Join us for a live happy hour on my Facebook page ... usually happening on most Thursdays.
Rachel Holder and Judi Vinar join me on Thursday, February 25th and I am TOTALLY looking forward to it!
Send me your requests ahead of time if you'd like - loridokken@icloud.com
Woo hoo !!! It's going to be tons of fun! Looking forward to hanging out with you!
Thursday - February 25th - 5:00 PM
live-streaming on Facebook at:
Submit your requests ahead of time by sending an email to me at:
It is incredibly difficult to express the depth of our community’s loss with Debbie Duncan’s passing. As an artist and collaborator of the highest quality, an enthusiastic supporter of other musicians, and as a friend, Debbie touched tens of thousands of us over her nearly 40 years in the Twin Cities.
Over those years, she became one of the most widely loved artists in our community. Her world-class vocal talents were matched by the depth of her down to earth humility, her humanity, and the generosity of her spirit.
Debbie’s Fund began as a GoFundMe effort to raise money to cover her expenses after she suffered three strokes in the fall of 2020. After she passed away, we felt that giving something back to the community would honor and reflect her soulful spirit.
As we work our way through this devastating pandemic that has affected so many in our community, this fund will provide easily accessible micro-grants to help musicians who have an acute financial need. These will be low barrier grants initially intended to offer some immediate help for musicians affected by COVID 19. Over time, we hope this will evolve into an ongoing legacy that reflects and honors the incredible generosity that Debbie exuded to everyone in her orbit.
A committee led by Lowell Pickett will post grant criteria and how to apply on the Dakota’s website soon. (www.dakotacooks.com) In the meantime, tax-deductible donations in Debbie’s memory can be made to this fund by going to https://mixedblood.com/product/debbieduncan/ or sent to “The Debbie Duncan Legacy Fund”, c/o Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 S 4th Street, Mpls, MN 55454.
Mixed Blood Theatre is hosting this fundraising campaign in support of Twin Cities’ musicians and in honor of Debbie Duncan. Funds raised will be restricted for micro-grants to musicians and will not be used for Mixed Blood operations.
The Debbie Duncan Legacy Fund
For more information go to:
https://www.dakotacooks.com/2021/02/08/debbie-duncan-legacy-fund/
To contribute online, go to:
https://mixedblood.com/product/debbieduncan/
Or you can mail your donation to:
“The Debbie Duncan Legacy Fund”
c/o Mixed Blood Theatre
1501 S 4th Street
Mpls, MN 55454
Contributions to this fund are tax deductible.
Please join us for our annual “Gratitude Concert” live streamed from Unity Minneapolis.
This year, “THREE” (Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder and Lori Dokken) unites with special guest, Eden Bodnar to bring you a compilation of music and spoken word expressing the 12 Powers that Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore wrote about: Faith, Strength, Wisdom, Love, Power, Imagination, Understanding, Will, Order, Zeal, Release, and Life. We are grateful for these 12 creative energies and spiritual attributes that enrich our lives and bring us closer to oneness with all of humanity and all living things around us.
Suggested Ticket Donation - $15
All are welcome to join without regard to ability to contribute.
And … larger donations are certainly welcomed too!
“ROCCO & DOKKO”
@ 5:00 on Friday – Virtual Concert from Unity Minneapolis
Friday, October 30th – 5:00 PM (CST)
Join us for a “Virtual Concert” live streamed from Unity Minneapolis on Friday, October 30th at 5:00 PM. This musical event will not only benefit the Twin Cities’ and Unity communities by reaching out to our many friends and family at this time of social distancing and sheltering in place - your online donations during the event will also benefit the artists, as well as the many ministries of Unity Minneapolis. On hand to deliver the musical festivities will be Lori Dokken and special guest artist James A. (Jamie) Rocco.
Lori and Jamie have been each other’s fans for 15 years and now these friends are joining forces on stage for the first time for a fun-filled, festive occasion of crooning and chatting during this live-streamed event.
James A. Rocco sang back-up to Frank Sinatra at the ripe age of 12 and has not stopped singing since. He has appeared on Broadway and in major venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Théâtre du Châtelet, and others with the Duke Ellington Band, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and many others. From 2005-2017, he was the Producing Artistic Director of the Ordway.
Friday, October 30th - 5:00 PM (CST)
Jamie Rocco and Lori Dokken
Live streamed to: www.facebook.com/unityminneapolisand www.facebook.com/lori.dokken
as well as Unity Minneapolis’ website:www.unityminneapolis.org
Ticket donations can be made online during the event at either: PayPal.me/LoriDokken or on Venmo: @Lori-Dokken
Lori Dokken Presents
Lori Dokken, Debbie Duncan, Patty Peterson, Judi Vinar and Rachel Holder celebrate the greatest women singers and songwriters ever!
