La Grande Bande Presents February 25 Concert in New Ulm

GAYLORD, MN, FEBRUARY 1, 2022 — La Grande Bande’s third complete season continues this month with activities on Friday, February 25. The third season performance entitled Music from New Spain, will take place in New Ulm at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Originally intended to be performed during LGB’s 2020-2021 season, Music from New Spain unites music and history in a one-of-a-kind performance. “We’re essentially recreating parts of the 1649 Consecration celebrations for the Puebla Cathedral that took place in Puebla, México. I saw the Cathedral on a trip to Puebla in 2016, and I was blown away by its size and beautiful architecture inside and out. So, I wanted to create a program inspired by the Cathedral.”

Asmus found further inspiration during conversations with Dr. Luisa Vilar-Payá, a scholar based in Puebla who studies the Cathedral’s musical history. Vilar-Payá’s research focuses on the Consecration service at the Cathedral. “We’ll be singing beautiful Gregorian chant and incredible music that was written specifically for the Consecration by Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla. There will also be readings and some organ music as well.” The Consecration Rite is a very important service within the Catholic Church because it turns the building into a sacred space that can be used for Mass. The Rite was incredibly important for Puebla’s inhabitants and for the Bishop at the time, Juan de Palafox y Mendoza.  

Building works on the beautiful and ornate Puebla Cathedral had been all but abandoned when Palafox arrived in Puebla in 1640. Palafox’s arrival revived the building of the Cathedral and created immense tensions in the Cathedral Chapter. “I don’t want to give it all away,” Asmus noted, “but there was some unbelievable intrigue and politicking that took place during Palafox’s tenure. The whole affair ended in this huge political battle. The Puebla Cathedral, as it stands now, is a testament to Palafox’s tenaciousness and determination. Without him, the Cathedral wouldn’t exist.”

La Grande Bande’s activities begin on February 25 with a free Open Rehearsal Session from 3:00-5:00 in the Cathedral. A pre-concert talk will be given by Luisa Vilar-Payá in the Cathedral basement. The concert begins in the Cathedral at 7:30. Tickets are required for to attend the pre-concert talk and the concert.

Tickets for the February 25 activities 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.  

The 2021-2022 Season Continues with Mozart, Haydn Concert

GAYLORD, MN, NOVEMBER 1, 2021 — La Grande Bande’s third complete season continues this month with activities on Friday, November 19. The second season performance entitled The Early Symphony, will take place in Arlington at the Sibley East High School Auditorium.

“This concert will be like nothing anyone here has heard, especially because of the super unique instruments that will be here,” said La Grande Bande Music & Artistic Director Michael Thomas Asmus. “We’ve been wanting to do music that’s a bit newer,” he said chuckling. “I guess I should say it’s newer than what we played in September. Don’t get me wrong, everything we’ll be playing is still over 200 years old, but the music on this concert is about 50 years newer than what we performed in September.”

What makes the upcoming concert program so special are the types of instruments that will be playing: replicas of oboes and a bassoon from the 1760s and replicas of French horns from the same period without any valves. These instruments have never been performed or heard here before.

“Because La Grande Bande is a group that tries its best to play music with instruments and in a style Mozart and Haydn would recognize, it creates some unique challenges,” Asmus noted. “One of those challenges is finding players who have the correct instruments—either from that period or high-quality replicas of them—and who know how to play them. We’re lucky that we’ve been able to find players who fit both categories.”

La Grande Bande’s activities begin in the morning of September 17 with several Masterclass sessions for the band and choir students at Sibley East. In the afternoon, there’s a free Open Rehearsal Session from 3:00-5:00 in the auditorium. Beginning at 6:30, a pre-concert talk will be given by Burke Anderson, one of the French horn players, followed by the concert performance at 7:30. Tickets are required for to attend the pre-concert talk and the concert.

“It’s not just those wind instruments that are so different,” Asmus continued. “The violins, violas, cellos, and bass are playing on gut strings—made from animal intestines—and using special ‘transitional’ bows. It’s going to be a real treat.”

Tickets to the November 19 activities 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.