Pianist Lorie Line is known for her elaborate concerts in theaters and auditoriums. But when she started hosting recitals this summer at her Orono home on Lake Minnetonka, some neighbors complained to the city about extra traffic in the streets and the lack of regulation.
Line and her husband, Tim, who have lived in Orono for nearly 30 years, say the concerns are overblown and that their house is not being turned into a concert hall. When the city denied them a permit for paid performances, the couple decided to get around it by hosting four free parties last month.
Now, with city leaders planning to discuss its events policy in the next couple months, Line said she's put plans on hold for 15 recitals in 2017 at her home, a multimillion-dollar house overlooking a secluded bay.
"I don't see how you can say you can't play music in your home," Line said in an interview before a sold-out concert Thursday night in Luverne, Minn. "I mean, it's piano music. It's not an amplified thing."
The controversy has prompted officials in the affluent suburb to review how it regulates private events, such as large parties, if they affect traffic or public safety. City Council members say that regulations need to be better defined.
"It's high on the [City Council's] priority list," said Jeremy Barnhart, Orono's community development director. "The idea there is to protect the residential character of neighborhoods and make sure occasional special events don't impact that."
Excelsior requires a special event permit for residential events, such as a wedding at home, that may increase traffic and noise levels. Golden Valley, which revised its policy this year for more clarity, regulates events that affect traffic or are open to the public.
But Line said her stay-at-home recitals in Orono should be treated no differently than any private gathering. Some neighbors maintained that she was holding public events and selling tickets online, but she said the recitals were akin to fundraisers she's held at her home in years' past that had drawn no complaints.