Check out these holiday events this weekend in Grand Forks
Dec. 22—GRAND FORKS — The Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos duo is returning to Grand Forks to entertain audiences Thursday and Friday, Dec. 29 and 30, at the Empire Arts Center. The shows begin at 8 p.m. each evening.
Ted Manderfeld and Dave Eichholz, the keyboard-pounding pair from Minnesota, provide a hilarious experience that is a unique cocktail of concert, comedy sketch and variety show, promoters say.
During the show, the piano players play audience-requested songs. They sing and battle back and forth with comedic commentary and hilarious banter.
Audience members will hear a variety of music, from classical to John Denver to Eminem. The duo's improvizational style is laced with jazzed up standards and pop songs. Each musician plays multiple instruments; Eichholz plays guitar, saxophone and most wind instruments, and Manderfeld plays harmonica, ukulele, guitar and drums.
Alcohol will be sold at this event.
Tickets, $35 each for reserved seating, are available at the Ralph Engelstad Arena box office and
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Tamara Bertram, violinist, and Chris Gable, a teaching associate professor of music at UND, will lead a holiday sing-along at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 23, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave.
The sing-along will follow the Family Holiday Film, "A Muppet Christmas Carol," which will start at 1 p.m. Movie tickets are $2 each and will be sold at the door only.
"Spend the afternoon at the Empire singing to your favorite Christmas carols," Bertram said in an email. "Many families and communities have traditions and rituals they follow at this time of year — and through this event we are hoping to ignite the Christmas spirit with live music and bring the Grand Forks community together."
For the sing-along, Gable will be singing and playing guitar on some of the songs. Bertram will be leading a group she's forming, the Empire Community Orchestra, which is open to everyone.
"We need as many string players as possible — young and old," with varying abilities, who all share a common love of music, Bertram said. "And anyone can sign up to play."
If you are interested in joining the orchestra, send a text to: (701) 620-9043 or send an email to
; include your name, email address, and the instrument you play.
For more information, visit
or call (701) 746-5500.
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council has announced a series of free training sessions for artists who wish to teach in schools or participate in art festivals.
The seven online sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursdays, Jan. 19-Feb. 23. The final session will be held in person from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 25 in Warren, Minnesota.
The program is intended to support creative individuals who would like to earn income by working in their local schools and at festivals as artists in residency.
Session topics include business skills on lesson plans, artistic statements, web listing, and creating a mock grant application on sponsorship and a mock press release.
In addition to honing their teaching and professional skills, the artists will join the Teaching Artist Roster on the NWMAC website, a resource for school and festival officials seeking an artist to sponsor, said Mara Hanel, NWMAC director.
The application process is available online; log into the grant system via the "grant login" button in the top right corner of the NWMAC website,
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For more information or help with the application process, contact Hanel at the NWMAC office, (218) 745-8886 or email her at
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