Articles and News
Concert will benefit Lake Superior |
| The Boreal Chamber Symphony will make its debut on Lake Superior Day in Marquette in a concert to raise funds to help protect the lake. Members of the group include, from left, percussionist Carrie Biolo; interpretive dancer Maria Formolo; percussionist James A. Strain; Tom Reed, a representative for the Cedar Tree Institute; conductor Craig Randal Johnson of Minneapolis; Natasha Koss of the Superior Watershed Partnership; and Martha Conley, Marquette Community Foundation board member and chairwoman of the foundation's grants committee, which awarded a $1,500 the July 15 concert. |
By DILLON THORNE, Journal Staff Writer
MARQUETTE — A special concert is being planned in Marquette to commemorate International Lake Superior Day on July 15 and to raise funds for protection of the lake.
Performing will be the recently formed Boreal Chamber Symphony, which features more than 20 professional classical musicians under the direction of conductor Craig Randal Johnson of Minneapolis.
The concert, set for Up Front & Co. at 102 E. Main St., will feature nine separate pieces, including classical music, new compositions and dance.
“There’s going to be a great deal of variety, some classical, some experimental,” Johnson said. “Results will give spectators a diverse and interesting program.”
Two nonprofit organizations are sponsoring the event - the Superior Watershed Partnership and Cedar Tree Institute - with a lot of help from community members, said Carl Lindquist, executive director of Superior Watershed.
“We’ve gotten a lot of financial support from the community, that’s how we’re able to do it,” said Lindquist, who will be performing on the piano for the concert.
“We hope to raise additional funds. We don’t have any specific mark we want to hit, we just want people to be generous and help us with protecting Lake Superior for years to come.”
Information on how to get involved with local programs will also be available at the event.
“People want to do more to protect the lake,” Lindquist said. “We encourage people to learn about some of the projects involved with the watershed and Cedar Tree.”
Concert organizers came up with the idea in September .
“We got inspiration from the Baltic Sea Festival, which hosts a variety of events around the Baltic to help fund projects,” Johnson said.
“It didn’t take long for the project to spring to life. It appears like this has been on people’s minds for sometime now.”
Johnson has been involved with Finn Fest, the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, Superior Festival Orchestra and has worked in opera houses in Germany.
One of the highlights of the concert will be the premiere of Upper Peninsula native Evan Premo’s “Fall Storm on Lake Superior,” which he created for the fund-raising concert.
“We’re really excited for Evan’s piece,” Johnson said. “Everything seems to be coming out remarkable.”
In addition to the concert and dance, there will be exhibits by regional nature artists and Great Lakes authors.
“We’re hoping for a packed house,” Johnson said. “It’s the first of its kind; hopefully the turnout will be good.”
The concert is free of charge and begins with a social hour at 6 p.m. The concert will start at 7 p.m.
Donations will go to the Lake Superior Defense Fund.