events
Collective Reset: Community Sound Bath
Settle, soften, & sink into the frequency of the full moon, inviting in stillness, clarity, and gentle renewal in the heart of winter.
DRONE NOT DRONES - The 11th 28-Hour Drone
Minneapolis' DRONE NOT DRONES is part benefit concert, part art project, part community event, benefitting Doctors Without Borders.
THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS Night one: Deeq Abdi, Creekbed Carter Hogan, Trick Locket
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 COMMISSIONS Night two: Gregory Bess, Mikey Marget, Valentine Lowry-Ortega
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 WITH BLACK WIDOWS
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.
An Evening with ALASDAIR FRASER & NATALIE HAAS
Cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music.
LOUIS MICHOT with Soul Trouvère
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 with ESP
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.
An Evening with GROSSE ISLE
Grosse Isle is a trio of traditional musicians from Québec and Ireland, comprising Irish uilleann piper Fiachra O’Regan, Québec fiddler/singer Sophie Lavoie, and guitarist André Marchand.
An Evening with FANOOS ENSEMBLE
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.
SPRING EQUINOX SOUND BATH with Marc Anderson, Natalie Nowytski, and Jeremy Ylvisaker
Sound artist Marc Anderson returns to the Cedar with Natalie Nowytski and Jeremy Ylvisaker to celebrate the Spring Equinox.
THE CEDAR AND DRONE NOT DRONES PRESENT: CLARICE JENSEN and CHUCK JOHNSON
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.
First Avenue presents John Craigie — Spring 2026 with special guest Lou Hazel
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.
An Evening with MIKE MARSHALL and ALESSANDRO PENEZZI
Three-time Grammy Nominee Mike Marshall is one of the most accomplished and versatile mandolinists in the world today, as well as a master of the mandocello, guitar, and violin. A multi-faceted composer and arranger and one of Brazil’s premier 7-string guitarists today, Alessandro Penezzi is a virtuoso on tenor guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin, and flute. Two incredible talents together for one special night.
First Avenue presents MEI SEMONES
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.
An Evening with LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III and CHRIS SMITHER
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.
An Evening with KELLY MORAN
Brooklyn-based composer Kelly Moran’s music lives at the intersection of classical, minimalism, jazz, and electronic music. She returns to the Twin Cities following a stunning debut performance with Liquid Music in 2025.
DELLA MAE
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.
An Evening with GARNET ROGERS
Canadian folk singer Garnet Rogers joins us for a night of “literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful” songwriting.
An Evening with NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI
South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini brings his trio to The Cedar for a night of spiritually transcendent jazz.
MARISA ANDERSON
Portland-based guitarist and composer Marisa Anderson’s albums meld American traditional musics from blues, gospel, country, folk, and jazz to circus music, minimalism, improvisation, and drone. She’s recorded for esteemed labels Drag City and Thrill Jockey, and performed with William Tyler, Tashi Dorji, Jim White, and many more.
First Avenue presents Mohanad Elshieky
Mohanad Elshieky is a New York-based, Libyan-born comedian who made his national TV debut on Conan, has been featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Don’t Tell Comedy, Comedy Central, This American Life, and has toured with Pop Up Magazine.
MARIA MAZZOTTA with Paul Metzger
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.
JOSÉ ANTONIO ZAYAS CABÁN AND {TRÉS} WITH SPECIAL GUEST MIGUEL ZENÓN
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.
WINTER SOLSTICE SOUND BATH with Marc Anderson and Natalie Nowytski
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.
LAKE DAVI with Spaceport and Second Spring
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.
RED THREAD AND PONYFOLK SING JINGLE BELLS
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.
FRANCK VIGROUX & ANTOINE SCHMITT — Cascades with IOSIS // splitta
Cascades is a live audiovisual project inspired by the concept of waterfalls, here represented by flows of pixels whose movements are generative, meaning never the same. For the music, this same concept is used as inspiration to compose music using electronic instruments, a sort of continuum reminding of surge and immutability… Fruit of a decade-long collaboration between two artists, Cascades represent both infinite movement and stability, but where catastrophes can happen: a synesthetic artwork, both contemplative, reflexive, and a physical experience.
BRIGHDE CHAIMBEUL with Sara Pajunen
Brìghde Chaimbeul is a leading purveyor of celtic experimentalism and a master of the Scottish smallpipes – the bellows-blown, mellower and more emotive cousin to the famous Highland bagpipes – and she’s taken them to the global stage.
❗SOLD OUT❗Corpse Reviver, Charlie Parr, Pop Wagner, Mikkel Bee play songs of Lead Belly, Remembering the 1948 MPLS House Concert
A group of folk musicians will gather on the exact date of the original concert, 77 years later, in memory of that concert and to play their favorite Lead Belly songs.
FIRST AVENUE PRESENTS: AN EVENING WITH EAST FOREST
East Forest is a multidisciplinary artist, producer, speaker, and ceremony guide. Since 2008, East Forest’s “lush” (Rolling Stone) and “blissful” (NPR) music has blended ambient, neoclassical, electronic, and avant-pop to explore sound as a tool for inner journeys and consciousness expansion.
