Minnesota Orchestra honors $15 million in support with auditorium renaming

The main auditorium at Orchestra Hall will be renamed in honor of longtime supporters of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Nancy and John Lindahl have pledged $15 million to the organization. Most of the money has already been donated over the past few years, with the remainder pledged for the future.

Nancy Lindahl has also served on the board of the Orchestra since 1998, and as the chair since 2023 — her tenure as chair ended earlier this week.  

“The Minnesota Orchestra has meant the world to me since I was a child,” Nancy said in a press release. As board chair, Nancy helped secure funding for the Minnesota Orchestra’s Upper Harbor Terminal Amphitheater, which breaks ground this fall.

The Minnesota Orchestra said the auditorium inside Orchestra Hall will be renamed the Lindahl Auditorium to honor both Nancy and John’s contributions. The name change will happen this fall.

The announcement of the new auditorium name comes a few weeks after the Minnesota Orchestra announced its new president and CEO, Isaac Thompson, and a few months after it reported a near $4 million operating loss in the 2023-24 fiscal year. 

The Minnesota Orchestra begins its new season Sept. 18, with a concert featuring works by Leonard Bernstein and Richard Strauss.