Popular pianist Lorie Line and her holiday extravaganza, "Making Spirits Bright," will be at UND Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday to warm her audience with Christmas music and traditions.
"I love making people happy during the holiday season," Line said in a news release. "Times are tough for a lot of people, especially these days, and I get the opportunity to take fans to a great place for just a couple of hours."
Known for her unique arrangements and musical style, the Minneapolis-based Line has been recording and producing more music than ever. This year will mark her 26th CD and Music Book, and it will feature all brand-new Christmas music as presented in her show.
Line said her show reflects how she lives every day, "simple with a little kick of glam." On stage, she'll be accompanied by five of her favorite musicians, who she affectionately calls her "Fab Five."
Line is known for her spectacular costumes, and fans won't be disappointed this year. And, as always, she will invite children, age 4 and older, to join Santa on stage during the show.
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For many area families and fans, seeing Line's Christmas show is part of their holiday tradition. This year will mark her 21st year of touring. She will perform 40 shows in 36 cities in only 42 days.
Line's story is a big part of what makes her fans admire her so much. She grew up in Reno, Nev., and by age 5 could play familiar tunes on the piano without knowing how to read music. She started entering city-wide classical competitions at age 9 and won her first first-place trophy in the 12-year old division that same year. She bought her first car, a 1966 Mustang, with $1,000 she earned in award money.
After getting a bachelor's degree in music/piano performance from University of Nevada, Line's first full-time performance job was in 1988, serenading shoppers at Dayton's department store in Minneapolis. There she was discovered, not by a talent scout or a recording executive, but by her fans, who encouraged her to record her first album.
That was the beginning of Lorie Line Music Inc., the largest woman-owned independent record company in the country. She has released 34 CDs, with sales exceeding five million copies, has published 26 books of sheet music and plays to more than 100,000 people a year.
Line has been married for 24 years to her business partner, Tim Line. They live in Minneapolis and have two children.
All seats for her Grand Forks show are $47, and tickets are available at the Chester Fritz box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets, charging by phone by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, and online at www.ticketmaster.com/venue/49273 .
