BRAINERD — The Lakes Area Music Festival brings its 2026 Winter Series to a close with Feelin’ Blue, a vibrant program inspired by the enduring influence of blues music.
Curated and hosted by Loki Karuna, the program features works including Maurice Ravel’s “Blues” (from “Violin Sonata No. 2”), David Baker’s “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano,” Louis Chauvin/Scott Joplin’s “Heliotrope Bouquet,” and Paul Schoenfeld’s “Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano.”
The performance will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Baxter. Tickets are available online or at the door beginning one hour prior to the performance, with pay-as-you-wish ticketing offered.
Among all of the musical forms born in the United States, there’s nothing quite like the blues. Developed from work songs and folk traditions, the style has shaped generations of composers and performers. Feelin’ Blue explores this rich lineage through works that reflect the blues’ expressive depth and cross-cultural reach. Featured artists include violinist Ben Odhner and clarinetist Gabriel Campos Zamora of the Minnesota Orchestra, Twin Cities pianist Casey Rafn, and curator Loki Karuna.
The April 19 performance marks the final concert of Lakes Area Music Festival’s Winter Series, a season centered on intimate performances and close connections between artists and audiences. The festival now looks ahead to its upcoming summer season in the Brainerd lakes area.
To learn more and purchase tickets, visit
lakesareamusic.org/feelin-blue-brainerd
.
This program will also be performed in Minneapolis on Saturday, April 18 at the Pillsbury Castle, the new Twin Cities home of the Lakes Area Music Festival. Tickets for Minneapolis are sold out.
Violinist Ben Odhner joined the Minnesota Orchestra in the 2017-18 season after serving in the first violin section of the Colorado Symphony. He has appeared as a soloist with the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and other ensembles. A fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School, he has served as concertmaster of the Aspen Sinfonia and Aspen Concert Orchestra. He holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with Paul Kantor.
Contributed
Clarinetist Gabriel Campos Zamora, a native of San José, Costa Rica, is the newly appointed principal clarinet of the Minnesota Orchestra. He previously served as associate principal clarinet of the Kansas City Symphony and has appeared as guest principal with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Seattle and Houston Symphonies. He has been a participant at the Marlboro Music Festival and a fellow of Ensemble ACJW. He received first prize at the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition and won concerto competitions at the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, and National Repertory Orchestra. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and received his bachelor’s degree from the Colburn Conservatory, where he studied with Yehuda Gilad.
Pianist Casey Rafn enjoys a varied career as a collaborative pianist both in the United States and abroad. He is a member of Trés, whose saxophone-piano trio was just nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album for their new album “Romance al Campesino Porteño.” Casey often collaborates in concert or recordings with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and University of Minnesota School of Music faculty. As a piano soloist he took top prizes at the International Liszt-Garrison Competition in Baltimore, has appeared with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra.
A proud native of Memphis, Tennessee, Loki Karuna has performed with ensembles including the South Arkansas Symphony, Memphis Repertory Orchestra, and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as both performer and guest host on APM’s Performance Today. Giving voice to music by Black and contemporary composers drives his work as a performer, curator, and advocate. He creates and presents programming at the intersection of music and cultural equity and serves as co-host and executive producer of the podcast TRILLOQUY, noted by The New York Times as “required listening.” He holds degrees in bassoon performance from the University of Memphis and the University of Southern California.
The Lakes Area Music Festival is Minnesota’s summer home for world-class opera, orchestra, and chamber music. Celebrating its 18th anniversary season, more than 200 artists from the nation’s top orchestras and opera companies will present 60 concert, education, and community outreach activities this July and August. Founded in 2009, the Lakes Area Music Festival sparks connections between its central Minnesota community and the nation’s top classical performers to create transformative musical experiences. The Lakes Area Music Festival is a nonprofit based in Brainerd. To find out more visit
or call 218-ASK-LAMF (218-275-5263).