The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra have named Martin Fröst as their newest Artistic Partner. 

Martin made his critically-acclaimed debut with the ensemble last month in a series of concerts which the Pioneer Press described as ​“full of imagination, spirit and technical skill marvellously satisfying and most memorable.”

The new partnership begins in March 2015 as part of the SPCO’s Cal Performances residency at the University of California Berkeley,and will continue through to the 2018/19 season.

Announcing the appointment, SPCO President Bruce Coppock said, ​“in seeking Artistic Partners for the SPCO, we first look for artists who have an inordinate capacity to inspire our audiences and musicians alike. Martin Fröst’s concerts with the SPCO last month were perhaps the most kinetic, awe-inspiring performances SPCO audiences have ever experienced, and the energy Martin released into our musicians was the very definition of leadership through inspiration”. 

Kyu-Young Kim, the SPCO’s Senior Director of Artistic Planning and principal second violinist commented that ​“Martin is a supernaturally gifted performer, and he instantly raises the level of the players around him with his inspired music making”. 

In addition to residencies at London’s Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and with the Gothenburg and Cincinnati Symphony orchestras, Martin’s upcoming highlights include concerts with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich (with Herbert Blomstedt), Houston Symphony (Andrés Orozco-Estrada), Rotterdam Philharmonic (Thomas Søndergård), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Neeme Järvi) and hr-Sinfonieorchester (Paavo Järvi). He will also join the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Riccardo Chailly on tour.