An Evening with Justin Adams and Mauro Durante
Guitarist and producer Justin Adams’ credits include working with Jah Wobble, Sinéad O’Connor, Robert Plant, and Tinariwen. Joined by Italian percussionist Mauro Durante, the two make music described as “Mediterranean trance blues.” This is the duo's second performance at The Cedar.
Open The Gates Gaming Presents: DungeonS & Dragons Gameplay
Open The Gates Gaming Presents: Dungeons & Dragons Gameplay
PRAIRIE FIRE CHOIR with Barbara Cohen & Little Lizard - Great Big Hill Of Hope 14th Season Finale
Prairie Fire Choir with Barbara Cohen & Little Lizard - Great Big Hill of Hope.
DAVID HUCKFELT & THE UNARMED FORCES with special guest Nona Invie
Songwriter & folk activist David Huckfelt presents this in-person preview of his new album "I Was Born, But..." with a special live listening party, joined by his all-star band The Unarmed Forces: JT Bates, Jeremy Ylvisaker, and Mike Lewis.
The Cedar Presents An Evening with COLIN HAY - AT Pantages Theatre
The Cedar Presents the return of COLIN HAY to the Pantages Theatre!
PHOENIX FLIGHT Presents UNDER THE FULL MOON
Join Phoenix Flight Studio for a bewitching Halloween showcase at the Cedar! The evening opens with aerial artistry on lyra, trapeze, sling, and flying pole, followed by an electrifying second act of pole, chair, and floor performances. Featuring choreography by students and instructors, this night of spooky, seductive talent is not to be missed.
An Evening with Väsen + The Fretless
Swedish folk from Upsala, Väsen return to The Cedar for a co-headlining show with Canadian folk quintet The Fretless.
COLE PULICE with MOLLY RABEN
Saxophonist, composer and improviser Cole Pulice traffics in shimmering, otherworldly beauty.
The Cedar Presents TALISK and GARDINER BROTHERS: UNLEASHED
The Cedar Presents TALISK and GARDINER BROTHERS: UNLEASHED at Hennepin Arts' Pantages Theatre. UNLEASHED unites the award-winning folk trio Talisk with the electrifying Gardiner Brothers, whose Irish dance performances have garnered over 1 billion views on social media. This high-energy showcase blendsTalisk’s ground breaking melodies with the Gardiners’ viral choreography, celebrating tradition and innovation in an unforgettable fusion of music and dance.
An Evening with JOHN McCUTCHEON
Behind a new release considered "the best of his career" folk music's renaissance man, master instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author - JOHN McCUTCHEON returns to The Cedar stage.
An Evening with SYMBIO
Symbio is regarded as one of the most prominent new bands from the Nordic Folk & World music scene. With a magical interplay of hurdy-gurdy & accordion, an electrifying stage presence and captivating original compositions - the duo has become known as a phenomenon having toured in more than 20 countries.
MAMA'S BROKE with Chris Acker
“Mama’s Broke may seem traditional, but their tales of modern life have too much bite to be nostalgic; they are new and unique voices in modern, rootsy Americana that must be heard.” - Folk Radio UK
An Evening with PUULUUP
Our favorite Estonian duo return to The Cedar stage: Puuluup! Two talharpa enthusiasts, Ramo Teder and Marko Veisson, in midlife crisis living a rock & roll lifestyle.
ART + MEDICINE: DISABILITY, CULTURE and CREATIVITY FILM & PANEL DISCUSSION
Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) Documentary Film Screening of Art + Medicine: Disability, Culture and Creativity followed by a Post-Show Panel Discussion with Jessica Horvath Williams, PhD, Kevin Kling and Elizabeth McLain, PhD.
FIRST AVENUE PRESENTS: Mipso with Courtney Hartman and Shane Leonard
“hewing surprisingly close to gospel and folk while still sounding modern and secular” (Acoustic Guitar)
BERNADETTE SPRAY & FRIENDS- BENEFIT SHOW FOR OPEN CITIES HEALTH CENTER
For this show, Bernadette will be singing an eclectic mix of new and old jazz arrangements. She will be sharing her own journey of how jazz can be a powerful and positive way to exercise and build social connections through music.
KAITLIN CASSADY ~ALBUM RELEASE SHOW~ WITH EMMY WOODS, AND LEXIE MODICA
Kaitlin Cassady is releasing her second album, "North Star", on August 22nd and celebrating with a show at The Cedar with Emmy Woods and Lexie Modica
Ear Hustle Live!
Ear Hustle stories are raw, often hilarious, and rarely what you’d expect to hear on a show about prison life.
An Evening with DOOLIN'
“Doolin' is a mighty band. Equally adept at Irish, French and American music, they deliver it all with wit and wizardry. Vive le craic!” - WXNA Nashville
Mid-Summer Sound Bath
Mid- Summer Sound Bath Immersion & Meditative Listening Concert
Marc Anderson & Third Eye Collaborative - A new sacred music for our times
An Evening With ALLISON de GROOT & TATIANA HARGREAVES
Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves create a sound that is adventurous, masterful, and original, as they expand on the eccentricities of old songs, while never losing sight of what makes them endure.