Local Baroque orchestra, school district partnering to give a rare educational opportunity to students, community

The three-day project, beginning May 8, 2019, will be led by district’s own 2009 graduate.

GAYLORD, MN, February 19, 2019 – La Grande Bande (LGB) officially announces that it is partnering with the Sibley East Middle/High School music department to present a series of educational programming for Sibley East Students and the local community. The project will focus on music written during the Baroque period (1600–1750) and will culminate with a finale concert, “A Baroque Banquet,” on May 10 at 7:30 PM.

“When we designed this project, we wanted to offer the students, and the community, with numerous opportunities to learn about Baroque music,” says Music & Artistic Director Michael Asmus. “Even though a lot of the music we’re talking about was first composed and performed over 300 years ago, it still has so much resonance today. Baroque music can be hilarious, heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and amazingly evocative all at the same time. We want to share this music—and our passion for it—with the students and our community”

LGB’s project provides Sibley East students with the unique opportunity to learn directly from its artists through masterclasses, one-on-one lessons, open rehearsals, and a performance/lecture demonstration—all of which are rarely available to students. In the masterclass sessions, pre-selected students will perform in front the LGB New York Artists and their peers. The LGB NY Artist will work closely with each student to offer advice and assistance to improve the student’s performance. Students can also have a one-on-one music lesson with LGB’s NY Artists.

The project’s performance/lecture demonstration will introduce students to Baroque music. During the informal 35- to 40-minute session, LGB’s NY Artists will demonstrate Baroque instruments, like the theorbo, harpsichord, and viola da gamba. The artists will also perform musical selections from the finale concert, and they will discuss important musical figures and places within seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe.

The project’s open rehearsals will afford students, and the greater community, the opportunity to see how professional musicians prepare for a concert. On May 9 and 10, Sibley East students will be able to observe LGB’s rehearsals as their class schedules allow. The public is invited to attend LGB’s open rehearsal in the afternoon on May 10. Rehearsal observations provide a wonderful opportunity for the students and community to see and interact with the LGB Artists as we rehearse.

As a culmination of our time at Sibley East, La Grande Bande will present a full-length concert on Friday, May 10 beginning at 7:30 PM. The Finale Concert, “A Baroque Banquet,” will include a varied selection of secular and sacred pieces—ranging from intimate vocal music to dramatic arias and orchestral works. The concert will run approximately two hours, including a 15-minute intermission.

To further the educational benefits of the project, we will provide a program booklet, in printed and electronic forms, for our finale concert. The booklets will include informative program notes and translations of all sung texts. Our program notes are concise and written to provide the most interesting and important information about the concert’s selections.

“A Baroque Banquet”
Friday, May 10, 7:30 PM
Sibley East Auditorium
208 West Douglas Street
Arlington, MN 55334
Tickets ($5, $7, $10) are required for the Finale concert.