Lakes Area Music Festival Kicks Off Season with Prelude Performance in Brainerd

For 15 years, the Lakes Area Music Festival has provided the Brainerd Lakes Area a dive into the world of classical music with many performances held throughout the season.

“[Musicians] participate in concerts of chamber music, in full orchestral [repertoire], even a full opera production, and not only that, but we like to find ways to get our musicians out of the concert hall and into the community,” said Lakes Area Music Festival Artistic Director John Taylor Ward.

As an opening act, a special performance was held at Brainerd’s Lyman P. White Park featuring the Thalea String Quartet, who showcased classical works from Beethoven as well as more modern melodies.

“Sharing this type of music with an intimate crowd in a space like this is something I love to do,” explained Thalea String Quartet violinist Kumiko Sakamoto.

One of the highlights of this opening act and the festival as a whole is being able to share live performances with the Brainerd Lakes community.

“Bringing classical music to the Lakes area is something that I’m really passionate about,” said Thalea String Quartet violist Lauren Spaulding. “We’ve gotten to see people laugh at classical music, we’ve gotten to see people cry at classical music, and sharing those emotions with our audience members is what really makes me love what I do.”

While the Lakes Area Music Festival will host concerts all throughout the summer, the Prelude series will continue on Saturday, July 15th with a performance in Aitkin. A schedule of this year’s performances is available on their website.