Mary M. Tjosvold '75
Owner
B.S. '64 (College of Education and Human Development)
Ph.D. '75
Alumni Association Life Member
About Crooners Supper Club
Crooners Supper Club is an award-winning restaurant and music venue. Situated on the shores of Moore Lake, right on Central and just north of 694, Crooners is a welcoming place for audiences with wide-ranging musical tastes, diverse backgrounds, and spanning generations. We cater to both avid music fans and casual fans interested in a special date night location or an elegant fun place to entertain family and friends. Crooners is part of a revival of the classic Midwest supper club (which was born in Wisconsin) and evolved into the classic American nightclub of the mid 20th century. The club has three unique concert stages -- the tented Belvedere, the MainStage and The Dunsmore Jazz Room. “A Little Piece of Old-School Nightlife… in the 21st Century.”
Alumni Discount
As part of the Maroon & Gold Rewards® program, Alumni Association members receive 20% off on tickets, preferred U of M reserved VIP seating, plus meet the artists post-concert on select shows. 4 shows per month are offered representing a variety of musical experiences. Subject to availability. For the list of shows and access to the discount, visit here.
Address
6161 Highway 65 NE
Minneapolis, MN 55432
Contact
About Mary
Crooners owner Mary M. Tjosvold, leads Mary T. Inc., a 1000 employee health care line of businesses operating in four states. A four-generation, family-owned business, Mary T. Inc. is in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arizona and Maryland, providing housing, health and therapeutic services to seniors and persons with disabilities.
It was love-at-first sight when Mary T. met her future husband Laurence Dunsmore on a Coral Princess cruise in 2009. A British entertainer with a distinguished career as a jazz entertainer in venues around the world, Dunsmore went from pursuing a long-distance romance to relocating in Minnesota to be with Mary. In the summer of 2014, the two stumbled upon the old Shorewood Bar & Grill, which they promptly purchased, determined to open a jazz supper club together.
Leveraging Dunsmore's extensive knowledge of some of the best cabarets and nightclubs across the globe, the couple conceived Crooners Supper Club, and on November 20, 2014 their dream was fulfilled: Mary and Larry opened Crooners after a thorough remodeling of the old Shorewood.
Sadly Laurence Dunsmore passed away from cancer less than a year after the opening. But without hesitation Mary pledged to make Crooners a world-class supper club. She promptly named the club's first music showroom that Larry loved so much – with its breathtaking view of the lake – in his honor.
During the pandemic, Mary T. emerged as a trailblazing club owner, directing her staff to conceive from scratch four outdoor venues to allow for distance-safe live assembly. From June 1 to Nov 19, 2020, Crooners presented 247 ticketed shows, likely the most of any venue in the country. In January 2021 after a statewide closure, Crooners opened indoors, implementing aggressive safety measures in order to remain open and thriving. Crooners was the only arts and entertainment operation in the Twin Cities to remain continuously operational during the pandemic.
Mary T., who welcomes audiences from the stage most every night, makes sure her audiences are given credit for helping her, as she likes to say, "keep live music alive." She thanks the artists for sharing their gifts, for giving of themselves and she reminds them, you enter and leave by the front door, just like everyone else.
On November 7, 2019, Mary M. Tjosvold, who is active in welfare and advocacy for the disadvantaged, and was a former chairwoman of the American Refugee Committee (now Alight), was inducted into the Minnesota Women Business Owners Hall of Fame. She is also the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for her humanitarianism. In December 2020, The Star Tribune – calling her “a den mother of Minnesota musicians” – named her one of the Twin Cities Artists of the Year!
