Public invited to join BCA series as well as preconcert “Top the Tater” supper
Robert Robinson, the acclaimed tenor seen for 15 years with the Lorie Line Christmas Show, will make an appearance in International Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Backus Community Center.
The concert is the second in a series of five Border Concert Association events.
Robinson will take the stage with his pianist to perform a program of spirituals, gospel songs, and pops arrangements that “will blow you away,” according to Paul Folin of Allied Concert Services in Plymouth, Minn.
Robinson has been named “Minnesota’s Master Male Vocalist” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He has performed with Aretha Franklin, nine-time Grammy Award winner Andrae Crouch, Kenny Loggins, the Sounds of Blackness, Bobby McFerrin, and Barry Manilow among others.
Robinson currently serves as executive and artistic director of the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir, and he is a two-time Minnesota Music Award winner for Best Gospel Artist and Group.
The singer has also been the featured solo artist at Promise Keepers, the Billy Graham Crusade, and the National Day of Prayer in Washington DC. His regularly featured performances with pianist Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. Together, they also delivered subsequent appearancesacross the United States which appeared on PBS. He was voted “Best Male Vocalist” by the Minneapolis and St. Paul entertainment publication, “City Pages.”
In the past year, Robinson launched his newest “I Believe” CD at Hallminson Stores across the Midwest and kicked off his latest tour with an appearance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. According to Folin, reviews continue to pour in: “Glorious” — “Salt Lake City Desert News;” “a volcanic talent — “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel;” and the “Minneapolis Star Tribune” proclaimed Robinson to be “a soaring presence.”
Perhaps more importantly, Minnesota’s “Insight News” distinguished Robinson as “a beloved institution,” a nod to both his service to community and his life’s work. “People love Robert. artists look to him for affirmation. Fans adore his inclusive personality. They don’t necessarily have to embrace gospel to embrace Robert and that is all right with him. It’s all about his soul,” said Folin.
Folin recently told members of the BCA Board that in the midst of a Robert Robinson concert, there will be cresting “moments of gloriousness.”
Admission to Border Concerts is by season membership. Tickets are available at the door and at Backus Community Center, and are $45 for adults, $10 for students, and $95 for a family, in U.S. funds. More information is available by calling 285-7225.
Preceding the concert is a “Top the Tater” meal open to the public. Baked potatoes with all the toppings, salad, beverage and dessert for $5 per meal will be available from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The remaining concerts of the season are in the spring, as follows: “Circus INcognitus,” a one-man acrobatic family show, March 7; “Everything Fitz,” a family of Canadian champion fiddlers and step dancers, March 21; “Rastrelli Cello Quartet,” four virtuoso Russian cellists who got their start in Red Square and play everything except what’s expected on the cello.
