Lakes Area Music Festival Rehearsing for 14th Annual Season

The 14th annual Lakes Area Music Festival is ready to take the stage once again in Brainerd.

World-class chamber music, orchestral works, and opera performances will be held over the next few weeks, with many of them at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts at Brainerd High School. Over 180 artists from leading orchestras and opera companies around the country are coming to the area.

Tuesday was the first day of staging for the festival’s annual opera, which will be Richard Strauss’s “Ariadne auf Naxos.” It’s an exciting time with performers and crew from all across the US working together. This year’s set designer came from Kentucky, the costume designer from New York City, and many others in stage management, props, and design traveled many miles to get there.

Events like this usually take two to three years in advance to plan out. Once this summer season is over in August, September starts by seeing what audiences liked and refining programs, as well beginning the hiring process for the next group of artists.

The summer season beings this Friday, July 29th with their biggest fundraiser of the year, “Gala: Forbidden Love,” which will feature selections from “West Side Story.” More information on the Lakes Area Music Festival and concert dates can be found on their website.