Lynnea Iverson Schmitz of Grand Rapids, Minn., treated her middle school choir students to the Itasca Orchestra and Strings Program’s new recording of the classic musical story “Peter and the Wolf,” based on the work by Sergei Prokofiev.

“It was nice, I think, for my kids to see that COVID can’t stop music,” said Iverson Schmitz.

It’s a message for everyone, and so is the performance.

In the video-on-demand, Itasca Strings director Pedro Oviedo introduces the story’s cast. Each character, animal or human, is represented by its own instrument playing a different theme. With the help of narrator Steve Jaeger of the Grand Rapids Players, the musicians tell the story of Peter and the animals’ encounters with the wolf.

The 37-minute performance is available on the Reif Center for the Performing Arts website through March 31.

When painter Marlon Davidson moved to Bemidji, Minn., in 1987, one of the first artists he met was Marley Kaul.

The egg tempera painter has been “a very big influence in my life,” Davidson said. 

Egg tempera is an ancient form of painting that builds luminous color through repeated application, and Davidson calls Kaul a master of the difficult form.

Kaul’s bright paintings on 12-by-12 panels are loaded with story and metaphor. Davidson also appreciates Kaul’s books. The two most recent “strikingly beautiful books” are a collaboration with poet Taiju Geri Wilimek.

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