You can see the roll call of the MMO community putting the 2023 season to bed at the year's final concert above, at the Landmark Center.  It's the largest group photo we've ever had-- and we're short three players who couldn't make it to the performance due to illness.

This year we scaled back the number of concerts we played from 22 to 14 to give us more rehearsal time for the 33 tunes that we did play.  We had 47 players and some special guests play with us this year.  More than 20 of us travelled to the perform at the annual CMSA convention in Kansas City this year. Lou guesses that by membership, we're the largest mandolin orchestra in North America.  (If you think your group is bigger, let's meet up for a group performance!)

We hope to see you at our first public performance of 2024 at Edinborough Park in Edina April 7 from 6-7pm.

Happy New Year!

We're excited for the Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra's upcoming 2023 season. Our new rotation features a new episode of "100 years ago mandolin orchestras were crazy about...", premieres from three local composers and counting, a trip around the world with stops in the Phillipines and Egypt, and of course a tune or two from the Beatles.
Join us at either of our first two performances at

• Edinborough Park in Edina on April 16th from 6-7pm,
• or Thompson Park Activity Center in West Saint Paul April 19th from 1-2pm. (Dessert provided, reservations required before April 14.)

Keep an eye on our schedule at our homepage or subscribe to our newsletter.

The Minnesota Mandolin Orchestra is excited about our upcoming concert at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on July 17th.  We'll perform at the Ordway Picnic Shelter from 1:30 - 3 pm.

The setlist will feature music by mandolinist, composer and Minnesotan Peter Ostroushko of Prairie Home Companion fame. In addition to works by Peter, we’re featuring a new composition by our composer-in-residence, Sherry Ladig. Her "Waltz for Peter Ostroushko" is a lovely tune.  The setlist also includes work by our very own Ben Gieseke-- a local to the Chaska area. He’s a fantastic player and we’re excited to share his composition, “Defiant.”​

There is a fee to enter the Arboretum, so plan to take in the lovely walking paths and gardens either before or after the concert. You can purchase tickets to the Arboretum online at https://arb.umn.edu, or call (612) 301-6775.

Hope to see you there!

Thrilled to be back to somewhat normal performances. So far this year, the MMO has performed at Eagle Crest senior living facility and the Landmark Center in St Paul to a large, enthusiastic crowd!

We’re looking forward to performing at Summerwood senior living facility in Plymouth and great performances at various outdoor locales this summer.

Our theme this year is music composed by, arranged by and written in memory of our favorite famous mandolinist from northeast Minneapolis, Peter Ostroushko of Prairie Home Companion fame. We premiered a new work in his honor at the Landmark Center — "Waltz for Peter Ostroushko" — by our composer-in-residence Sherry Ladig. It is a lovely tune.

Another premiere at Sunday's concert was composed by the orchestra's very own Ben Gieseke. Called "Defiant," it is an energetic audience pleaser. We are thankful for Ben's talents!
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In May, we’re heading to Decorah, Iowa to perform at a musical memorial for composer John Goodin. The community of mandolin orchestras will miss him dearly.

We have exciting outdoor events again this summer (Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Richfield Bandshell, Loring Park Arts Festival and Centennial Lakes). 

For dates, check our Calendar. We are always adding events to our calendar.  You can also subscribe to our Newsletter for updates to your email inbox.

As always, we encourage anyone who plays one of our instruments (mandolin, mandola/octave mandolin, mandocello, guitar or bass) who is interested to attend a rehearsal. If you like what we do, come back and you're in! No auditions. Check our rehearsal schedule. If we're not performing, we're likely rehearsing, so come join us!

We emerged from our pandemic pause with four August performances and two premieres.

Thanks to our fans for showing up in droves cheering us on through ur public shows at Centennial Lakes Park in Edina, the Lake Harriet Bandshell, and the Dock and Paddle at the Como Lake Pavilion.  Seeing couples and children dancing to our music validates hours of rehearsal.
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The staff of Friendship Village generously hosted us at the very end of August.  Our audience there always greets the end of the performance with cheer and questions about our instruments, music, and performance history.

The first full mandolin orchestra rehearsal of 2021 is scheduled for Monday, June 7, 7:00 pm, outdoors at 2412 West Valentine Avenue in Saint Paul.  Take your own chair.  If it's raining on June 7, the rehearsal will be on June 8 instead.  We'll play music from the summer concert set lists.

Lon made new parts for the Glora Suite Rêverie for flute, mandolin 1, mandolin 2, mandocello, and guitar.  The new parts are in Dropbox and have files names that include "gloria-8."  Please update your notebooks with the new parts if you play one of those instruments.

​Lon has been populating the Dropbox 2021 season "videos" folder with play-along files for people to use when practicing at home.  The folder has 14 ".web" files, mostly links to YouTube videos.  For the other pieces in the summer repertoire, the guide tracks we used in making videos are good for play-along practice.

Since we're not all able to meet in person, yet, those practice files, along with small regional rehearsals, will help us get ready for the August concerts.

If you have any questions about the music, send them to Lon.