Red Thread and Ponyfolk are two Minnesota-based ensembles devoted to building community around Midwestern European roots music. The two bands team up to present an “alternative” holiday celebration, sharing new and old songs of winter, luck, and family from Scandinavian, Yiddish/Klezmer, Slavic, English, and Irish roots. 

Come out and celebrate the release of Lake Davi’s debut album, Bloody Mary. The local indie Americana band will be playing the entire album in full for the first time, supported by Spaceport and Second Spring. 

Celebrate the longest night in soothing, rich vibrations and the warm glow of joyous community. Sound artists Marc Anderson and Natalie Nowytski weave in real time the dream song of our collective heart.

Join {Trés} and special guest Miguel Zenón for a night of electrifying chamber music that blurs the lines between classical, jazz, and folkloric traditions. Featuring selections from Pedacito de Tierra—a bold, genre-defying work blending chamber music, electronics, and oral histories from the Puerto Rican diaspora, plus vibrant works by Puerto Rican composers and music rooted in the rhythms of the Caribbean and the Americas, this concert explores improvisation, memory, and movement. An intimate, expressive experience that invites audiences into a soundscape of cultural depth and musical innovation.

Maria Mazzotta spent 15 years with the Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, performing the Pizzica music of Southern Italy at global music festivals and theaters around the globe. Maria is one of the most acclaimed voices on the Mediterranean music scene today. Her voice is memorable and her performances intensely passionate. This show will be a highlight of our 2026 concert calendar. 

The Cedar Cultural Center presents the fifteenth annual Cedar Commissions on February 20 and February 21, 2025.

Each evening, three artists of the 2025-26 cohort will present their commissioned work on The Cedar stage:

Night 1 - Deeq Abdi, Creekbed Carter Hogan, Trick Locket (Bryn Battani) 

The Cedar Cultural Center presents the fifteenth annual Cedar Commissions, on February 20 and February 21, 2025.

Each evening, three artists of the 2025-26 cohort will present their commissioned work on The Cedar stage:

Night 2 - Gregory Bess, Mikey Marget, Valentine Lowry-Ortega

Insun Park & Generals present a groundbreaking fusion of rock, Korean traditional music, and mask dance rhythms. Frontwoman Insun Park stands out as one of the few female masters of the Gangnyeong Mask Dance, a tradition historically dominated by men. This ensemble pushes creative boundaries, offering a fresh perspective on Korea’s cultural heritage while making traditional mask dance more accessible to today’s audiences.

Cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music.

Louis Michot is best known as the fiddle player and lead singer for the Grammy award-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers, but his passion for Louisiana French and local folklore, and sustainability in the fastest disappearing landmass in the world, are what fuel his career as a musician. With two Grammy awards, six film scores, and over 20 LPs under his belt, his music career continues to push the boundaries of the Louisiana French music traditions.

Malibu’s music is deeply meditative and serene. Drone, neoclassical, and dance intertwine to take listeners on a contemplative journey. The French composer’s latest single, “So Sweet & Willing” is one of 2025’s best, previewing her long-awaited debut album Vanities.

The Fanoos Ensemble features four brilliant Afghan musicians who are unable to perform inside Afghanistan today, as the Taliban has banned all music. Now living in the US, the ensemble performs a revue of Afghan culture through music.

Drone Not Drone veterans composer/cellist Clarice Jensen and composer/multi-instrumentalist Chuck Johnson team up for a shared bill, performing separately and in a brand new collaboration.

One of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians, Habib Koité is a modern troubadour with extraordinary appeal due to his musicianship, wit, and wisdom. Koité’s history with The Cedar runs deep – he’s performed here 6 times, dating back to 2008, and we are excited to welcome these world-class artists back to our stage.

For over a decade, John Craigie has made music that brings people in. Not with spectacle, but with sincerity and songs that feel like conversations.

Mei Semones' sweetly evocative blend of jazz, bossa nova and math-y indie rock is not only a way for her to find solace in her favorite genres, but is an intuitive means of catharsis. "Blending everything that I like together and trying to make something new — that's what feels most natural to me," says the 23-year-old Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and guitarist. "It's what feels most true to who I am as an artist." On her newest EP and Bayonet Records debut Kabutomushi, Mei's diverse sonic palette adds depth to her experiences of the complexities of love. Through the EP's five songs, she chronicles infatuation, devotion, vulnerability, and saying goodbye in some of her closest relationships, complete with sweeping strings, virtuosic guitar-playing and heartfelt lyrics sung in both English and Japanese.

Two songwriting legends return to The Cedar stage. Two careers that span 50+ years performing together for one incredible night. Do not miss Loudon Wainwright III and Chris Smither.

Della Mae is a GRAMMY-nominated all-woman string band playing bluegrass, Americana, and folk music steeped in rich harmonies and soul-stirring melodies. 

As a majority queer, fiercely feminist five-piece acoustic outfit, [Della Mae] sing fearlessly on topics that might rile the genre’s traditionally conservative audiences. Recent albums have covered everything from domestic violence and fertility issues to the separation of families at the US border with Mexico. They also play barnstorming numbers about motorbikes and bourbon. - The Guardian, 2022. 

Canadian folk singer Garnet Rogers joins us for a night of “literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful” songwriting.