Entertainment Briefs - Aug. 21

Summer Celebration commemorates sounds of the seasons

The Lakes Area Music Festival brings its finale titled "Summer Celebration" to the Tornstrom Auditorium stage for its last two performances at 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

"Summer Celebration" will include refreshing and unpredictable sounds of the summer season, including works from Hugo Alfvén, Benjamin Britten and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The concert will kick off with Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén's festival "Midsummer Vigil," a musical celebration of summer solstice, followed by "Four Sea Interludes" from Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes. The featured piece on the concert is Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony, a showcase of virtuosity from all sections of the orchestra, including the most cymbal crashes per minute of any orchestral piece in the repertoire. The piece includes motifs of fate, melancholy and grand rejoicing to end the festival's season.

"Our sixth series of accessible classical music proves that we live in a community where the arts can thrive alongside the other popular lakes area summer traditions- the best lakeside recreation in the state, championship golf courses and even international drag racing," Executive and Artistic Director Scott Lykins said. "I look forward to the continued growth of this festival and being the driving force of the future of classical music."

Fresh off Lykins' work on the festival's production of "Hansel & Gretel," conductor Andrew Altenbach of the Boston Conservatory will return to lead the symphony orchestra of nationally recognized musicians. Maestro Altenbach will also host a pre-concert lecture a half hour prior to each performance.

Seating will be limited; early arrival is recommended for both showings, which are free to the public.

The Lakes Area Music Festival is an annual summer series attracting more than 100 of the country's leading orchestral and vocal performers.

Book-signing event

BAXTER - Author Melissa Willis will appear from noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 30 for a book-signing event at Book World, located north of Baxter.

Willis of Brainerd will be available to sign copies of her book, "Shayla and Her Ookey."

All children have a possession they just can't live without. For Shayla it is her ookey.

Robert Frost program in Hackensack

HACKENSACK - "The Life and Poetry of Robert Frost" will be performed at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday by Gary Zmolek at the Art and Book Festival at the Union Church in Hackensack.

The Frost program started as an inspiration for Zmolek when he participated in a poetry recitation competition. He developed a program that combined biographical and critical commentary about Frost with memorized recitations of some of his poems.

Over the years, Frost has been called one of the finest writers of the English language and a poet who created poems with immediate appeal and understandability.

Zmolek is a retired Iowa school teacher who taught English, Talented and Gifted Programs and coached individual speech competitions. He has now developed a second career as a spoken word artist and a second home on Long Lake in Longville.

'Collaboration of Two' to be on display in Little Falls

LITTLE FALLS - An art exhibition for Jeri Olson-McCoy and RC McCoy's "Collaboration of Two" will be displayed through Sept. 27 in the main gallery at the Great River Arts Center in Little Falls. The exhibit will feature Olson-McCoy's weavings and McCoy's abstract paintings. An opening reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. today, Aug. 21.

Working out of a studio in St. Cloud, across the street from Clemens Gardens, the McCoys focus on nature for their main form of inspiration. Olson-McCoy draws influence from trees in particular, and also from other artists and life. She experiments with various techniques using mostly natural fibers and adding miscellaneous things for additional interest.

In her fiber work, Olson-McCoy also uses wire for warp which create a more sculptural piece by adding ripples to an often flat media. Her pieces range from wearables to functional home elements such as placemats and table coverings, to hangings and installations.

McCoy's first experience painting abstracts began in 2000 when a design client requested 10 original abstract paintings to be reproduced on fabric and sold at McCormick place, the convention center in Chicago. He finds abstraction to be one of the most natural forms of expression, and believes nature is a wonderful example of natural abstraction stating, "rarely is nature symmetrical or balanced in its form."

McCoy has large scale, abstract acrylics on canvas and Olson-McCoy has mixed media tapestries.

For more information on the exhibit contact the Great River Arts Center at www.greatart.org .

Auditions for 'Singin' in the Rain' planned

PEQUOT LAKES - The Pequot Lakes Community Theater will hold auditions for the fall musical production "Singin' in the Rain" at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 8-9 in the Pequot Lakes High School Theater.

Auditions are open to actors age 15 and up and include a singing audition and dance steps. Those interested select one day to audition. People must prepare a song from any musical to use for the audition and bring their own sheet music.

"Singin' in the Rain" tells the story of one particular movie studio in the 20s making the transition from silent movies to talkies. With a funny script, it has a well- known soundtrack including "All I Do is Dream of You," "Make 'Em Laugh," "You Were Meant for Me," "Good Morning," "Broadway Melody" and "Singin' in the Rain."

Directed by Gary Hirsch and choreographed by Wendy DeGeest, the production will require a large cast including a large chorus and more than 20 speaking roles. Hirsch and DeGeest worked together as a director/choreographer team last year on the production "Oliver!"

"Singin' in the Rain" is a tap dancing show. DeGeest teaches basic tap dance through Pequot Lakes Community Education. Classes will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28, Sept. 2 and 4 in the high school theater. To register call community education at 218-568-9200. The class fee is $5 for all four sessions.

Rehearsals start at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11 and will be held Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Solos and some scenes will be worked on Wednesdays. About three weeks before the show opens rehearsals will be held every week night. A rehearsal schedule will be handed out at the first rehearsal. Show dates are Nov. 14-16 and 21-23.

Crosslake Art Show award winner

CROSSLAKE - More than 1,000 people recently attended the Crosslake Art Show where there were more than 30 artists showing their work.

Winners of the People's Choice awards were Laurel LaBorde for her painting of Crosslake fireworks; Barbara Neihart for her painting of a red canoe; and Phyllis Frankum for her painting of hollyhocks.

The Crosslake Art Club is a group of more than 30 local artists who meet the first Monday of each month at the Crosslake Community Center.

Annual Elbow Convention set at Shep's

Shep's on 6th in downtown Brainerd will be host its annual Elbow Convention Friday and Saturday.

The convention includes live music that will be held outdoors at Shep's. Performing Friday night will be the Scott Koffman Band and Saturday night Junk FM will perform.