March 2020
The Lake Wobegon® Brass Band was originated by three founding members at the Anoka Coffee Shop on a Saturday morning in early 1992. Two of them had attended the 1991 North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) National Contest in Iowa and returned inspired to turn their dream of a Brass Band “right here in River City” into reality.
Includes a pie social following the program!
Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities, groups and folks over the age of 62.
Part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series.
Purchase Tickets
Floyd Cramer and Chet Atkins. Two legends at their instruments, two giants in the music industry. Floyd Cramer’s unique “slip note” piano style was an essential part of countless country, pop, and rock hits in the 1950s and ‘60s and is widely regarded as the standard for country piano. Chet Atkins’ innovative thumb-and-two-finger guitar style led him to become known as one of the world’s preeminent guitar virtuosos, and many of the records he produced for RCA have become classics. Though Floyd and Chet have passed away, their Nashville Legacy lives on through Floyd’s grandson, pianist Jason Coleman, and Chet’s niece, guitarist Meagan Taylor. In this concert, Jason and Meagan bring new life to the “Nashville Sound” pioneered by their legendary forerunners by playing songs like Floyd’s “Last Date” on piano and Chet’s “Freight Train” on guitar, as well as by singing the music of Patsy Cline, the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, all of whose careers were impacted by Floyd and Chet.
Includes a pie social following the program!
Tickets: boxoffice@reifcenter.org
(218) 327-5780
Open to senior living facilities, groups and folks over the age of 62.
Part of the 2019-2020 Reif Senior Series.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
October 2020
Experience the artistry of Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki) as he performs flamboyant movements passed down by his ancestors through Native American song and dance. He is a charismatic performing artist: a Champion Powwow Men’s Fancy Dancer, an Eagle Dancer, a Native American Flutist, Lecturer, Master of Ceremonies, Model, Actor, and Singer. He founded Native Pride Productions, Inc., a Native American theatrical, dance, and performing arts company based in Minnesota (2003) and has performed throughout the world sharing his culture. Larry is from the Meskwaki Settlement near Tama, Iowa and has been dancing since he was 7 years old. His mission is to educate, inspire, motivate and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions.
- 2-time World Champion Fancy Dancer
- 3 film productions: “No Blood of Mine”, “Kid West”, “Escamba: Kingdom of Carlos”.
- Performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2004 and 2013.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
A recording will be available On-Demand until November 13, 2020
November 2020
VIDEO ON DEMAND
Music inspires and motivates. It is a language all its own. It is not a necessity, yet it adds so much to life. Figuring It Out is a family band based in Bemidji, Minnesota. The music they play covers several genres of music from bluegrass to folk, traditional to contemporary, and much more. They look forward to sharing their music and connecting with all through musical education.
This program covers the history of Bluegrass and highlights the instruments that make-up this popular style of music.
Figuring It Out
Andy/ Dad – violin
Louisa – 19 – guitar
Olivia – 17 – bass/ cello
Elijah – 15 – 5 string fiddle
Adelynn – 13 – mandolin
Abram – 11 – banjo
Greta – 10 – ukelele
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
The Accidental Hero is a multi-media one-man show about a WWII American officer who miraculously liberates the Czech villages of his grandparents. It's a true story, written and performed by his grandson.
Patrick Dewane's grandfather refused to talk about his service in the war. Yet when he died, his basement yielded a treasure trove of typewritten accounts, photos and rare film footage.
Dewane brings this archival material to glowing life as an enthralling, humorous and heartwarming tale of miraculous escapes and astonishing coincidences. This touching show runs from belly laughs to tears.
Dewane takes on a dozen different roles as he powerfully recounts his grandfather's journey from Omaha Beach, the Battle of the Bulge, and the end of WWII. In the last week of the war, the story turns away from a soldier's survival tale to something from mythology. He discovers his lost identity, embraced by the tribe he never knew.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Gloria Anderson-Hegg, storyteller and oral historian, brings history to life with her first-person interpretation of characters from the past. A native of Bear River, Minnesota, Ms. Anderson-Hegg draws on her own ethnic roots as she portrays “Hanna,” a Scandinavian immigrant pioneer woman based on her maternal grandmother. Gloria brings the Bible to life with her inspirational characterizations of “Women of the Bible.” Children of all ages are charmed and mesmerized with “And They Lived Happily Ever After...,” a collection of mythical folk and fairy tales from all over the world.
Among her many accomplishments, Gloria worked for many years as a first-person interpreter and educational instructor at the IRONWORLD DISCOVERY CENTER in Chisholm, Minnesota. She portrayed an immigrant woman living in Glen Location, a 1915 era mining community situated at the edge of an open pit mine. Her stories are based on oral histories she conducted with elderly persons who once lived in the now defunct communities.
An active folklorist, Gloria has served on the board of the Oral History Association of Minnesota and has given presentations at a number of OHAM annual meetings. She has also presented Oral History workshops. Gloria is a member of the National Storytelling Network. As a free-lance storyteller, Gloria travels and delights audiences of all ages at schools, churches and community events throughout the Midwest with her folk tales and historically insightful presentations.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Gloria Anderson-Hegg, storyteller and oral historian, brings history to life with her first-person interpretation of characters from the past. A native of Bear River, Minnesota, Ms. Anderson-Hegg draws on her own ethnic roots as she portrays “Hanna,” a Scandinavian immigrant pioneer woman based on her maternal grandmother. Gloria brings the Bible to life with her inspirational characterizations of “Women of the Bible.” Children of all ages are charmed and mesmerized with “And They Lived Happily Ever After...,” a collection of mythical folk and fairy tales from all over the world.