Join us for an evening celebrating some of the greatest women singers and songwriters ever! With Lori Dokken at the piano, Twin Cities’ vocalists Judi Vinar, Debbie Duncan, Patty Peterson and Rachel Holder Hennig will turn the stage into a celebration of some of the matriarchs of music. Sit back and enjoy the vibrant vocal harmonies these girls put to tunes made famous by such divas as Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Carole King, Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Christina Aguilera and many more. It promises to be a fantastic evening of hearing these women “roar” as only they can!
Friday, September 25th - 7:00 PM (CST)
Crooner's Main Stage Tent
6161 Highway 65 NE
Minneapolis, MN
Let the live recordings continue!!!
Over the course of the summer, THREE (Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder & Lori Dokken) will be giving three live-streamed concerts from Unity Minneapolis during their "@5 on Friday" concert series. These concerts will have an added component to them – they all will be recorded live and some of the audio material will be selected to be mixed and mastered and released as a digital album in the fall. You will be a part of this endeavor as you experience their experience of making a live recording over the course of the summer.
“THREE” is the brand-new brainchild trio of local Twin Cities’ musicians - Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder and Lori Dokken. These three artists have not only been friends for many years but have also been colleagues in a diverse array of musical groups and productions. “Three” brings together a triad of diverse voices that are skilled in multiple styles and genres and the end product is an incredible performance that unites them into a singular sound - rich in color, character, confidence and the sonic seasoning of experience. Three represents so many things … past, present and future … beginning, middle and end … body, mind and soul … Judi, Rachel and Lori.
ADDED BONUS – People who donate at least $20 during each of the three concerts will receive a free download of the completed project – target release date of October 1st, 2020.
Ticket donations can be made online during the event at either:
PayPal.me/LoriDokken
or Venmo: Lori-Dokken
Your ticket donations during the event go to benefit the artists and the ministries of Unity Minneapolis.
Friday, August 14th – 5:00 PM (CST)
Live streamed to: www.facebook.com/unityminneapolis
Join us for an afternoon celebrating some of the greatest women singers and songwriters ever! With Lori Dokken at the piano and vocals and Twin Cities' vocalists Judi Vinar, Debbie Duncan, Patty Peterson and Rachel Holder turn the Theatre L'Homme Dieu outdoor stage into a celebration of some of the matriarchs of music. Sit back and enjoy the vibrant vocal harmonies these musicians put to tunes made famous by such divas as: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Carole King, Tina Turner, Judy Garland, Christina Aguilera and many more. It promises to be a fantastic afternoon of hearing these women "roar" as only they can!
Theatre L’Homme Dieu (TLHD) has a rich history of presenting theatre to the Alexandria Lakes Area. Founded in 1961, TLHD is the oldest operating summer stock theatre in MN. Formerly partnered with SCSU, we have been operating independently as a presenting theatre since 2009. That means that we don't produce community shows, rather we present professional theatre on our stage.
TLHD audiences are comprised of permanent residents, seasonal residents, tourists, and guests of the Alexandria area. TLHD’s campus is a former resort that was converted into a theatre campus with housing for 38, a lodge with an industrial kitchen, and a 272-seat proscenium theatre. The campus sits on 22 acres of wooded land, with access to Lake L’Homme Dieu.
( In 2020 Theatre L’Homme Dieu will celebrate our 60th Season with professional theatre programming for all ages that includes musicals, comedies, and dramas. In addition, we are proud to present a carefully curated Concert Series, bringing great artists and arts organizations to the Lakes Area. )
Theatre L'Homme Dieu
1875 County Road 120
Alexandria, MN 56308
(320) 846-3150
Shout! Sister, Shout! – The Voices of Women …
… a concert event celebrating great women composers and vocalists.
Originally conceived as a two act theatrical presentation, this edition of “Shout!” will contain musical selections from the show presented as a chronological compilation of songs by great female composers and vocalists ranging from Sister Rosetta to Alicia Keys. The show will be adapted to fit within a 90 minute timeframe. On stage to deliver an eclectic and dynamic array of arrangements of songs written by some iconic female artists are a cadre of local Twin Cities’ vocalists including Judi Vinar, Joyann Parker, Rachel Holder, Katie Gearty, and Anna Christy backed by pianist Lori Dokken (Producer & Music Director of “Shout! Sister, Shout!”) along with a rhythm section.
This concert will take us on a journey through the joys, struggles, loves, losses, concerns, and causes of women using powerful and tender melodies. Along the way we will be reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and our community of shared dreams and then brought to a place where we celebrate all that binds our voices together … especially through music.
