Calendar
"I Am Woman ... " takes over The Main Stage at 8:30 PM
As Only women can @ crooners lounge & supper club - 9/15
On Sunday September 15, Crooners Supper Club will be the scene of a day-long festival of music by women, performed by women and celebrating the experiences of women in America. Fifteen women-led acts featuring dozens of the top female performers in Minnesota will perform on all three Crooners concert stages, from 3pm to 10pm.
women on the moon - the amazing female vocalists of the '60s
ORDWAY CONCERT HALL - OCTOBER 6TH @ 5:00 PM
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
HAPPY HOUR CABARET for baby boomers!
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20th - THE BLACK HART
CLUB 6-2-8 A CABARET HAPPY HOUR FOR BOOMERS!
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Do you often feel like going out on a Friday night after a long week at work, but it's a challenge to leave your house again after you've gotten home? Well ... here is the solution:
Join Lori at The Black Hart of St. Paul on Friday, August 23rd for "Club 6-2-8"!!! Music starts at 6:00 and keeps right on going to 8:00 ... great cocktails will be served ... pizza, corn dogs, French fries and other munchies will be available for purchase. Request a tune ... sing along ... invite your friends ... and stop out on a Friday after work and get back home EVEN BEFORE THE SUN SETS! I am pretty sure that there will also be some great musical guests that drop by to sing a tune.
NO COVER!!!
Other upcoming dates - 9/20, 10/18
(3rd Fridays of the month)
an intimate evening of music by roberta joan anderson (Joni
Monday, August 26th @ Crooners from 7:00 to 9:00 PM
Judi Vinar and Lori Dokken team up to bring you some amazing interpretations of tunes by the legendary composer, Joni Mitchell. Expect a good dose of songs that you are very familiar with and also sit back and enjoy learning about some of her more obscure writings.
This is going to be a ton of musical fun for them and they look forward to seeing you there!
Learn More
CROONERS LOUNGE & SUPPER CLUB
Monday, August 26th
7:00 to 9:00 PM
other Upcoming Events and Performances
The Black Hart of St. Paul Piano Lounge
HAPPY HOUR FRIDAYS IN THE PIANO LOUNGE!!!
CLUB 6-2-8
A CABARET HAPPY HOUR
FOR BABY BOOMERS !!!
Friday, August 23rd - 6:00 to 8:00 PM
and
the 3rd Friday in September
October and
November
Want to go out on a Friday but it's hard when things start later in the evening?
Here's your solution ... stop in to The Black Hart after work on a Friday and get back home before the sun sets!
Sunday morning services at Unity Minneapolis
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.
August 25th
Debbie Duncan
with The Unity Band
September Music Series
featuring
"Americana Music"
September 1st
Dane Stauffer
with The Unity Band
September 8th
Katie Gearty
with The Unity Band
September 15th
Judi Vinar, Rachel Holder Hennig,
and Lori Dokken
with The Unity Band
September 22nd
Anna Christy and Lori Dokken
with The Unity Band
September 29th
The Unity Choir directed by Judi Vinar with The Unity Band
Annual September Music Series at Unity Minneapolis features "Americana" music.
During my tenure as a self-employed artist in the music industry, one of the most challenging concepts that I have found is that of “reinventing the wheel.” Project after project, song after song, day after day, my career is a constant evolution of moving forward and taking what I have learned and expanding the next production I do into more – more bigger, more smaller, more people, more solos, more sounds, more space - well, you get the idea.
While trying to make a decision regarding the focus and theme for this year’s September Music Series, I thought to myself (out loud) “WHAT ELSE CAN I POSSIBLY DO?” Once again, I found that when I quiet down and listen to my unconscious ruminations, I have that “Aha” moment.
Unity Minneapolis is celebrating its centennial this year. This community has remained focused and committed to its principles for 100 years. Wow! That is pretty amazing. From many … one … unity … joining together … an amalgam of souls. Many diverse members have joined together to form one spiritual community that shares a collective vision that is so eloquently stated by the Five Unity Principles. This concept of the singular as a collective led me to the perfect choice for our music series this year – Americana Music.
Americana Music is an amalgam (mixture of different elements that combine to form one) of American music formed by the convergence of common and diverse traditions that make up the musical character of the United States. Elements from styles and genres of music such as folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and gospel along with other external influences combine to form a new distinctive sound. Americanais basically one big musical spice rack full of rich, roots oriented, earthy sounds that are filled with the cultural and ethnic diversity from which we all emanate.
You can hear the complex simplicity of the vernacular of Americana Musicin selections by such artists as: Alison Krauss, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, CSNY, Patty Griffin, Keb’ Mo’, Woody Guthrie, Neil Young, Laura Nyro, Mary Gauthier, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, The Avett Brothers and so many, many more.
Please join us in September for a collection of music that celebrates the great joy, love, truth and community that is exemplified when many hearts come together as one.
Lori Dokken
"Shout, Sister, Shout" - The voices of women ...
Saturday and Sunday - June 8th at 7:30 PM and June 9th at 2:00 PM Tickets On Sale Now!
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.
To Learn More and Purchase Tickets click on the button below ...
“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)
Elf the musical - The Ordway Center for the performing arts
Playing December 5th through December 30th
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.
Marzitelli Foyer in The Target Atrium
"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.
The last time "Elf ..." was here ... the ushers let me steal one of their costumes for a day ...
