August 11, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, Ore. … Garrison Keillor, host of the acclaimed nationally broadcast weekly radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” brings his Lake Wobegon monologues, deep bass voice and love of classical music to the Oregon Symphony for two special concerts on Sept. 8 and 9 in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Support for these concerts is provided by the Heathman Hotel and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Keillor and conductor Philip Brunelle, founder of VocalEssence (an ensemble that blends voices and instruments with inventive programming), will join the Symphony for two evenings of musical humor flavored by Keillor’s signature wit and style. The concerts will include comedy and monologues interspersed with a variety of musical selections from the classical repertoire, as well as contemporary folk music and original songs by Keillor. Brunelle will lead the Symphony in the “Allegro Vivace” from the Symphony in C by Bizet, Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Suite française” by Poulenc, “Surveying Lake Wobegon” by Bill McGlaughlin, Iris Dement’s “My Life,” “And the Band Played the Star-Spangled Banner” by Russell Warner and Keillor’s own “Song of the Exiles,” among other works.
Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” which began as a locally-aired variety show in Minnesota in 1974, is now in its 32nd season. The show is broadcast on over 580 public radio stations, and is also heard abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far East. Keillor remembers, “When the show started, it was something funny to do with my friends, and then it became an achievement that I hoped would be successful, and now it’s a good way of life.”
In addition to his radio work, Keillor has written a number of books including “The Book of Guys” and “Homegrown Democrat.” Keillor has also authored several books about his fictional town of Lake Wobegon, including “Lake Wobegon Days,” which won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album and a George Foster Peabody Award in 1988. In 2001, Keillor was elected to membership in the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters for his contribution to literature.
The performances are scheduled for Friday, Sept. 8, and Saturday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Tickets range from $30 to $99 and may be purchased at the Oregon Symphony Ticket Office (923 S.W. Washington), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., charged by phone at (503) 228-1353 or (800) 228-7343 or online at the Symphony’s Web site at www.orsymphony.org.
Garrison Keillor is the host and writer of “A Prairie Home Companion” and the author of numerous books, including “Lake Wobegon Days,” “The Book of Guys,” “Love Me” and “Homegrown Democrat.” He was born in Anoka, Minn., in 1942 and graduated from the University of Minnesota. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and daughter. He has two grandsons. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Letters and St. John the Evangelist Episcopal church.