June 2019
Tickets are not needed for this FREE event.
Be the first to learn of the 2019-2020 productions coming to the Reif as we roll out our season unveiling video for public viewing at this free event in the Wilcox Theater! You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity to see first-hand the high-quality programming on schedule as part of our 2020 vision!
All 2019-2020 tickets will go on sale Monday, July 1.
Concessions available.
Purchase TicketsJuly 2019
Buy tickets to all three shows for just $40!
Call or visit the Reif Center Box Office to take advantage of special 3-show pricing.
(218) 327-5780
Bonfire Chamber Music Festival 2019 will enjoy its third season at the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center with three concerts at the end of July (Wednesday the 24th – Friday the 26th). This year’s chamber music festival will feature the artistry of acclaimed ARTARIA STRING QUARTET, as well as a premiere performance of the newly-formed 2 SISTERS TRIO (Kristina Gullion – violin, Monika Sutherland – cello, and Mary Ellen Haupert – piano).
In addition to festival evening concerts at the Reif, there are daily “Bonfire Extras” (free, family-friendly events around town), making Grand Rapids, Minnesota a vacation destination for all ages!
Wednesday, July 24, 2019 @ 7:00pm – Artaria String Quartet
- Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3
- Ludwig van Beethoven – Große Fuge in B-flat Major, Op. 133
- Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1
Thursday, July 25, 2019 @ 7:00pm – Artaria String Quartet
- Franz Joseph Haydn – String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2
- George Rochberg – String Quartet No. 3 (1971)
Friday, July 26, 2019 @ 7:00pm – 2 Sisters Trio
- Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17 by Clara Schumann (1819 – 1896)
- Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
About Artaria
Described as an “exceptional ensemble with impressive confidence in its interpretations” and “Minnesota’s foremost teaching and performing string quartet”, the Artaria String Quartet recently celebrated its 30 year of chamber music concerts. Winners of the 2004 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians, and named 2013-14 Minnesota Public Radio Artists-in-Residence, Artaria was also featured on Twin Cities Public Television as part of the “Minnesota Originals” series.
Artaria’s refined and thoughtful playing has brought them to major venues throughout the United States and Europe, on national television and public radio stations, and at top summer festivals including the Banff Centre in Canada, Festival de L’Epau in France, and the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA.
Artaria has earned numerous awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and the Minnesota State Arts Board for excellence in performance and educational outreach. Directors of the Artaria Chamber Music School, a premiere weekly string chamber music program in Saint Paul; and Stringwood Chamber Music Festival, featuring the ASQ and renowned guest artists every June in Lanesboro, MN; they are founders of the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, which showcases the nation’s top high school age string quartets each April.
October 2019
Barnabas 22 opens Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 20, in the Reif Gallery. The opening reception takes place on Oct. 22 from 5 – 7 p.m., and the public is encouraged to attend to this free event.
“Barnabas 22” is a project that aims to shed light on the statistic from the Veterans Administration that each day 22 veterans are lost to suicide. The project was begun by Corwin in 2018, and the main focus of the project is an art exhibit of 22 chalk pastel portraits of service dogs and emotional support animals. Each dog is an important part of the life of a military veteran and an essential part of their wellbeing. The stories of these veterans and their devoted battle buddies shows the important difference that a service animal can make in preventing suicide and promoting healing.
Mary Myers Corwin has been an Artist in Residence with the City of Grand Rapids Arts and Culture Commission’s residency program in Old Central School since 2016 when she retired from her job of more than 20 years as support staff for the Grand Rapids, MN Police Department.
November 2019
Arts, crafts, homemade goods, entertainment, cooking demonstrations and more for those who do not participate in the Minnesota deer hunting season and are looking to get a jump-start on holiday shopping.
Tickets are not needed for this FREE event!
ALL PERFORMANCES ARE SOLD OUT
THEATRE EDUCATION PROGRAM INFORMATION
Based on the 2018 Broadway musical, the show brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. Featuring all the memorable songs from the animated film, with music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, plus five new songs. Featuring the talents of area 3 – 12 graders who are part of the Theatre Education Program.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
December 2019
Friday, December 13 | 6 p.m.
Saturday, December 14 | 6 p.m.
Sunday, December 15 | 2 p.m.
Recreated from the classical ballet by Tchaikovsky, and performed by the superb Reif Dancers, The Nutcracker tells the enchanting story of young Clara who dreams that her nutcracker doll is transformed into a valiant prince. After defeating the evil Mouse King and his army, they are transported to the fantastical Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by a host of delectable characters. A Reif holiday tradition.
THANK YOU TO SPONSORS
January 2020
Nadia Boulanger was a French musician who had a list of students that reads like a “who’s who” of twentieth century composers: Philip Glass, Aaron Copland, Astor Piazzolla, Michel Legrand, Gian Carlo Menotti, Walter Piston, Jean Françaix, and the list goes on and on. She’s been called “the most influential teacher since Socrates.” Writer/Creator Mina Fisher tells Nadia’s story through words and music performed by Michael Kim, pianist, Stephanie Arado, violin, and soprano Adriana Zabala as Nadia.
This activity is made possible by voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
The Reminders are a rare and remarkable musical duo seamlessly blending soulful sounds and roots music with insightful messages and thoughtful lyrics. The duo consists of Brussels-born emcee Big Samir and Queens-born emcee/ vocalist Aja Black, a collective creative force that’s hard to beat. Big Samir weaves intricate rhythmic patterns with a bilingual French/English flow, displaying his street-smart credibility in both his lyrics and cool demeanor. This is beautifully complimented by Aja Black’s confident delivery, diverse cadences, and unique vocal stylings. The two have an undeniable magical chemistry as they share more than lyrical abilities and stages; the couple shares a partnership in both music and life as Samir and Aja have been married for almost a decade.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
An evening of new works composed by Aby Wolf, in collaboration with Eric Mayson and Grant Cutler, and performed by a cast of renowned musicians as comfortable in experimentation as virtuosity. Through a creative process based in improvisation resulting in atypical song structures, Champagne Confetti is a practice in embracing uncertainty. It blurs the lines between ambient neo-minimalism, chamber music, and electro-R&B. It is inspired by the imminent universal need to find footing in an unstable world, and on both a personal and global scale, these new compositions explore that uncertainty.
MPR members receive $2 off per ticket by using code MPR at checkout.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
February 2020
When the class gets lost on the way to the planetarium, Ms. Frizzle saves the day by blasting into outer space for an epic interplanetary field trip! But when rivalries both old and new threaten to tear the students apart, our young heroes must learn to pull together.
$7 per | Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Tickets to the Friday, February 7 performances are not open to the general public.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