Among her many accomplishments, Gloria worked for many years as a first-person interpreter and educational instructor at the IRONWORLD DISCOVERY CENTER in Chisholm, Minnesota. She portrayed an immigrant woman living in Glen Location, a 1915 era mining community situated at the edge of an open pit mine. Her stories are based on oral histories she conducted with elderly persons who once lived in the now defunct communities.
An active folklorist, Gloria has served on the board of the Oral History Association of Minnesota and has given presentations at a number of OHAM annual meetings. She has also presented Oral History workshops. Gloria is a member of the National Storytelling Network. As a free-lance storyteller, Gloria travels and delights audiences of all ages at schools, churches and community events throughout the Midwest with her folk tales and historically insightful presentations.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
December 2020
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Two remarkable Christmas stories from World War Two point to the possibility that more is going on that what we might see. In the first story, a Christmas Eve celebration in a frozen cellar brings a soothing peace to a group of weary soldiers. While the other features Americans bringing joy to the children of a battered European village. In the third story, the narrator tells of his hilarious tour of Minnesota as the Grinch, but the story turns on him as he falls into a situation where his own heart needed to grow several sizes. What the three stories have in common is the angels appear in unlikely situations. Like the Christmas story itself -- which took place in a barn -- difficulties transform us to more than what we can imagine. In our Covid Christmas, this message is particularly timely. A soldier can’t leave the battlefield any more than any of us can escape the pandemic. But acts of kindness, particularly toward children, can open a door to something larger. When Christmas is stripped of the presents and what usually happens, as it was in Whoville when the Grinch stole everything, there is an opportunity to connect more deeply. In Whoville, they sang anyway. Christmas is, after all, a story with a happy ending and a choir of angels. In “Waiting for the Angels” the human spirit rises in spite of very difficult circumstances. In fact, those circumstances seem to open the door for the angels.
Waiting for the Angels is a multi-media one-man show about Christmas on the road featuring actor and writer Patrick Dewane, creator of the popular show The Accidential Hero. Audiences across the US and the Czech Republic have thrilled to his remarkable stories.
THANK YOU TO SPONSORS
We are bringing the excitement of Rock n Roll Xmas Spectacular directly to you!! Registration is easy and as a thank you to all our fans/patrons, we are offering this show for a “Pay What You Want” price! Its been a tough year for everyone and we want you to share the gift of music with everyone you know!!
Join us from the luxury of your own living rooms, basements & mangers as we saddle up our camels to deliver all of the rock n roll spirit that this un-present-dented holiday season deserves! We’ll be cooking up a setlist of time honored RRXS classics, plus a few surprises, all recorded live on stage & delivered to you whenever you decide to pull the RRXS cyber-trigger! Your ticket purchase allows you access to the show from Dec 18 at 7pm until Dec 31 at midnight!
So knock back a shot of Stacy Bauer’s patented “Jingle Juice” and let us cyber-rock your chestnuts off!
REIF DONATIONS ENCOURAGED AT CHECKOUT
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Recorded live at St. Joan of Arc Church in Minneapolis, MN.
December, 2020
Kevin Kling has performed his "Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” since 1995, starting at the Jungle Theater and then on to the Guthrie Theater for his annual December show there. It’s a bit of good cheer, stuffed with humor and based on a childhood memory of Christmas surrounded by dogs, relatives, and an unruly gasoline powered toy airplane. Talented musicians Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin joined the celebration many years ago making the evening one of Minnesota's favorite holiday show traditions.
KEVIN KLING
A renowned playwright and storyteller, Minnesota's own Kevin Kling is known for his commentaries on NPR's All Things Considered. He has entertained audiences with his off-kilter stories that express humor, heart, and thoughtful philosophizing. Kevin has been awarded arts grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. In 2014, Mayor RT Rybak named Kevin the "Minneapolis Story Laureate". He continues to write plays and stories in a rigorous fashion and travels around the globe to storytelling festivals, residencies, and frequently performs at the acclaimed National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
SIMONE PERRIN
Musician and songwriter Simone Perrin grew up on the banks of the upper Mississippi in beautiful Winona, MN. After some time in New York City, and then Minneapolis, where she met and started working with Kevin Kling, Simone moved rural Wisconsin, where she lives today with her family. In between trips to the garden and snuggles with her little guys, Simone travels to towns around the Upper Midwest to sing songs and tell stories. She has appeared on the Prairie Home Companion and has performed with many regional theaters including The Guthrie, Theater Latte Da, Open Eye Figure Theatre, The Cincinnati Playhouse and The Seattle Repertory Theater, where she and Kevin developed two original plays, How? How? Why? Why? Why? and Breakin' Hearts and Takin' Names. In 2009, Simone released her first album Hummingbird available online at CDbaby.com.
DAN CHOUINARD
Dan Chouinard is a St. Paul-based honky-tonk pianist, concert soloist and accompanist, street accordionist, sing-along enabler, Italian and French teacher and bicycling vagabond, frequent lucky collaborator with Kevin Kling. With Grand Rapids native Peter Rothstein, co-creator in 2013 of Steerage Song, an immigration documentary-musical. Writer and host of many live music-and-history variety shows for broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television. Performer on a dozen live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion. Recording artist with Peter Ostroushko, Prudence Johnson, Maria Jette and dozens of others. Founder of Lush Country, a classic country band made up of Prairie Home Companion veterans. More at danchouinard.com