for his outstanding contribution to classical music during 2001. In December 2004 Musical America named Vänskä 2005 Conductor of the Year.

Vänskä resides in Minneapolis. Additional biographical information about Vänskä can be found on the Minnesota Orchestra site.

Stephen Heinemann,  composer 
Stephen Heinemann is Associate Professor of Music at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He teaches composition, music theory and clarinet and directs the new music ensemble Peoria Lunaire.  He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Francisco State University and his doctorate from the University of Washington. His published theoretical works have dealt with aspects of the music of Pierre Boulez and Elliott Carter and with the clarinet music of Paul Hindemith. He is a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research and an editor of its journal.

Dr. Heinemann is a currently a clarinetist with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and alto saxophonist with the Central Illinois Jazz Orchestra and the Todd Kelly Quintet, for which he has written a number of pieces.  He has also recently performed at the jazz festivals of Vienne (France), Montreux and Brienz (Switzerland), and Umbria and Tuscany (Italy).

Tomas Smith,  MC 
Tomas Smith is a lifelong Westsider who graduated from both St. Matthew’s Grade School and Humboldt High School. Currently Tom is the Assistant Chief of Police for the Saint Paul Police Department and also is on the Board of Directors for the Neighborhood House Association. Both Tom and his wife are volunteers and strong supporters of the Westside Boys and Girls Club and believe in the philosophy of giving back to the community. Tomas also co-runs a mentor program for at-risk youth at Humboldt High School.

Tomas has a master’s degree in education and leadership from the University of St. Thomas. He strongly believes that education is the key component in preparing our youth to become our leaders of tomorrow.

Kathy Saltzman Romey,  director 
Kathy Saltzman Romey was appointed artistic director of the Minnesota Chorale in 1995, after serving as associate artistic director from 1990-94 and as acting director during the 1994-95 season. She has prepared the Chorale for performances with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and has developed and coordinated the Chorale’s nationally recognized Bridges outreach program.

In October 2004, Romey was named choral advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra, in conjunction with the appointment of the Minnesota Chorale as principal chorus.

Romey graduated from the University of Oregon and continued studies in Frankfurt under renowned Bach scholar and conductor Helmuth Rilling, receiving a degree in choral conducting from the Frankfurt State Conservatory of Music. During her five years in Germany, she assisted Rilling at the Memorial Church in Stuttgart, served as a member of the Gaechinger Kantorei and was a staff member of the International Bach Academy.

Since 1984 Romey has been a member of the Oregon Bach Festival’s artistic staff. She currently serves as preparation conductor of the 54-voice professional chorus for festival performances and recordings. In 1998, she prepared the Bach Festival Chorus for its world premiere performance and Grammy Award-winning recording of Krzysztof Penderecki’s Credo; she subsequently prepared the International Bach Academy Chorus for the European premiere of the same work. The following year, she again joined the International Bach Academy for Brahms’ German Requiem before its European tour, and in 2000 she assisted Rilling in preparation of Bach’s Mass in B minor at the Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. She has served as chorus master to the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart for projects in Germany, France, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and the United States. In 2005, she prepared programs with Carnegie Hall, the Westminster Symphonic Chorus and the Netherlands Radio Chorus. Most recently, she served as chorus master for the 2006 Festival Ensemble Stuttgart and the 2007 Carnegie Hall Festival Chorus, and was a guest conductor with the 2007 Berkshire Choral Festival.

Romey joined the conducting faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1992. She currently holds the position of director of choral activities and directs the concert choir and chamber singers; previously, she was director of choral activities at Macalester College. A strong advocate for contemporary music, Romey writes The Composer’s Voice column for the International Choral Bulletin. She was named 2002 Conductor of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and received the 2006 Arthur ‘Red’ Motley award for exemplary teaching from the University of Minnesota. Romey is active as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States.

Takako Seimiya Senn,  trumpet 

An artist with international credentials, Takako Seimiya Senn won first prize in the prestigious Tokyo Bunkakaikan Hall Competition in 1993 and continues to be in demand as a soloist and freelance performer. Recently, she won first place for the Solo Concerto Competition for Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to perform in their 2009-2010 season.

She was selected for a 2001 tour of Japan and a 2008 tour of New York City with the Minnesota Orchestra and has performed in numerous subscription concerts including several recordings. She also has performed with the Minnesota Opera and many freelance orchestral and chamber ensembles, as well as a 2008 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and a 2009 production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.

She earned her Bachelor of Music Degree in performance and education at Musashino Academia Musicae, Tokyo, Japan and received her Masters and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance at the University of Minnesota.

Takako is a dedicated teacher who has been teaching scores of students in various high schools and music studios around the Twin Cities. She has taught as an adjunct professor of Trumpet at St. Cloud State University and currently as an adjunct professor at Concordia University – St. Paul and is on the faculty at MacPhail Center for Music. Her teachers and coaches are Manny Laureano, David Baldwin, Gary Bordner, Ron Hasselmann, Frank Bencriscutto and Isao Fukui.

KrisAnne Weiss,  mezzo soprano 

Praised by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel for her 'even, warm sound and facile technique,' KrisAnne Weiss, mezzo soprano, continues to amass regional credits in opera, concert, and recital. She has performed leading roles in L'Italiana in Algeri, The Dangerous Liaisons, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Cenerentola, Cosi fan tutte, and Madama Butterfly. Most recently, she made her Minnesota Opera debut in John Adams' Nixon in China.

Among Ms. Weiss' concert appearances are solos in Bach's B minor Mass and passions, Mozart's C minor Mass and Requiem, and Vivaldi's Gloria. An advocate of contemporary music and art song, she has also performed Libby Larsen's song cycle Mary Cassatt with the Plymouth Symphony of Michigan and Dominick Argento's song cycle Casa Guidi with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in Saint Paul. In February 2003, Ms. Weiss premiered Edie Hill's dramatic concert work Amy Lowell: a Rare Pattern, a piece written for her, in Minneapolis.

Also an accomplished recitalist and chamber musician, Ms. Weiss has given many solo recitals in the Twin Cities and can be heard in frequent recital collaborations with other local musicians. She has performed Ned Rorem's Santa Fe Songs with the Bakken Trio, has appeared on concert series at Saint Anthony Park Lutheran Church and Unity Church-Unitarian in Saint Paul, and has presented recitals at the Minneapolis Woman's Club and for the Minnesota Grieg Society.

Ms. Weiss has taught on the voice faculties of the University of Minnesota and Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. She is finishing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance at the University of Minnesota. She maintains a private voice studio in Saint Paul and teaches at the Mount Olivet School of Music in Minneapolis.

John Tartaglia,  Composer 
John Tartaglia (b. 1932) was a violist with the Minnesota Orchestra from 1968 to 1999. A resident of Minneapolis, he studied at Rome's Conservatory of Santa Cecilia and earned a degree in humanities from the University of Florida. He has been a faculty member of the University of Minnesota and Oberlin Conservatory of Music.