Terry Blain, Star Tribune, 11th May 2018 "If unfamiliarity was a problem for the Minnesota Orchestra musicians at the beginning of this week’s rehearsals, it had evaporated by the time…
Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press, 10th May 2018 "Making his Minnesota Orchestra debut on the podium was English conductor Michael Francis, and it felt as if the orchestra’s musicians trusted his…
David J Brown, LA Opus, 18th January 2018 "...how well did Mr. Francis convey his obvious commitment and interpretative insights to an orchestra that had never played the work before?…
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 10th December 2017 "The gala, the orchestra’s only major fund-raising event of the year, raised a record $1.5 million, money that will be used for…
Stefan Amzoll, Neues Deutschland, 15th November 2017 "Some, though not all, of Haydn's twelve London symphonies showcase how much Mozart learned from his example. The spirit of the Classical period…
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 28th October 2017 "All of those threads come together, however, in the fourth movement, a furious gathering of dozens of themes growing in real time…
Andrew Meacham, Tampa Bay Times, 3rd August 2017 "...this night and this event was all about the orchestra, which showed care and precision throughout. Under the baton of music director…
David Smythe, Bachtrack, 5th August 2017 ★★★★ "Gershwin’s An American in Paris was a colourful opener, the players immersing themselves into the spirit of Parisian daytime bustle with motor horns…
Neil Fisher, The Times, 6th July 2017 ★★★ "[Burgess’s Symphony in C] has some juicy orchestration and, conducting, Michael Francis brought glitter and bombast in equal measure to its swelling…
Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23rd June 2017 "Fully sounded, cleanly articulated, Mendelssohn’s splendor was captured with aplomb by the musicians... Elsewhere, they evinced enviable lightness or gorgeous lyricism."
