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Dimitri Mitropoulos with a musician, ca. 1940

Dimitri Mitropoulos (right) with a musician, ca. 1940.

Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting, ca. 1945

Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting, ca. 1945.

Dimitri Mitropoulos playing the piano

Dimitri Mitropoulos playing the piano, January 1, 1938.

Illustration of Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting

Illustration of Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting by artist Lowell S. Bobleter, undated.

Dimitri Mitroupoulos on the conductor's podium with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra

Dimitri Mitroupoulos on the conductor's podium with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Don Berg, ca. 1945.

Dmitri Mitropoulos rehearsing the Minneapolis Symphony, 1948

Dmitri Mitropoulos rehearsing the Minneapolis Symphony, March 25, 1948. Photo from the St. Paul Dispatch–Pioneer Press.

Members of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra prepare to go on tour

Members of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (including conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, center) prepare to go on tour, February 5, 1940.

Dimitri Mitropoulos at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, 1937–1949

Under the leadership of Greek conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (later renamed the Minnesota Orchestra) ranked among the best symphonic orchestras in the nation. Critics and audiences both lauded the ensemble, especially for its contemporary music program and its extensive national tours.