The 15th annual season of the Lakes Area Music Festival will feature 200 artists from the top orchestras and opera companies nationwide. For one month this exceptional roster will make the Lakes Area of central Minnesota their musical home, performing chamber music, orchestra, and opera– as well as various community outreach activities extending their impact throughout the local community.

This season's theme, BEL CANTO (“beautiful singing” in Italian), refers to a particular musical style where the beauty of the human voice—long legato lines, beautiful melodies, and dazzling acrobatics—is front and center. Our 2023 opera, Don Pasquale, is a perfect example of that genre. But there are more reasons we decided to celebrate our 15th anniversary with BEL CANTO…

Perhaps most obviously, there is more singing in this year's festival than ever before. We open the 2023 season with an international superstar who is changing the face of classical music one song at a time—our beloved Julia Bullock—in two stunning programs. The festival's orchestral and chamber music offerings highlight composers like Mozart, Debussy, and Caroline Shaw, whose mastery of vocal writing colors their instrumental works. We have even chosen an unusual piece for the festival finale in Shostakovich's 15th and final symphony, which quotes music from many operas—including some you're sure to recognize!

Nearly all activities are offered for free or with name-your-price ticketing in order to ensure access to anyone interested in attending, regardless of financial means. Ticket reservations will open in early June.

Join us this summer in Brainerd!

July 28, 2023

Gala: The Golden Age of Jazz

6:00pm: Dinner + Program From $150
8:00pm: Concert Only From $50

George Gershwin
Margaret Bonds
George Gershwin:Catfish Row, Symphonic Suite from Porgy and Bess
Improvisation. Expression. Rebellion.

Step back into the Jazz Age at our annual gala, featuring Grammy-nominated singer Julia Bullock and music from American musical legends such as George Gershwin and Margaret Bonds. American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald described this thrilling era as a time when "the parties were bigger, the pace faster, the buildings higher, and the morals looser."

Our largest fundraiser of the year, this event will include pre-concert dinner packages, live auction, and opportunities to show your support for the performances, education, and outreach activities which make up our season.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

July 29, 2023

7:30PM: Summer Nights

Anna Clyne:This Midnight Hour
Hector Berlioz:Les Nuits D'ete (Summer Nights) - Julia Bullock, Soprano
Johannes brahms:symphony no. 2

It's difficult to fully experience the magic of the Lakes Area without spending a summer evening by the water. In a program inspired by the warmth and mystery of summer nights, the LAMF orchestra performs music by Anna Clyne that explores dark, nocturnal timbres, and Julia Bullock sings a set of intimate, reflective songs by Hector Berlioz. Then, the sun rises in Brahms' magnificent Second Symphony. Take this journey with us through the dreamy midnight hours and into the light of another summer day.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

July 30, 2023

2:00PM: Summer Nights

Anna Clyne:This Midnight Hour
Hector Berlioz:Les Nuits D'ete (Summer Nights) - Julia Bullock, Soprano
Johannes brahms:symphony no. 2

It's difficult to fully experience the magic of the Lakes Area without spending a summer evening by the water. In a program inspired by the warmth and mystery of summer nights, the LAMF orchestra performs music by Anna Clyne that explores dark, nocturnal timbres, and Julia Bullock sings a set of intimate, reflective songs by Hector Berlioz. Then, the sun rises in Brahms' magnificent Second Symphony. Take this journey with us through the dreamy midnight hours and into the light of another summer day.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 2, 2023

7:30PM: Songs Without Words

George walker:"lyric" for string quartet
Claude debussy:3 chansons de bilitis, arranged for trumpet
Robert schumann:piano quintet in e-flat major, op. 44

Robert Schumann brought new life to the chamber music genre as one of the first composers to really explore the combination of string quartet and piano. In this mid-week chamber music program, a string quartet plays George Walker's eloquent "Lyric" and, along with pianist Henry Kramer, Schumann's gorgeous Piano Quintet. At the center of the evening, Ansel Norris graces our stage once again with stunning trumpet arrangements of some of Debussy's most passionate songs.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 4, 2023

7:30PM: A Night at the Opera

Gioachino Rossini: Overture to William Tell
Opera arias and ensembles featuring our 2023 Vocal Fellows
Our season is brimming with beautiful sounds, but in this special program, voices of all types and from every corner of the world come together to serenade you. Hear many of your favorite opera moments from the famous William Tell overture to soaring arias and animated ensembles, featuring our 2023 vocal fellows with full symphony orchestra.

