CROOKSTON, Minn. – Songs of Temperance and Temptation is the theme of a concert to be performed on Tuesday, November 1, 2011, in the Kiehle Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, Crookston. The Rose Ensemble will bring the flavor and the music of the prohibition period to life beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $12 for adults and $9 for students with an ID. With the purchase of two or more regular-priced tickets an additional ticket is free.
Prohibition leaps onto the musical stage in this delightful look at the history and humor behind Minnesota’s long-standing love/hate relationship with the saloon. Semi-staged and fully costumed, this research-rich yet light-hearted performance features the songs and stories of Carrie Nation and 19th-century Temperance Union meetings, balanced by a full cup of good ol’ anti-Prohibition songs. Projections of historical photos and narration from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby complement the show, as the performers skip and prance to Victorian waltzes, croon 1920s jazz, launch into Irish reels, ragtime, and gospel, and belt out some of Irving Berlin’s best show-stoppers.
Founded in 1996 by Artistic Director Jordan Sramek, The Rose Ensemble reawakens the ancient with vocal music that stirs the emotions, challenges the mind, and lifts the spirit. The Saint Paul, Minnesota group tours internationally with repertoire spanning 1,000 years and 25 languages, including new research in Middle Eastern, European and American vocal traditions. The Ensemble has released 9 recordings. For more information, visit www.roseensemble.org.
The concert is sponsored in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board through appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
