Lakes Area Music Festival receives $2 million endowment for future seasons

The Lakes Area Music Festival — a nonprofit organization that has brought world-renowned orchestra, opera, and chamber music performances to central Minnesota each July and August since 2009 — has received a $2 million endowment to help fund future seasons.

Scott Lykins, the festival’s artistic and executive director, announced the gift following the festival’s Sunday-afternoon presentation of Bizet’s Carmen at the Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts in Brainerd. Dave and Marlys Theis of Plymouth, Minnesota, made the donation establishing the new endowment. It is the largest gift the Lakes Area Music Festival has ever received.

“A gift of this size is incredibly meaningful for an organization like ours,” Lykins told the audience in Brainerd on Sunday evening. “Our board and artistic teams were already in discussions for innovative programming in the upcoming seasons and to pave the way to a sustainable future. Thi...