Eclectic mix to perform

In keeping with its long history, the Lakes Area Concert Association has booked an eclectic mix of professional acts for its 2002-2003 performing arts season.

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The lineup includes a string quintet, a dance troupe, a classical pianist, a Dixieland band and the Twin Cities a cappella group Dare to Breathe, which opens the season Oct. 19 in Tornstrom Auditorium.

Founded more than a half-century ago, the association takes pride in promoting a wide variety of professional acts for area audiences, said Betty Alderman, the group's publicity director.

"Once more, we are offering a super dynamic series, both in Brainerd as well as in our four other cities," she said this week, as the association's season ticket campaign began in earnest.

"We are truly blessed to be able to offer an outstanding concert series at such unbelievable prices," said Alderman, who has been a member of the association's board for much of its history.

At $25 for the series of five concerts, the association's season ranks among the area's best entertainment bargains. Tickets are not available for individual performances.

A Lakes Area season ticket holder also can gain admittance to any of the five-concert series offered by similar associations in Wadena, Sauk Centre, Park Rapids and Alexandria, based on seating availability.

If previous years are any indication, this year's season will be nearly sold out before Dare to Breathe's appearance at the 950-seat auditorium in Brainerd's Washington Middle School. For more information, call 829-3379 or 828-7105.

A handful of season tickets normally are available at the gate in the moments before the opening production. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

With two female and three male vocalists, Dare to Breathe has gained a large following across the Upper Midwest since its debut in 1994, appearing regularly on Minnesota Public Radio and at the Minnesota State Fair.

Its repertoire features a wide range of folk, classical and popular songs from several countries, "all performed with energy, polish and good humor," according to the group's promotional materials.

The concert season will resume Nov. 10 with Manhattan-based The Abaca String Band, a quintet featuring guitar, mandolin, bass, violin and viola.

The group's musical lineup includes arrangements from such classical luminaries as Handel and Tchaikovsky and Bach, as well as popular-jazz composers Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Scott Joplin, the band's promotional materials say.

The Brainerd appearance marks the first Midwestern performance for the band, which regularly plays the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other famous New York venue, the material says.

Dance Through Time, a Minnesota-based troupe, is scheduled for Feb. 12, followed by pianist Per Tengstrand on March 11 and the Barbary Coast Dixieland Band on April 25.

Tengstrand, a native of Sweden, broke into international prominence when he won the 1997 Cleveland International Piano Competition. He has since appeared with numerous orchestras, both in this country and abroad.

The Barbary Coast Dixieland Band, founded in 1967, recently was named to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.

Some of the acts appearing in the Lakes Area Concert Association's season will repeat their performances in neighboring communities, although the lineup varies from town to town.

The Central Lakes Concert Series opens Sept. 26 in Alexandria with Brassissimo Vienna, while the Wadena Area Concert Series starts Oct. 1 with Grand Derangement.

Dare to Breathe kicks off the Centre Area Concert Series Oct. 15 in Sauk Centre, and Neal & Leandra open the Heartland Concert Series Oct. 15 in Park Rapids. Season ticket holders are provided with a complete schedule for the five participating associations.