HSO works with BHS orchestra program
Heartland Symphony Orchestra and the Brainerd High School Chamber Orchestra worked together and performed a winter concert this past December.
The BHS orchestra program is made up of three string ensembles and involves more than 100 students. All students who wished to continue their development on violin, viola, cello and bass were encouraged to participate.
The Chamber Orchestra, BHS's most advanced orchestra, was side-by-side with HSO for the concert. The collaboration is mutually beneficial as student musicians are exposed to new music from the standard repertoire, gain experience playing with a full orchestra and the HSO string section is strengthened by an additional 20-30 string players.
The two orchestras performed "Star Wars" by John Williams at the HSO concert on Dec. 4 at Tornstrom Auditorium. The student musicians also attended a side-by-side rehearsal to meet their new HSO stand partners and to experience playing in a full orchestra with winds, brass, and percussion.
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Heartland Symphony Orchestra presents three concert series each year in fall, winter and spring. Visit www.HeartlandSymphony.com for more information on HSO and contact BHS orchestra director Spencer Frie at spencer.frie@isd181.org on the high school program.
Monroe Crossing to perform benefit concert
MINNEAPOLIS-The Metropolitan Interfaith Council for Affordable Housing will present Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductees Monroe Crossing for a benefit concert from 2-5 p.m. Feb. 26 at Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Hopkins.
Monroe Crossing, two-time guest performers at Carnegie Hall and the first ever Minnesota Bluegrass band to play in South Korea, performs a blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. They have entertained audiences many times in the Brainerd lakes area and around the world.
Tickets are $25 per person. Go to www.micah.org for tickets.
The proceeds from this benefit will support MICAH in its work, advocating at the State Legislature for equitable and affordable housing throughout the State of Minnesota, organizing in communities in the Seven County Metro Area for affordable housing and transit and fighting for enforcement of the Federal Fair Housing Act in our Seven County Region and throughout the State of Minnesota.
Festival of the Arts planned March 30
PEQUOT LAKES-The 35th annual Pequot Lakes Festival of the Arts will be 5:30-8 p.m. March 30 in the Pequot Lakes High School new athletic complex and on the stage of the high school theater. Student and community artists will have visual arts displays in the high school gym. Performing artists, dancers and musicians will be on the stage in the high school theatre.
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Community artists are invited to set up exhibits or to perform. To arrange for an art display table or area, contact Molly Wiste at 218-568-9252. Performance artists should contact Pequot
Lakes Community Education at 218-568-9200 to reserve a place on the stage schedule.
The Festival of the Arts was started in 1982 and has grown throughout the years.
CLC student juried exhibition to open in March
Central Lakes College Art Gallery presents "Vibrant Beginnings," a CLC student juried exhibition, juried by artist A. Louella, a recent master's of fine arts graduate from New Mexico State University and multimedia artist working in video, sculpture and installation.
The exhibition will be on display March 1-31 and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gallery will be closed March 10-17 for spring break. The CLC Art Gallery is located at CLC's Brainerd campus.
This exhibition showcases work in a variety of disciplines. Artists use both contemporary and traditional methods to create work, which often addresses current events, personal experiences and identities and cliché. The work of these artists comes together to create a modern dialogue in "Vibrant Beginnings." Artwork created in the mediums of acrylic and oil paintings, digital illustration, mixed media, pencil drawings, collage, and ceramic pottery and sculpture will be on display.
Participating artists include Amy Edwards, Ashlee Carter, Daniel Truong, Diana Killian, Elijah Gabrio, Jennie Tulenchik, Kira Moses, Martin Nelson, Mitchell Cory Nelson, Rebecca Smude, Roberta Schroeder, Teagan Maloney and Tyler Huss.
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A juror talk will accompany the exhibition and be 2-2:30 p.m. March 2 in the CLC art studio, room E425. Visitors will learn more about the juror's experience and reasons for choosing the work she did and how it all came together into one cohesive exhibition, along with exploring some of her own personal work and studio practices.
An artists reception will follow the juror talk on from 2:30-5 p.m. March 2. Awards for Juror's, CLC President's and People's choice will be announced. Visitors are encouraged to vote on their favorite piece for the People's choice award, prior to the reception. This exhibition and all events associated with it are free and open to the public.
International Folk Dancing returns
Participatory International Folk Dancing will be 7 p.m. Monday in Room 228 at the Franklin Art Center in Brainerd.
The original Piney Woods Folk Dance club held monthly dances in the Brainerd area from 1983 to 1993. After a hiatus of 23 years, the New Piney Woods Folk Dance club has reformed and is meeting once a month to enjoy the music and dance of many countries around the world. All of the dances are taught and are tailored for beginning dancers. The dancers dance for the pure joy of doing it and for the fellowship of meeting once a month with like-minded folks who appreciate the value of diversity in our culture.
