Arts | Page 7 | MNopedia

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.

Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra

Dimitri Mitropoulos conducts the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra on March 5, 1948.

Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting a vocal soloist

Dimitri Mitropoulos (standing, right) conducts a student vocal soloist performing with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra on March 5, 1948.

Dimitri Mitropoulos with sixth graders at a children’s concert

Dimitri Mitropoulos (seated, center) with sixth graders attending a children’s concert at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. From the Minneapolis Daily Times, January 22, 1947.

Dimitri Mitropoulos becoming a US citizen

Dimitri Mitropoulos (center), born a citizen of Greece, becomes a US citizen during a ceremony held in Minneapolis. From the Minneapolis Daily Times, March 13, 1946.

Dimitri Mitropoulos signing a contract with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra

Dimitri Mitropoulos (right) prepares to sign a two-year contract with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Bruce Sifford Studio, April 27, 1941. The contract was later extended, and Mitropoulos remained the conductor of the orchestra until 1949.

Dimitri Mitropoulos rehearsing the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra

Dimitri Mitropoulos rehearsing the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, ca. 1940.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues, Bemidji

Originally conceived as a gimmick to promote tourism during the city’s 1937 Winter Carnival, the Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues in Bemidji became the second-most-photographed sculptures in the country in the 1940s. The prototypical “roadside colossus” inspired dozens of other Minnesota and Midwest cities to create similar works in the decades that followed.

Gale Family Library