This summer, the Lakes Area Music Festival will fill central Minnesota with MYTHS AND MAGIC. As hundreds of artists from around the globe return to their summer home for music-making, we’ll be reminded of the enchanting experiences that bring them back year after year: sharing laughter, reuniting with friends, and—of course—creating unforgettable music.
Fairy tales like Hänsel & Gretel and The Nightingale will whisk us away to enchanted worlds, while sagas like The Lord of the Rings and Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle will leave us in awe of music’s transcendent, supernatural power. In our seventeenth season, we’re also celebrating the meteoric rise of the nation’s fastest-growing classical music organization and the magic of collaboration, creativity, and imagination that makes it all possible.
Don’t miss what promises to be an exhilarating season—join us and experience the magic for yourself!
2025 PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
GALA: SPELLBOUND
Friday, July 25, 8 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
Meghan Picerno, voice
Andrea Ross, voice
SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
Sunday, July 27 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
- PAUL DUKAS: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
- MEL BONIS: Femmes de légende (Legendary Women)
- HECTOR BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique
THE NIGHTINGALE
Wednesday, July 30, 7:30 p.m.
Loki Karuna, artistic advisor
Grace Park, violin
Adam Golka, piano
- CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: “Aviary” from Carnival of the Animals
- OLIVIER MESSIAEN: Le Merle noir (The Blackbird)
- KEVIN LAU: The Nightingale
- ERNEST CHAUSSON: Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Friday, August 1, 7:30 p.m.
Members of the Lakes Area Music Festival Resident Artist program
Christian Reif, conductor
José Luis Gutiérrez, conductor
- Variety of familiar arias and ensembles from the opera repertoire
FAMILY CONCERT: MAGICAL KEYS
Sunday, August 3, 1 p.m.
Igor Lipinski, pianist and magician
Christian Reif, conductor
DOWNTOWN BRAINERD BLOCK PARTY
Wednesday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.
HÄNSEL & GRETEL
Saturday, August 9, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 10, 3 p.m.
Justin Lucero, stage director
Christian Reif, conductor
Ariana Wehr, Gretel
Abigail Levis, Hänsel
Sara Couden, Witch
John Taylor Ward, Father
- ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK: Hänsel and Gretel
HAYDN & SHOSTAKOVICH
Wednesday, August 13, 7:30 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
- ISIDORA ZEBELJAN: The Horses of Saint Mark
- FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN: Symphony No. 96, “Miracle”
- DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 9
WAGNER'S RING
Saturday, August 16, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 17, 3 p.m.
Christian Reif, conductor
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- CAMILLE PÉPIN: Aux confins de l'orage (At the edge of the storm)
- HOWARD SHORE: Music from The Lord of the Rings
- RICHARD WAGNER: Ring Without Words