Posted 06/08/2000
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8380
U of M’s Third Opera on the Farm Set for June 24 Near Red Lake Falls
The University of Minnesota School of Music Opera Theater will present Aaron Copland’s opera “The Tender Land” on Saturday, June 24, at 7 p.m. on the Lou Schafer Farm, located 2 miles northwest of Red Lake Falls, Minn., on County Road 13. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Concessions, memorabilia, and horse-drawn wagon rides will be available before the performance.
The admission price will be $5, with children 8 years and younger attending free of charge. Tickets for the opera are available at several local businesses including Scott’s Music in the Columbia Mall, Grand Forks; Montague’s Flower Shop, Crookston; Kezar Music in Thief River Falls; and Thompson’s Hardware, the Red Lake County State Bank, and the Minnesota Extension Office, all in Red Lake Falls. Bleacher seating will be available. Lawn chairs and blankets are also allowed. Shuttle bus service will be provided from various locations in Red Lake Falls. Free parking will be available at the Schafer Farm.
This is the third tour for Opera on the Farm, an event that not only brings opera to rural areas, but also strives to highlight some of the issues facing farming communities today. This is also the third time the Schafer Farm has hosted one of the Opera on the Farm performances. Lou Schafer has made his farm available for prior performances in 1993 and 1996.
This tour of Opera on the Farm will serve as the kickoff event of the state-wide celebration of the U of M’s sesquicentennial. The performance in Red Lake Falls is part of a summer tour, which will also include performances in six other communities. The first performance will be in Lanesboro, Minn., on June 11, and will serve as the official kickoff of the U’s sesquicentennial year.
“The Tender Land,” which is set on a Midwestern farm, tells the story of a farm family dealing with life-changing events and decisions. The plot centers around a farm family in the 1930's. Two young men show up at the doorstep eager to help with the harvest on the eve of a graduation party for the farmer’s oldest daughter. Much to the dismay of the grandfather, one of the men falls in love with the young girl, and she is faced with a decision to either stay at the farm or leave to an uncertain fate.
The performance is a unique community partnership that combines University student musicians and singers with local performers, choirs, and choral groups. Amelia Schmitz, daughter of Terry and MaryJo Schmitz of Red Lake Falls, has been cast in the role of Beth, the youngest daughter, and local volunteers will be part of the production’s chorus.
Throughout the summer, the opera will travel to several other sites including Lanesboro, Minn,; Des Moines, Iowa; Algona, Iowa; Pipestone, Minn.; Renville County, Minn.; and New Rockford, N.D.
The University of Minnesota, established in 1851, is the state’s oldest public institution of higher education. From June 2000 through May 2001 the University will celebrate its sesquicentennial with events sponsored across the state and on all of its campuses—Crookston, Morris, Duluth, and Twin Cities—to commemorate its past and future. Minnesotans across the state will be invited to participate in these public events including parades, concerts, picnics, and dances celebrating the University and its contributions to the state. Funding for sesquicentennial-related events comes from nonstate money earned from the University’s investment income.
For ticket information, accommodations for people with disabilities, or other information on the June 24 performance, contact the Red Lake County Extension Office at 218-253-2897.