November 2020
A Virtual Reif Holiday Event!
Best viewed on a Smart Television, computer, tablet or phone. Broadcast in 1080p HD!
In this classic Christmas tribute, The Divas will dazzle you, bringing the holiday spirit with time honored hits from Bing Crosby to The Andrews Sisters to the Jackson 5, plus many more.
A Very Diva Christmas is guaranteed to get crowds into the spirit of the Holiday Season.
With gorgeous gowns, festive stage décor and witty banter and audience interaction, you will be tapping your toes and singing along to this nostalgic Holiday Experience.
Let the Divas bring the Holiday Cheer!
Purchase TicketsDecember 2020
A Virtual Reif Holiday Event!
Best viewed on a Smart Television, computer, tablet or phone. Broadcast in 1080p HD!
Style, sophistication, energy — and entertainment that not even the Grinch could resist. Light up your holidays with “Ringin & Swingin: The George Maurer Group Holiday Show” and the group’s trademark irreverent, tongue-in-cheek takes on classic Christmas tunes.
Maurer and company wrap the songs of the season in their unique brand of jazz, quoting everything Motown to Monk (Thelonious, that is) and Broadway to the Big Easy for a sound that’s two sizes too big. Highlights include a big brass blowout of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” that fuses Henry Mancini with Dr. Seuss, brilliant 4-part vocal harmonies, and a dead-on tribute to Dean Martin’s “The Christmas Blues.”
“Ringin’ & Swingin’” features an extensive repertoire of fun, swinging classics by jazz and pop legends, with intricate arrangements and vocals seasoned by the George Maurer Group’s famous lighthearted flair. Just when you expect them to pull another jazz riff out of Santa’s bag, they might give you a little hit of Led Zeppelin instead. Just when you least expect it, they might take you on a nostalgic journey to Christmases past with a heartfelt rendition of a time-honored favorite.
The George Maurer Group has brought many a house to its feet with their outstanding stage shows, where encores are the rule and the holiday spirit fills the room.
Ring in your holidays with the swingin’est Christmas show around.
Jolly Ol' St. Nick is taking time out of his busy schedule to visit the Reif Center! Since he's playing it safe this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he has agreed to meet virtually with local kids before he double checks his list.
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Don't let COVID-19 put a damper on your holiday tradition of experiencing The Nutcracker, performed by Reif dancers! This special Video On-Demand performance was recorded in 2019.
Recreated from the classical ballet by Tchaikovsky, and performed by the superb Reif Dancers, The Nutcracker tells the enchanting story of young Clara who dreams that her nutcracker doll is transformed into a valiant prince. After defeating the evil Mouse King and his army, they are transported to the fantastical Land of Sweets where they are welcomed by a host of delectable characters. A Reif holiday tradition.
THANK YOU TO SPONSORS
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Two remarkable Christmas stories from World War Two point to the possibility that more is going on that what we might see. In the first story, a Christmas Eve celebration in a frozen cellar brings a soothing peace to a group of weary soldiers. While the other features Americans bringing joy to the children of a battered European village. In the third story, the narrator tells of his hilarious tour of Minnesota as the Grinch, but the story turns on him as he falls into a situation where his own heart needed to grow several sizes. What the three stories have in common is the angels appear in unlikely situations. Like the Christmas story itself -- which took place in a barn -- difficulties transform us to more than what we can imagine. In our Covid Christmas, this message is particularly timely. A soldier can’t leave the battlefield any more than any of us can escape the pandemic. But acts of kindness, particularly toward children, can open a door to something larger. When Christmas is stripped of the presents and what usually happens, as it was in Whoville when the Grinch stole everything, there is an opportunity to connect more deeply. In Whoville, they sang anyway. Christmas is, after all, a story with a happy ending and a choir of angels. In “Waiting for the Angels” the human spirit rises in spite of very difficult circumstances. In fact, those circumstances seem to open the door for the angels.
Waiting for the Angels is a multi-media one-man show about Christmas on the road featuring actor and writer Patrick Dewane, creator of the popular show The Accidential Hero. Audiences across the US and the Czech Republic have thrilled to his remarkable stories.
THANK YOU TO SPONSORS
We are bringing the excitement of Rock n Roll Xmas Spectacular directly to you!! Registration is easy and as a thank you to all our fans/patrons, we are offering this show for a “Pay What You Want” price! Its been a tough year for everyone and we want you to share the gift of music with everyone you know!!
Join us from the luxury of your own living rooms, basements & mangers as we saddle up our camels to deliver all of the rock n roll spirit that this un-present-dented holiday season deserves! We’ll be cooking up a setlist of time honored RRXS classics, plus a few surprises, all recorded live on stage & delivered to you whenever you decide to pull the RRXS cyber-trigger! Your ticket purchase allows you access to the show from Dec 18 at 7pm until Dec 31 at midnight!
So knock back a shot of Stacy Bauer’s patented “Jingle Juice” and let us cyber-rock your chestnuts off!
REIF DONATIONS ENCOURAGED AT CHECKOUT
THANK YOU TO SPONSOR
Recorded live at St. Joan of Arc Church in Minneapolis, MN.
December, 2020
Kevin Kling has performed his "Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” since 1995, starting at the Jungle Theater and then on to the Guthrie Theater for his annual December show there. It’s a bit of good cheer, stuffed with humor and based on a childhood memory of Christmas surrounded by dogs, relatives, and an unruly gasoline powered toy airplane. Talented musicians Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin joined the celebration many years ago making the evening one of Minnesota's favorite holiday show traditions.
