Acclaimed piano virtuoso Lorie Line brings her holiday concert tour to Mason City this weekend, the first of five Iowa stops this year. For some, the tradition of seeing Line’s show is akin to attending the Nutcracker ballet. It’s just not Christmas without it.
She’s come a long way since she and her husband walked into a Minneapolis department store in 1988. “We were at Dayton’s one afternoon and he said ‘Now, there’s what you should be doing, playing the piano and shopping. Those are the two things you like to do and you can do it under one roof.'”
Line landed the job serenading shoppers and launched her musical career. She’s since sold five-million albums and just released her 25th C.D. She’s also published 20 music books and is now on her 16th annual tour, taking her from Indiana to California.
Line says this year’s tour is called “The Traditions of Christmas,” her first traditional show in 16 years. She says “It’s truly telling us the Christmas story. The baby Jesus in the manger, that is the Christmas story, but we’re going to expand it a little bit more than that. We’re talking about customs and traditions that make the season so special, so expect appearances from Charles Dickins himself and maybe Saint Nicholas.”
Line and her husband, Tim, live in the Minneapolis area with their 11- and 16-year-old children. Tim is also her business partner who plans out the details of the tour. “We’ve got a magical chemistry. He likes doing the things I don’t necessarily like to do and I’m in charge of all the creative. So we work together very well as a team. Our kids — I always have really great support at my house. They really do like us to go away and like us to come home.”
Line earned her college degree in music and took no business courses, yet she now runs what’s billed as the largest woman-owned independent record company in the nation. One of her secrets — “Have a big visual picture but have the ability to take small steps to get there.” Her tour plays Mason City on November 12-13, with more shows before year’s end in Ames, Spencer, Cedar Falls and Des Moines. See “www.lorieline.com” for details.
Related web sites:
Lorie Line website