Participants are asked to bring soft soled shoes or to be prepared to dance in stocking feet. There is a suggested donation to cover the rent of the room. For more information call Paul Wilson at 218-764-2994 or check the Facebook page.
Music center announces Spring Keyboard Festival
LITTLE FALLS-St. Francis Music Center in Little Falls will hold its Spring Keyboard
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Festival April 7-8. The goal of the Keyboard Festival is to create a fun and educational experience which will encourage young pianists to work for excellence. It is an effort to help all participants feel pride in their performance and their musical achievements. The festival provides participants with an opportunity to perform and be evaluated by a specialist.
Piano students of all ages are welcome to participate and will be judged at their level of study. Each student prepares one piece to play. They are assigned a 10 minute first round audition time where they will play one on one with a professional clinician. After playing their piece, the judge will offer advice and encouragement and complete a written evaluation. The best-prepared students are then passed on to the second round where they audition with a new judge. Finally at 2 p.m. April 8, 30 of the best-prepared students will perform in an Honors Concert.
The Keyboard Festival is open to all area piano students. To register for the festival or for more information, email the music center at info@sfmusiccenter.org or call 320-632-0637.
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Five Wings Arts Program with funds provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature.
Brainerd pianist wins orchestra award
Pianist Joseph Tranvik, 18, of Brainerd was among the winners last month in the finals of the 2017 School Music Auditions, a competition hosted by YPSCA-the Minnesota Orchestra's Young People's Symphony Concert Association.
The young pianist, the son of Peter and Cindy Tranvik, took home the Katie Berg Memorial Award, which includes a $200 stipend he will be able to apply to future music studies. Tranvik is currently a student of Paul Wirth of St. Joseph.
YPSCA was founded in 1911 to promote the engagement of young people with the Minnesota Orchestra. This is the 60th year YPSCA has presented the School Music Auditions, a competition for talented instrumental students and pianists in grades seven through 12 who are enrolled full-time in an accredited school in the Upper Midwest.
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Ten finalists emerged from the preliminary auditions and competed Jan. 29 in finals for awards with a collective value of $7,300.
Other finalists and their awards were Nygel Witherspoon, cello, who won the Edwin and Edith Norberg Fund Award and opportunity to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra; Katia Tesarczyk, cello, the Edwin Norberg Award; Abigail Arkley, piano, the Edith Norberg Award; Nygel Witherspoon, cello, the Claire Givens Award; Chen Chen, piano, Schmitt Music Award; Eliot Johnson, cello, Bonnie and Donn McLellan Award; Emma Taggart, piano, Margaret Ankeny Award; Madeline Sheard, cello, Karen Lundmark Holmes Award; Abigail Hansen, harp, David Colwell Award; Catherine Carson, violin, Judith and David Ranheim Award; and Abigail Arkley, piano, Minnesota Music Teachers Forum Performance and Honorarium Award.
'It's for the Birds' to open
AITKIN-The Jaques Art Center and Gallery will open its 2017 season with an exhibit entitled "It's for the Birds," with an opening artist reception noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit will be on display until April 1.
The show features 24 artists using a variety of art media. The only requirement for the artists was the art had to portray an image of a bird in some way. Aitkin County is well known for being a hotspot for birds and bird watchers because of its wide variety of habitat for our feathered friends all year round. Jaques stated an exhibit dedicated solely to birds would be an appropriate theme for the opening exhibit.
Bird photography by Aitkin County Sheriff Scott Turner will be on display. Turner also will give a talk at 1 p.m. March 16 to the public about his hobby at the Jaques.
Most of the artists exhibiting their bird art are from north central Minnesota, ranging from Moose Lake to Nisswa, but the featured artist in the show is Don Walvatne who has gathered many awards for his excellence in depicting birds. He was awarded Best of Show at the 2016 Jaques Juried Show for his portrayal of "A Pileated Pair" which will be a shown again in this recent exhibit. Walvatne lives and has his studio in Minneapolis but originally hails from Fergus Falls. Other artists include decoy carver, John Kinzer of Ironton, Jeff Bracken of Mora and Aitkin High School graduate Brad Snodgrass of Oregon. The exhibit also includes many other artists including metal sculpture by Todd Yotter.
The Jaques Art Center and Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
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Boomer Pizza voted best wood fired pizza restaurant
Boomer Pizza in Baxter was voted by WCCO viewers as the best wood fired pizza restaurant in Minnesota.
Boomer Pizza, owned by Chris Moran, serves up nearly 20 different types of pizza and a build-your-own option. They also serve beer, wine, cocktails and ice cream.
Photography exhibit at Art Matters
"Raising The Bar for the Arts," an exhibition of select photographers from the 2016 Stage North Theatre Company productions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The 39 Steps" and "Little Women," will open with a reception from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Art Studio and Gallery, located in the Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd.
The exhibition also will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 4 and will run through March 25 by appointment. For more information call 218-330-1780.