KEVIN KLING
A renowned playwright and storyteller, Minnesota's own Kevin Kling is known for his commentaries on NPR's All Things Considered. He has entertained audiences with his off-kilter stories that express humor, heart, and thoughtful philosophizing. Kevin has been awarded arts grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. In 2014, Mayor RT Rybak named Kevin the "Minneapolis Story Laureate". He continues to write plays and stories in a rigorous fashion and travels around the globe to storytelling festivals, residencies, and frequently performs at the acclaimed National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
SIMONE PERRIN
Musician and songwriter Simone Perrin grew up on the banks of the upper Mississippi in beautiful Winona, MN. After some time in New York City, and then Minneapolis, where she met and started working with Kevin Kling, Simone moved rural Wisconsin, where she lives today with her family. In between trips to the garden and snuggles with her little guys, Simone travels to towns around the Upper Midwest to sing songs and tell stories. She has appeared on the Prairie Home Companion and has performed with many regional theaters including The Guthrie, Theater Latte Da, Open Eye Figure Theatre, The Cincinnati Playhouse and The Seattle Repertory Theater, where she and Kevin developed two original plays, How? How? Why? Why? Why? and Breakin' Hearts and Takin' Names. In 2009, Simone released her first album Hummingbird available online at CDbaby.com.
DAN CHOUINARD
Dan Chouinard is a St. Paul-based honky-tonk pianist, concert soloist and accompanist, street accordionist, sing-along enabler, Italian and French teacher and bicycling vagabond, frequent lucky collaborator with Kevin Kling. With Grand Rapids native Peter Rothstein, co-creator in 2013 of Steerage Song, an immigration documentary-musical. Writer and host of many live music-and-history variety shows for broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television. Performer on a dozen live broadcasts of A Prairie Home Companion. Recording artist with Peter Ostroushko, Prudence Johnson, Maria Jette and dozens of others. Founder of Lush Country, a classic country band made up of Prairie Home Companion veterans. More at danchouinard.com
Bill & Kate Isles are an acoustic singer/songwriter duo based in Duluth, Minnesota. Using a wide variety of musical styles, their performances carry audiences through a broad landscape of experiences from metaphorical worlds to small town family stories and to zany comedy. Consummate performers, they are known for their catchy melodies and memorable songs. They have a deep-seated love for the audience, and each other, and it shines before, during, and after the performance. They tour nationally, presenting their profound songs for audiences large and small, from house concerts to festival stages and everything in between. Words like 'Mesmerizing, 'Transcendent', and even, 'Hysterical' are common descriptions from audience reviews and audiences members feel that they are listening to stories of their own lives, told by two of their best friends.
Bill Isles (Born and raised in Duluth, MN) performed his first show of original songs, after a twenty-five year hiatus, in February of 2000. Since that time, he has become one of the most well known singer/songwriters in the Minnesota acoustic scene and has been getting national and international attention. Bill's love of life has strong roots in his childhood, but his urgency to tell these stories comes from an experience in 1993 when, with just enough warning to drive himself to the hospital, he experienced a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He arrived with just ten minutes to spare. After being defibrillated, and before the doctors had time to detect and open a blocked artery in his heart, he made a commitment to himself that, if he survived, he would begin to write again. Those paddles restarted more than just his heart…
Kate Isles (Born in Tecumseh, NE, raised in Rochester, MN) came to the CD release concert for Bill's first CD, “Weightless” after hearing a public radio interview. She bought the CD and signed up on his e-mail list. ('Grounds for marriage!' quips Bill). Their song, 'Public Radio (A True Story)' is a delightful duet that chronicles these beginnings.
Their relationship began in the ensuing months as they enjoyed afternoon sessions with guitars, harmonies and coffee. They've been together ever since, marrying in May of 2004. They have toured nationally as a duo, full-time, since early 2007, performing 100-150 shows per year. Their late-2011 duo album, 'Still Beneath the Stars and Moon', includes ten new original songs, and showcases their respective songwriting with several of Kate’s songs as well as a few they’ve co-written. The response has been very positive with many comments such as 'We’re wearing out your CD, we listen to it all the time!'; and 'It’s the perfect blend of two voices'.
She released her debut solo album, "From Home" in November of 2015.
January 2021
In-Person Tickets Available by calling the Box Office
Mon, Wed, Fri Noon - 5PM
(218) 327-5780
Hello, my name is Larry Yazzie a proud member of the Meskwaki Nation near Tama, Iowa. We are of the Algonquin speaking dialect of the eastern woodland region. We are centrally located in the great state of Iowa. Back in 1857 our forefathers snuck up to Iowa from Oklahoma and Kansas and purchased our first 80 acres. With the help of local farmers and the Governor of Iowa at the time granted us the Meskwaki citizens of Iowa
I’m honored to share my stories and culture with you through music and dance. We are made up of several tribes and promise to bring you the best experience possible!
As I play my flute I play in prayer for all who are going through hard times especially during this pandemic we will get through this together. We all need to pray together I too have experienced hardships in my life, especially in my community on the Meskwaki Indian Settlement near Tama, Iowa. Earlier this summer we were hit with a Derecho storm a land hurricane with winds up to 130 mph with devastation everywhere! But we prevailed and came together through prayers and help pouring in from everywhere! So thank you! ...”
Featuring:
FREE VIRTUAL BINGO!
Advanced registration required by contacting ElderCircle
(218) 999-9233 ext. 279
ecircle@eldercircle.org