This summer, people from around the world will gather in Paris, France, to celebrate the heroic potential of humanity at the Olympic Games. In those same weeks, Central Minnesota will be its own hub for world-class talent as the Lakes Area Music Festival presents its 16th annual season: HEROIC JOURNEYS.
Our exceptional roster of more than 250 professional, classical musicians come from the nation's top ensembles to makes the Lakes Area of central Minnesota their musical home. Together they perform chamber music, orchestra, and opera– as well as various community outreach activities extending their impact throughout the local community.
This season, we light the torch and embark together on the HEROIC JOURNEYS to come. Join us this summer in Brainerd!
Storms, Shipwrecks, and Sorcery is a fantastical journey through some of the most dramatic music of the 17th and 18th centuries. This program evokes both literal storms and clouds of rage. Guest soprano Nola Richardson stunningly portrays two sorceresses scorned, both the anguished Armida from Handel’s Armida Abbandonata and the vengeful Médée, namesake of Clérambault’s …
Whether you are a lifelong opera fan or just stepping into this world for the very first time, this is your chance to experience opera’s greatest moments all in one concert, featuring our cast of Resident Artists and the LAMF Symphony Orchestra. Our Resident Artist Program provides singers early in their careers with mentorship and performance …
Enjoyable for kids of all ages! With the powers of winds, strings, brass, and percussion combined, the ultimate superhero of the stage is formed! In this family-friendly concert narrated by Jeff Andrews and featuring music and story by Russell Peck, kids of all ages will embark on a spectacular journey through the dynamic forces, instruments, and …
Join us for a block party at the Mississippi Landing Amphitheater along the river in Brainerd! Listen to pop and classical music hits performed by our string orchestra while enjoying food trucks, a beer tent, and social time with friends. Free and open to the public; no tickets required. NEW LOCATION at Lyman P. White Park. …
In a deeply moving new work, American composer Leanna Primiani centers the heroic stories of the survivors of human trafficking, painting a sonic landscape that emerges from tragic darkness into hope and light, and awakening our understanding of this tragic issue. Stefan Jackiw, a virtuosic musician with “talent that’s off the scale” (The Washington Post) …
The unrivaled brilliance of Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets sets the stage for the 2024 Lakes Area Music Festival’s closing ceremony. As the U.S. premiere of Lil Lacy’s Aurora honors new beginnings and the opportunities of a new day, Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life) tells the ultimate story of adventure and accomplishment. …
2024 PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
GALA: SUMMON THE HEROES
Friday, July 26, 8 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Andrea Ross, voice
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Summon the Heroes
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Bugler's Dream
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Mission Theme
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Call of the Champions
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Olympic Spirit
- LEONARD BERNSTEIN: Olympic Hymn
- CARL ORFF: ‘O Fortuna' from Carmina Burana
- VENGELIS: Theme from Chariots of Fire
BEETHOVEN’S NINTH
Sunday, July 28 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota
Brainerd High School A Cappella Choir
- JIMMY LÓPEZ BELLIDO: Rise!
- LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 9
STORMS, SHIPWRECKS & SORCERY
Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 p.m.
Chloe Fedor, artistic advisor, and violin
Nola Richardson, soprano
- JOHANN HEINRICH SCHMELZER: Die Fechtschule (The Fencing School)
- GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL: Armida Abbandonata (Abandoned Armada)
- JOHANN HEINRICH SCHMELZER: Lamento sopra la morte di Ferdinando III (Lament over the death of Ferdinand III)
- ANTONIO VIVALDI: Violin Concerto Op. 8, No. 5, La Tempesta di Mare (The Tempest of the Sea)
- GIOVANNI BATTISTA BUONAMENTE: Sonata a tre violini (Sonata for 3 Violins)
- MATTHEW LOCKE: Curtain Tune from The Tempest
- LOUIS-NICOLAS CLÉRAMBAULT: Médée
- HENRY PURCELL: Chaconne from The Fairy Queen
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Friday, August 2, 7:30 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
LAMF Opera Resident Artists
- Variety of familiar arias and ensembles from the opera repertoire
LAMF COMPOSER FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE
Saturday, August 3, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Thalea String Quartet performance of three world premieres by composer fellows. 11 a.m. at Tornstrom Auditorium
Orchestral reading of fellows' works with Christian Reif and the LAMF Symphony, 2-4 p.m. at Gichi-ziibi Center
FAMILY CONCERT: THRILLS & SUPERHEROES
Sunday, August 4, 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Jeff Andrews, narrator
- RUSSELL PECK: The Thrill of the Orchestra
- MICHAEL GIACCHINO: “Incredits” from The Incredibles
- JOHN WILLIAMS: Superman March
DOWNTOWN BRAINERD BLOCK PARTY
Wednesday, August 7, 7:30 p.m.
New Location: Mississippi Landing Amphitheater at Lyman P. White Park
JULIA BULLOCK SOLO RECITAL
Friday, August 9, 7:30 p.m.
Julia Bullock, voice
Bretton Brown, piano
This winter, at the 66th annual awards ceremony, Julia Bullock was awarded a GRAMMY® in the category of ‘Best Classical Solo Vocal Album’ for her 2022 Nonesuch Records album, Walking in the Dark, “an album that shines, introducing us to an artist curating a career on her own distinctive terms,” (NPR). A regular guest artist of the Lakes Area Music Festival, Julia returns this summer to perform a solo recital in collaboration with pianist and LAMF Vocal Fellowship leader, Bretton Brown.
THE RAKE’S PROGRESS
Saturday, August 10, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 11, 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Omer Ben Seadia, director
Miles Mykkanen, Tom Rakewell
Kearstin Piper Brown, Anne Truelove
John Taylor Ward, Nick Shadow
Sara Couden, Baba the Turk
- IGOR STRAVINSKY: The Rake’s Progress
JACKIW PLAYS DVOŘÁK
Wednesday, August 14, 7:30 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Stefan Jackiw, violin
- LEANNA PRIMIANI: Neither men nor money validate my worth
- ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: Violin Concerto in A Minor
- W. A. MOZART: Symphony No. 38, “Prague”
A HERO’S LIFE
Saturday, August 17, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 18, 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Thomas Reif, concertmaster
- GUSTAV HOLST: “Jupiter” from The Planets
- LIL LACY: Aurora – U.S. Premiere
- RICHARD STRAUSS: Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life)