This year’s performances — five shows between Nov. 30-Dec. 3 — are being held at Salolampi, the Finnish language camp at Bemidji’s Concordia Language Villages.
“We want to give our patrons a complete experience, from the moment that they come on site through the time that they finish the evening,” said Dr. Dwight Jilek, assistant professor of music at BSU and producer of the Madrigal Dinners, in a press release.
“We want them to feel like they have been transported to another place, and when you think of the Concordia Language Villages that is exactly what they were made to do.
“The trip out to the Language Villages Is part of the experience — it’s a patron’s journey to the castle,” he said. “This is an ideal fit, and gives us the opportunity to truly welcome our patrons to Deep Manor.”
This year’s masque will use a script penned by Madrigal Dinners founder Dr. Paul Brandvik, professor emeritus of music at BSU, entitled “The Truth Fairy.” With the help of the audience, the titular Truth Fairy will help feature performers Lancealot and Lancealittle determine the difference between truth and falsehood, the release said.
Beyond the change of venue, Jilek said previous visitors to Deep Manor will not see significant changes from past performances.
“There won’t be fundamental changes, but when you go into Salolampi the first thing our audience will recognize is that this space is beautiful,” he said. “This space is elegant — it’s a royal space. The energy in the room will also work to the show’s advantage — it will feel like the whole room is packed with visitors to Deep Manor.”
Jilek will serve as music director and producer, while award-winning designer and BSU alumnus Fred Rogers will serve as artistic director and costume designer.
Bemidji State’s 2017 performance schedule includes five shows — four evening dates beginning at 7 p.m held Nov. 30 through Dec. 3, with a 1 p.m. matinee on Dec. 3. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.
Tickets for the Madrigal Dinners are $40 for adults and $30 for students, and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Madrigal Dinners ticket office in Room 101 of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex or by printing an order form from the Department of Music website and sending it with a check via postal mail. Tickets also are available online. For more information about online tickets, visit the Madrigal Dinners’ page on Facebook. Ticket orders cannot be placed by phone.
BSU announces Veterans Day events
BEMIDJI — BSU will recognize U.S. veterans with a series of events leading up to Veteran’s Day. With the holiday falling on a Saturday, BSU will be closed on Friday, Nov. 10.
Monday, Nov. 6: BSU’s Veteran’s Assistance Center, 102 Decker Hall, will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. At noon, BSU and the Bemidji American Legion will host a presentation of colors and flag-raising ceremony at the university’s flagpoles by Deputy Hall. A “Missing Man” table will be on display in the Lakeside dining area of the lower Hobson Memorial Union throughout the week. The table will commemorate soldiers who went missing in action during deployments. A recognition ceremony for the Missing Man table will be held at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
Tuesday, Nov. 7: Beginning at noon in Hagg-Sauer Hall 100, Faith Hensrud, president of BSU and Northwest Technical College and a U.S. Army veteran, will be joined by BSU alumni veterans for a “Voices in the Field” panel. The panelists will share stories about their service.
Those attending the panel are encouraged to bring lunch.
Thursday, Nov. 9: BSU will host a free screening of the documentary film “Almost Sunrise” at 1 p.m. in the Crying Wolf Room of the lower Hobson Memorial Union. “Almost Sunrise” follows Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, veterans struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts in the years after they returned home from combat in Iraq.