MANKATO — On the verge of its 75th season, the Mankato Symphony Orchestra last week was reminded to celebrate its longevity when symphony members learned that longtime artistic director and conductor Ken Freed had died.
Freed, 64, was honored Sunday in a memorial at Temple Israel in Minneapolis. He died June 29 after entering the first leg of a sprint triathlon. Freed and his wife, Gwendolyn, along with son, Jonah, were participating together.
“Ken Freed stepped into his role as music director of the MSO following Dianne Pope’s tenure and quickly made a lasting impression,” said Bethel Balge, executive director. With her flamboyance and dedication to the orchestra, she was a tough act to follow, so Freed did the wise thing: He brought his own strengths to the role.
“Over the course of his 12 seasons, he elevated the orchestra’s artistic profile, bringing ambitious productions to life and welcoming esteemed guest soloists — many from his colleagues in the Minnesota Orchestra (where he played viola for 27 years) — who might not otherwise have performed in our community,” Balge said.
That included his own brand of flamboyance, both during rehearsals and performances. Emily Saathoff was concertmaster during Freed’s term with MSO.
“He led each rehearsal and performance with a high level of expectation beautifully balanced with an unbelievable sense of humor,” Saathoff wrote in an email. “It was always clear that Ken loved to make music, whether it was performing or leading from the podium, and the depth of his commitment to our art was infectious.”
It was not uncommon for Freed to appear in costume to match the music being played. And, when he could, he added another level of enthusiasm to the performance. And he loved to exchange jokes with others, taking as well as giving good-natured ribbing.
“The memory of him that comes most often to mind is playing the annual Fourth of July Concert,” Saathoff said. “Rather than conduct, Ken would dance on the podium to the City Mouse Band, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces and adding a certain energy to our playing.”
Benji Inniger, now operations manager for MSO, knew Freed on a musical level.
“He was the first person to give me a shot at composing for orchestra, got me involved in other great musical initiatives, and meant a great deal to my life and career,” he wrote on Facebook. “The mark he made on this world is evident and he will be greatly missed.”
MSO bassist Rolf Erdahl had the following comment: “Such a loss. Talented and encouraging musician and ebullient human being. Inquiring mind. Irrepressible, wicked sense of humor. Lucky to have had so many chances to work with him as conductor and violist.”
For MSO, Freed created the Free Family Fun Series where young listeners can discover and learn about the history, purpose and joy of classical music. It continues as See Play Hear. In addition, the symphony collaborates with VINE Faith in Action to present additional performances aimed at a more mature audience.
Longtime MSO board member Herb Kroon remembered a story Freed once shared with him … as well as many other Mankato people he came into contact with. But the story varies a bit, whether via Freed or the listener is uncertain.
In 1995 or ’96, Freed was playing in the orchestra for a musical on Broadway, either “Tommy” or “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” depending on who’s recounting the story. They were playing at the same time, Kroon said.
“The basics of the story are the same,” Kroon said. “The (musicians) are upstairs. They’re not in the orchestra pit. So, they’re kind of by themselves and they would watch the conductor on closed-circuit TV. To while away the time, they played cards. Like poker.”
Legend has it that Freed got a good hand and yelled out in excitement.
“What he didn’t realize was that they were still mic’d, so the whole audience heard that,” he laughed, noting the exclamation might have been of a mature nature.
In the version he heard, the next day the music director informed Freed that not only was he fired, but that he would never play in an orchestra pit on Broadway ever again.
Broadway’s loss was Mankato’s gain for 12 years and beyond.
Upon his departure from the symphony in 2019, Freed released a statement that said, in part: “It has been a joy and a privilege to lead this wonderful orchestra these last 12 years. I wish the Mankato Symphony all good things going forward.”
Freed’s love of music was first ignited in New York, where he was born on Jan. 27, 1961, and adopted by construction executive Seymour Freed and child psychologist Ruth Freed, according to the Star Tribune. At age 6, he started taking violin lessons with Elizabeth Weickert, a refugee who had fled the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. He later would switch to the viola, drawn to its deep, “chocolatey sound.”
In addition to his wife, survivors include sons Zachary of Washington, D.C., and Jonah, of Minnetonka, and daughter Nellie of Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Orchestra plans to dedicate upcoming concerts to Freed.