Check out this list of upcoming arts and entertainment events in and around Grand Forks
Mar. 29—GRAND FORKS — The Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra will present a concert featuring "Vivaldi's Four Seasons," at 7 p.m. Friday, March 31, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave.
This event will feature the GGFSO Chamber Strings, with Alejandro Drago, solo violin and conductor. It will also feature narration by Darin Kerr, of Minneapolis, a former faculty member in UND's Department of Theatre Arts. Before each movement, he will read sonnets that inspired the "Four Seasons" composition.
Tickets, $25, are available in advance at Popplers Music, 1726 S. Washington, and online at
. Tickets will also be sold at the door.
The Northern Valley Youth Orchestras presents the "Music in Bloom" fundraising event from 1:30-4 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at All Seasons Garden Center, 5101 S. Washington St.
The open house-style event features food, fun and music in a beautiful greenhouse setting, with a photo booth, all-ages activities, door prizes, a raffle and more. Treats will be provided by O' For Heaven's Cakes and Ely's Ivy.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online in advance at
Eventbrite
. In-person ticket purchasing is available at All Seasons and Empire Arts Center and from NVYO board members. Students 12 and younger attend free with a paying adult.
For more information, visit
.
The "North Dakota America Pageants" will begin at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 2, at the Empire Arts Center.
Seventeen contestants from across the state are planning to participate in the event, the official preliminary to the Mrs. America, Mrs. American, and Miss for America Strong pageants that will be held in August in Las Vegas.
In the North Dakota state pageant, contestants will compete in personal interview, swimwear or activewear, state costume, and evening gown categories.
The titles to be awarded, by a panel of five judges, are Mrs. North Dakota, Mrs. American, and Miss for America Strong, along with Junior Queens.
Hosted by Forevermorley Productions, this pageant is directed by Michael and Meg Morley of Grand Forks.
Tickets, $25, can be purchased online at
or at the door.
For more information, go to
.
The Empire Arts Center will host a "Workshop Underground" event, featuring a one-act play "Night Shadow" at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 29, in the Black Box Theatre. Admission is free.
The play, written by Hamzat Koriko, will be read by Sena Dossou-Guichola, Emile Dargbeh and Gracia Mulinga.
The "Workshop Underground" events provide a chance to see new works, meet new artists, explore new ideas and offer feedback, said Koriko, an instructor in the UND Honors Program.
Koriko has translated his play "Night Shadow" into English from French, with support from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, he said. Wednesday's event is an opportunity to share the play with the Grand Forks community and allow young talented individuals to experience professional theater through play reading.
The play, set on a beach somewhere in West Africa, captures a story about "restorative justice during an encounter between two young people on opposite sides of the war that has been ravaging this country," Koriko said.
The event is intended for mature audiences, due to explicit language.
Theater-goers are invited to make reservations online for "The Nerd," Grand Forks Central High School's spring play, set for 7 p.m. April 12-15, and 2 p.m. April 16, in the school's Black Box Theatre. Seating is limited to 100 guests.
The play is about an aspiring young architect, Willum Cubbert, who feels he owes everything to a fellow ex-GI who saved his life in Vietnam. He writes to his fellow veteran, Rick Steadman, who later shows up unexpectedly at Willum's apartment. Rick turns out to be a hopeless nerd who wears out his welcome, leading to one uproarious incident after another, and pushing the usually placid Willum to contemplate violence.
For tickets, go to
or call (701) 746-2411. Those with a Golden Age or Retired Staff pass should email
for instructions on how to use the online system to reserve tickets.
The North Dakota Council on the Arts is accepting online applications for Arts in Education Collaboration and Community Arts Access grant programs through April 14.
Applications must be submitted via the Council's online by 11:59 p.m. April 14, for projects taking place July 1 to June 30, 2024.
The Arts in Education Collaboration grant program provides up to $6,000 to arts organizations, schools, school districts, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to build collaborations and community partnerships aimed at increasing access to high-quality, sustained arts education for K-12 North Dakota students.
For more information — including guidelines, contact information and how to apply — visit the Council's website and look for the Arts in Education Collaboration page.
The Community Arts Access program provides up to $4,000 for arts programming to arts and non-arts organizations as well as unincorporated groups. It is intended to support grantees who offer quality arts activities with a focused effort to serve an underserved community. A community may be defined as a geographic entity, or a community of shared interest or identity, according to a NDCA news release.
For more information, visit the NDCA website and look for the Community Arts Access page.