The LAMF Vocal Fellowship provides singers at the beginning of their careers with mentorship and performance opportunities. Vocal fellows work one on one with our team of directors and coaches to hone their craft, while participating in productions and performances alongside our world-renowned roster of singers.   

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 6, 2023

2:00PM: The Composer is Dead

Nathaniel Stookey:The Composer is Dead
Other works for orchestra
Enjoyable for kids of all ages!

Mystery, sarcasm, and delight are all spun together in this family-friendly musical experience. Help the LAMF orchestra solve a musical mystery while being introduced to the variety of instruments onstage in creative and unusual ways. Jeff Andrews narrates the twisted adventure, featuring music composed by Nathaniel Stookey and story by Lemony Snicket.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 9, 2023

7:30PM: Downtown Block Party

Join us for a block party in the heart of downtown Brainerd! A string orchestra will play pop music and familiar classical favorites. Bring a chair and grab a beer at Sage on Laurel, and enjoy music outdoors. Free and open to the public; no tickets required.

Presented in partnership with Brainerd Restoration.

Location:
Downtown Brainerd Parking Lot
614 Laurel St
Brainerd, MN 56401

August 11, 2023

7:30PM: Don Pasquale

Don pasquale
Gaetano donizetti:composer
Giovanni ruffini:libretto

This rollicking bel canto comedy is a celebration of girl power! The buffoonish Don Pasquale is determined to marry the much younger Norina. However, with her wit and the help of a few friends, she manages to both teach Pasquale a lesson and find true love. Full of dazzling tunes and hilarious hijinks, Donizetti's masterpiece promises to delight.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 13, 2023

2:00PM: Don Pasquale

Don pasquale
Gaetano donizetti:composer
Giovanni ruffini:libretto

This rollicking bel canto comedy is a celebration of girl power! The buffoonish Don Pasquale is determined to marry the much younger Norina. However, with her wit and the help of a few friends, she manages to both teach Pasquale a lesson and find true love. Full of dazzling tunes and hilarious hijinks, Donizetti's masterpiece promises to delight.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 16, 2023

7:30PM: Watermark

Sergei prokofiev:symphony no. 1 "classical"
Caroline shaw:watermark piano concerto - tanya gabrielian, piano
Wolfgang amadeus mozart:symphony no. 40 in g minor

Pianist Tanya Gabrielian returns to the Lakes Area to perform Caroline Shaw's Watermark, a spellbinding work for piano and orchestra that was created by reimagining the themes and textures of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto. A chamber orchestra of LAMF musicians, led by conductor Christian Reif, will also bring unrivaled, collective energy to Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and Mozart's Symphony No. 40.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 19, 2023

7:30PM: Wagner and Shostakovich

Dmitri shostakovich:festive overture
Augusta holmes:la nuit et l'amour
Richard wagner:prelude and liebestod from tristan und isolde
Dmitri shostakovich:symphony no. 15

Shostakovich's 15th and final symphony closes our extraordinary 15th anniversary season. As he worked to express his symphonic voice one last time, Shostakovich also revisited the voices of many of his predecessors and musical heroes including Wagner, Rossini, and Mahler, by quoting them throughout this cryptic and poignant symphony. Join Christian Reif and the LAMF orchestra for a season finale that reaches deep into the soul and celebrates a milestone achievement for the Lakes Area.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

August 20, 2023

2:00PM: Wagner and Shostakovich

Dmitri shostakovich:festive overture
Augusta holmes:la nuit et l'amour
Richard wagner:prelude and liebestod from tristan und isolde
Dmitri shostakovich:symphony no. 15

Shostakovich's 15th and final symphony closes our extraordinary 15th anniversary season. As he worked to express his symphonic voice one last time, Shostakovich also revisited the voices of many of his predecessors and musical heroes including Wagner, Rossini, and Mahler, by quoting them throughout this cryptic and poignant symphony. Join Christian Reif and the LAMF orchestra for a season finale that reaches deep into the soul and celebrates a milestone achievement for the Lakes Area.

Location: Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

Fest Date: July 28 - August 20, 2023

Tickets: Free - $50

Locations:
Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts, 702 S 5th St, Brainerd, MN 56401
Downtown Brainerd Parking Lot, 614 Laurel St, Brainerd, MN 56401

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