Shout! Sister, Shout! – The Voices of Women …
Presented by Lori Dokken (developed in partnership with The History Theatre and adapted for Crooners Lakeside Drive-In Stage)
Vocalists: Judi Vinar, Joyann Parker, Rachel Holder, Katie Gearty, Anna Christy and Lori Dokken.
MONDAY, JULY 20th
Presented by Lori Dokken
(developed in partnership with The History Theatre and adapted for Crooners Lakeside Drive-In Stage)
Crooners Lakeside Drive-In
6161 Highway 65 NE
Minneapolis, MN 55432
(763) 571-9020
Box Office: (763)760-0062
HAPPY HOUR in the Lounge - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21st
MUSIC - 6:00 to 8:00 PM
HAPPY HOUR FRIDAYS IN THE PIANO LOUNGE!!!
CLUB 6-2-8
A CABARET HAPPY HOUR
FOR BABY BOOMERS !!!
Friday, January 24th - 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Friday, February 21st - 6:00 to 8:00
Friday, March 20th - 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Want to go out on a Friday but it's hard when things start later in the evening?
Here's your solution ... stop into The Black Hart after work on a Friday and get back home before the sun sets!
Join us for a live-streamed service
at 9:30 AM!
Join me for a tremendously uplifting experience at Unity Minneapolis where I have been the Music Director for the past nine years. Weekly Sunday morning services are at 9:30 and 11:30. If you can't attend in person - watch the live stream of the 9:30 service. (Tune in at 9:25 so you don't miss the Prelude!)
Frequent musical guests are The Unity Choir, Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder Hennig, Patty Peterson, Debbie Duncan, Dane Stauffer, and many many other Twin Cities' artists.
A Change is Gonna Come
The Soundtrack of
"Getting in Good Trouble"
Change is something we can always count on. It leads us through mountains and valleys … good times and struggles … quiet and chaos. Everything must change.
Join us for this year’s “Unity Minneapolis September Music Series” as we journey through the music and messages of times of social unrest and calls for justice and equality from the 1960s until now. Our current times can feel very overwhelming and paralyzingly relentless. We have walked through many times of difficult changes, but rarely if ever, have we been subjected to the deluge of so many critical issues at one time.
Maya Angelou said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” “Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” James Baldwin said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
During September we will touch on many timely topics and themes from the past six decades and feature some of the music that accompanied them, such as:
September 6th – The 1960s – War and Peace – “Imagine”
September 13th – the 1970s – ERA – Women’s Rights – Gay Rights – Human Rights - “Believe in Humanity”
September 20th – The 1980s and 1990s – HIV/AIDS – World Hunger and Poverty – “We Are the World:”
September 27th – 2000 to now – Systemic Racism and Income Inequality – “One” … “We Shall Overcome”
In 1963, John Lewis said: “I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.” And recently, Congressman Lewis said to us: “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Let’s join together on Sundays in September and find strength and inspiration from our past challenges and successes and share our commitment to the work still so desperately needed. Let’s join our hearts, lace up a brand-new pair of walking shoes and feel the common cause of all of our brothers and sisters to “Get in trouble … necessary trouble.” Let’s ensure that we do our part to fulfill the great pledge of the living document that we share as a community – “All (men) are created equal.” We have laced up our walking shoes many times before and have used our voices to illuminate oppression and injustice … greed and starvation … sickness and inequality … discrimination and segregation.
Once again, I hear the voice of Congressman Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’”
I look forward to you joining us for this important series …
Lori
The 1960s was one of the most memorable decades of all time in the history of The United States. It started out with the election of President John F. Kennedy and the dawn of “Camelot” and closed out with the first man landing on the moon. In between these bookends would be the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK ... civil rights legislation … protests … drugs … The Feminine Mystique … Black Power … hippies … Vietnam … Gloria Steinem … Nixon … the Watts riots … Andy Warhol … Stonewall … N.O.W. … The Beatles … Laugh-In … The Rolling Stones … Twiggy … Woodstock … and so many other momentous events.
While men landed on the moon, women artists took their own giant leap into every area of the musical landscape. The ‘60s were inarguably the most prolific decade for female vocalists and musicians in many diverse styles and categories. From pop and folk to rock and roll and rhythm and blues, women launched themselves into the music scene and claimed their space in the mostly male dominated industry.
Women on the Moon - The '60s is a concert event that showcases some of our favorite artists from the 1960s such as: Mama Cass, Tina Turner, Aretha, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Lesley Gore, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Dionne Warwick, Mavis Staples, Joan Baez, Cher, Ella, Shirley Bassey, Laura Nyro, Diana Ross, Barbra, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Nancy Sinatra, and the great Nina Simone.
