GAYLORD, MN, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 — La Grande Bande (LGB) is happy to announce its return to live, in-person performances in its hometown. The first performance of the 2021-2022 Season, entitled The Virtuosos, will take place at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gaylord on Friday, September 17. The performance will include two Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach, two concertos by Antonio Vivaldi for violin and guitar, and two vocal selections by Giovanni Bononcini and Domenico Gabrielli. The vocal selections will have English translations projected.
“There’s a lot of really incredible music on this program,” said La Grande Bande Music & Artistic Director Michael Thomas Asmus. “Much of what we’re performing will be really familiar to people. Some music from the violin concerto by Antonio Vivaldi we’re playing was used in a car commercial a few months back.”
La Grande Bande’s activities begin in the morning of September 17 with an Outreach Concert at Oak Terrace. Activities resume in the evening with a free Open Rehearsal Session from 3:00-5:00. Tickets are required to attend the pre-concert talk at 6:30 and the concert performance at 7:30.
The concert opener features many musicians who have performed regularly in past concerts by La Grande Bande. “This concert is really exciting because it allows us to show how much skill and talent is living right in the group,” Asmus noted. “It’s not often that regular ensemble members get to be soloists. It’s a pretty unique program.”
Among the returning performers are violinist Natalie Rose Kress who makes her return to the stage after performing in LGB’s Sibley East Education Project in May 2019. Tenor Garrett Eucker who makes his return after performing in LGB’s November 2019 concert A Casual Concert at the Arlington Haus Too. Baroque guitarist and theorboist TJ Dalton who makes his return after performing in LGB’s Lively Entertainments program in March 2020—LGB’s last performance before the pandemic.
Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. To order tickets, visit www.lagrandebande.org/tickets or call 507-237-6539. Reserving tickets in advance is strongly encouraged. Seating for each concert is general admission. A ticket is required for admission to all pre-concert talks. LGB’s Open Rehearsal sessions remain free of charge and open to all. COVID-19 statement: La Grande Bande is following CDC and MDH guidelines and encouraging attendees to wear a mask and to be fully vaccinated. Currently, proof of vaccination or a negative test are not required. All attendees must complete a verbal health screening before entering the performance or pre-concert talk. For the latest up-to-date information on LGB’s covid policy visit our website www.lagrandebande.org/covid.