Mandolins grace Northern Showcase

A Bozeman musical group will bring a revival of Montana culture to Havre on Sunday.

The Montana Mandolin Society, under the direction of professional musician Dennis White, will perform in a Northern Showcase presentation at the Havre High School auditorium at 2 p.m.

The society, which describes its concerts as taking "you back to a gentler, more graceful age that evokes images of horse-drawn carriages, lamplight parlors and Sunday picnics," is modeled after a Montana tradition from more than 100 years ago.

The discovery of a photograph of the 1902 Bozeman Mandolin and Guitar Club led to the creation of the society on Oct. 9, 1999.

Since its creation the society has booked worldwide performances, including a concert for Montana State Day at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 7, 2001, and a five-city tour of Japan last summer. The Montana Mandolin Society was the first American mandolin group to perform at the 13-year-old Kanto Mandolin Festival in Tokyo.

The society performs a variety of musical styles, ranging from traditional waltzes, marches and tangos to contemporary music and original works. The 12-piece band performs the songs on mandolins, guitars, violins, banjos, dulcimers, bass and cellos.

The band's first CD, "As Far As I Can See," was released in the fall of 2000. It included five original compositions by Dennis White as well as classical jazz, Celtic music, and other contemporary pieces.

The band last spring released "The Bridger Waltz," which included the Dennis White original title track. "The Bridger Waltz" was featured on the National Public Radio program "All Things Considered." The band's second CD also includes a variety of music ranging from classical compositions to waltzes, a march, jazz and blues.

White also has released a CD of his own, "Elbow Room," in 1998. It contains three of his original songs, along with other songs with vocals and bluegrass-style music.

The concert is free to Montana State University-Northern students with a valid ID, and to season-ticket holders of the Northern Showcase. Concert tickets are available at the door, costing $12 for adults and $7.50 for students.