Minnesota Orchestra cancels summer tour to Vietnam, South Korea

The Minnesota Orchestra has called off its tour to Vietnam and South Korea, set for late June, due to coronavirus pandemic.

"We wish to be exceedingly cautious about the possibility of spreading the virus through our own international travel," said Michelle Miller Burns, the orchestra's president and CEO, in a news release, "while being mindful of the health and safety of South Korean and Vietnamese audiences and the well-being of our musicians and touring staff."

Earlier this month, the orchestra canceled or postponed its concerts and all events at Orchestra Hall through April.

"We need to focus all our efforts now on re-establishing performances in Minnesota," Burns said.

Other orchestras across the world have also halted touring plans as coronavirus has spread. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, for example, canceled its February four-city tour to Asia.

The Minnesota Orchestra's performances in Vietnam would have followed high-profile trips to Cuba and South Africa.

The tour had included stops in Seoul, where music director Osmo Vänskä also leads the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and three cities in Vietnam. The U.S. Embassy had invited the orchestra to perform in Hanoi to celebrate the 25th anniversary of restored diplomatic relations.

The tour would have featured two new compositions by Vietnamese composers Do Hong Quan and Tran Manh Hung, commissioned by the Classical Movements, the company that helped shape the orchestra's 2015 tour of Cuba and 2018 trip to South Africa. The orchestra will play those works at a later date.

A "generous donor" will cover the costs incurred for the tour to date, spokeswoman Gwen Pappas said. That should be a small portion of the tour cost, she added, "since most of the significant expenses had yet to be incurred."

The nonprofit is checking in with each tour donor, she said. So far, most have directed their funding back into orchestra's ongoing work.

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168