Producer and Musical Director, Lori Dokken, has assembled some of the Twin Cities’ finest female vocalists to transport us back fifty years to a time when so many things were static and tumultuous, and yet “peace” and “love” were two of the most circulated words of the era. Bringing their own unique interpretations to a diverse compilation of music from this decade are such local artists as: Judi Vinar, Patty Peterson, Ginger Commodore, Yolande Bruce, Rachel Holder Hennig, Joyann Parker, Katie Geartyand Anna Christy.
This performance is made possible in part by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Featuring songs by such artists as:
Lesley Gore
Dusty Springfield
Grace Slick
Janis Joplin
Dionne Warwick
Mavis Staples
Cass Elliot
Joan Baez
Cher
Tina Turner
Etta James
Diana Ross
Ella Fitzgerald
Laura Nyro
Barbra Streisand
Aretha Franklin
Joni Mitchell
Nina Simone
Bonnie Raitt
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Wilson
Sunday, October 6th
5:00pm concert
Tickets: $30 and $35 (+fees)
Ordway Concert Hall
@ The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
St. Paul, MN. 55102
(651) 224-4222
I am ecstatic to be back at The Ordway Center of the Performing Arts for the eleventh year. This year's production is "SIX" and you will find me once again in The Target Atrium, seated at a very lovely Steinway Concert Grand piano, playing pre show music. It is really my favorite job of the year ... I love Christmas and Holiday music ... I can't wait to see lots of 'short people' - some old friends and some new ... and of course I enjoy spending time with the fantastic staff at this treasured St. Paul theater.
Featuring songs by James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell and more, Minnesota's own Emmy Award-winning acoustic troubadour, Michael Monroe, performs an evening of warm-hearted "folk legend favorites!" Michael's rich vocals, crystal/bamboo flutes and his hand-crafted Seaton guitars, ("works of art" made of 200 year-old reclaimed wood from the bottom of Lake Superior) showcase his signature vocal mellifluous sound.
With special guests Lori Dokken on vocals, percussion and piano and Jim Chenoweth on upright string bass. Listen for more songs by Donovan, Gordon Lightfoot, Jethro Tull, Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary and more. Hits include: “Jet Plane,” “Wild World," "Feelin Groovy,” “Skating Away,” “Catch The Wind,” “Scarborough Fair,” “If You Could Read My Mind…” These tunes inspire fond memories, spark your imagination and stir your soul! Come on and sing along!
CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR MORE INFO AND TO PURCHASE TICKETS!
To celebrate the conclusion of a six month transformation to “The HERstory Theatre” – History Theatre presents - in partnership with Lori Dokken - two concerts celebrating great women composers and writers. The musical journey begins with Sister Rosetta Tharpe and travels through time to today featuring such female phenoms as Laura Nyro, Carole King, Phoebe Snow, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Lady Gaga and India.Arie as well as others. The evening will also be interspersed with words from some wise women writers such as Maya Angelou, Terry Tempest Williams, and Mary Oliver.
On stage to deliver an eclectic and dynamic array of arrangements of songs written by these iconic artists are a cadre of local Twin Cities’ vocalists including Judi Donaghy Vinar, Yolande Bruce, Joyann Parker, Rachel Holder Hennig, Katie Gearty, Anna Christy and Joy Ohana backed by pianist Lori Dokken (Producer & Music Director of “Shout, Sister, Shout”), bassist Liz Draper, and percussionist Pete Hennig. Voiceover specialist and theatre and film actress, Eden Bodnar, will also be joining us.
These concerts will take us on a journey through the joys, struggles, loves, losses, concerns, and causes of women using powerful and tender melodies along with spoken word. Along the way we will be reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and our community of shared dreams and then brought to a place where we celebrate all that binds our voices together … especially through the arts.
“Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.” (Terry Tempest Williams)
I am ecstatic to be back at The Ordway Center of the Performing Arts for the tenth year. This year's production is "Elf The Musical" and you will find me once again in The Target Atrium, seated at a very lovely Yamaha Concert Grand piano, playing pre show and intermission music. It is really my favorite job of the year ... I love Christmas and Holiday music ... I can't wait to see lots of 'short people' - some old friends and some new ... and of course I enjoy spending time with the fantastic staff at this treasured St. Paul theater.
"Elf The Musical" - runs from Wednesday, December 5th through Sunday, December 30th. Evening shows usually have a curtain time of 7:30 and matinees are at 2:00. You will find me seated on the bench an hour prior to the start of the show and then I will be playing again during intermission. I am fairly certain that some of my young friends will sit in and play a little "Jingle Bells" with me ... and we'll see how many renditions end up being posted on YouTube.
Please check out The Ordway site to find the exact dates and times.