Illusionist, magician to perform at Empire Arts Center 

Max Fleet, illusionist and magician, will present a show at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Empire Arts Center. Tickets, $20, will be available at the door.

Fleet, who’s known for modernizing classic stage magic, fuses his favorite music with illusions to bring a whole new feel to the art form, according to his website.

His show features both “sleight-of-hand” and large-scale stage illusions, including sawing a woman in half, levitating, and even a classic Houdini escape.

“I really appreciate the dramatic and theatrical sense of magic,” Fleet said in an online video. He takes inspiration from movies, graphic design, fashion, music and other art forms.

Music is an important element of his magic act, since it can affect how people perceive the art form, he said. Performing one of his favorite illusions, the linking rings, with music creates “a whole new vibe.”

Members of the Valencia Baryton Project will perform a chamber music concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 26, at the North Dakota Museum of Art on the UND campus. The event is part of the “Myra Foundation Presents: Concerts in the Galleries” series.

The concert will feature music written for the baryton, an 18th-century stringed instrument similar to the viola da gamba, performed by Matthew Baker, one of the few musicians in the world to play the ancient instrument professionally.

Baker will be joined by Amy Domingues, who plays baroque cello and viola da gamba, and Brett Walfish, violist.

The program will include trios by Joseph Handel, played in their original form on rarely-heard instruments for which they were written, as well as new works by contemporary composers.

A reception follows the concert.

Tickets, ranging from $10 to $35, may be ordered online at www.ndmoa.com or purchased at the door beginning at 1:30 p.m. Children ages 12 and younger are admitted free. For more information, call (701) 777-4195 or email chambermusic@ndmoa.com .

The Students for Sustainability chapter at UND will present a film, “Kiss the Ground,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Empire Arts Center, 415 DeMers Ave. Admission is free; donations accepted.

The 2020 film, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, will be followed by a panel discussion, said Lauren Collins, a UND senior majoring in environmental studies with a minor in sustainability.

Panelists will be Sean Hammond and Soizik Laguette, both UND professors, and Katelyn Landeis, NDSU Agricultural Extension agent for Grand Forks County, Collins said.

The full-length documentary sheds light on a “new, old approach” to farming called regenerative agriculture, a practice “with the extraordinary ability to balance our climate and feed the world,” according to promotional material.

For more information about the film, visit www.kissthegroundmovie.com .

An exhibit featuring the artwork of Carrie Sapa, fine artist and art educator, will open Thursday, March 23, at the ArtWise Gallery and Creation Space near the center court of Columbia Mall. An artist reception is planned for 5-7 p.m. Thursday.

The exhibit, titled “Saints & Resurrection,” will include Sapa’s serigraphy prints and acrylic paintings. The show will be displayed through May 6.

Sapa, visual arts teacher at Sacred Heart High School, uses various mediums including printmaking, ceramics, drawing, painting and textile arts. Her fine art works have been shown in the “When Things Are Strange Exhibition” in 2017; her Bachelor of Fine Arts show, “Land of Saints,” in 2018; and the “Photo and Fire” exhibit in 2023 at the Colonel Eugene Myers Gallery of Art at UND.

The overarching theme of her artwork reflects her faith, memories and interaction with people, according to Rita Haag, ArtWise executive director.

The Empire Arts Center and the Grand Forks Parks and Recreation Foundation are hosting a family fun sing-along with the movie “Frozen” at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the Empire, 415 DeMers Ave.

Tickets, $2 each, will be sold at the door.

Grand Forks Central High School’s “Knight Idol” competition gets under way Tuesday, March 28, in the school auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 7 p.m.

Open to the public, the event features students in grades 9-12. A $5 donation is requested to support the school’s vocal music activities.

“We recommend arriving early for the best seats,” said Geoff Mercer, director of vocal music and head of the music department.   

“We typically have 15 to 20 acts performing a wide variety of covers from singer/songwriter solos to full-on metal bands to your favorite country hits,” Mercer said.

Each audience member votes for their top three acts. The top five acts go on to compete in the “Grand Cities Idol” contest in April, along with the top five winners of similar competitions each from Red River and East Grand Forks Senior high schools.

“This is always a fun event to showcase the many talents of our students,” Mercer said.

The Alerus Center will host the Forx Builders Association’s annual Spring Expo from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 25, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 26.

Tickets are $10 for adults; admission is free for those under 18.

This year, the association has added exhibitors and new attractions for the “Everything for Spring” event, which is promoted as a “one-stop shop” for area residents’ home design, decorating, landscaping, and spring and summer entertainment needs.

The Alerus Center also is hosting the 16th Annual Spring Fling Vendor Show on Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26.

More than 40 vendors are expected to be on hand for the free event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.