THE 2024 CEDAR COMMISSIONS
Friday, February 9th & Saturday, February 10th, 2024
The Cedar Cultural Center presents the thirteenth annual Cedar Commissions, on February 9th and 10th, 2024, featuring new works by McKain Lakey, Lady Xøk / Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra, RZ Shahid, Sarah Larsson, Tri Vo, and Yev Rosso.
Each night, three lead artists will debut their brand new works on The Cedar stage:
Friday, February 9th features RZ Shahid, McKain Lakey, and YEV.
Saturday, February 10th features Sarah Larsson, Lady Xøk / Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra, and Tri Vo.
Tickets are on sale now! Buy tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Two-Show Passes below:
ABOUT THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS
The Cedar Commissions is a flagship program for local emerging artists made possible with a grant from the Jerome Foundation. Since the program began in 2011, the Commissions have showcased new work by over 75 Minnesotan emerging composers and musicians, including Dessa, Aby Wolf, Adam Levy, Maria Isa, Joe Horton, Joey Van Phillips, Gao Hong, Dameun Strange, Vie Boheme, and many more.
“We’re grateful to continue supporting early-career artists from our varied communities. Every year, I love how each artist digs deep within to create new works from the heart - they really commit,” says Robert Lehmann, Community and Grant-Funded Programs Manager and program lead for The Cedar Commissions. “One of our priorities as a nonprofit is to support emerging artists, and we’re grateful for the Jerome Foundation’s support of the program all these years. This year, we’re particularly focusing on amping up mentorship from individual mentors within our local and national circles, Cedar staff, and the artists themselves sharing from their various levels of experience. Each performance will be strikingly different from the others, but I love that - there’s a magic in the high contrast of the genres, sounds, and subjects explored across the two evenings.”
The 2023-24 round of artists was selected by a diverse committee of Minnesota-based musicians, music industry professionals, and one Cedar staff. The 6 commissioned artists, each receive $5,000 plus $500 for performance costs to compose at least 30 minutes of new musical work to debut at The Cedar in February 2024. In addition, the cohort receives mentoring through Cedar staff, a designated mentor, and other guest artists. To date, the Commissions have supported the creation of new music by more than 75 local artists across genres.
About the artists
McKain Lakey (they/them)
“Bodies”
McKain Lakey is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who comes to Minnesota from rural Washington state, by way of the mountains of north central Arkansas. Their piece, “Bodies,” is a multi-sensory experience that investigates the intersection of queerness and rural identity. By pairing a suite of country songs that deal lyrically with the realities of body dysmorphia alongside an aerial performance, this piece holds space for the pain, discovery, and, ultimately, the freedom in moving toward authentic embodiment. “Bodies” speaks not just to the individual, but also the collective experience of music as an expression of gender and the nuanced relationship we have with where we come from.
Lady Xøk / Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra (she/her)
“Olonguayu Toni Mulauna” (I Still Have Medicine)
In “Olonguayu toni mulauna” (a working title translating to ‘I still have medicine’), Lady Xøk a.k.a. Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra (Maya-Lenca Nation) explores new music in a fusion of afro-indigenous beat and blues. Interested in experimental and noise jazz with natural soundscape and building on past work and anthropological research of at-risk Pre-Columbian instruments, she is building instruments such as a sacabuche resist drum to reflect the natural soundscapes of Central America in new compositions with guitar, keys, bass, vocals, and her interdisciplinary immersive visual storytelling techniques.
RZ Shahid (he/him)
“I’ve Got Something to Say”
RZ Shahid, a burgeoning artist hailing from Saint Louis Park, MN, has found his creative sanctuary amidst the vibrant city of Minneapolis, MN. "I've Got Something to Say," serves as a profound outlet for his innermost thoughts and emotions that have been brewing since the tumultuous year of 2020. With an uncanny ability to channel his experiences into resonant verses and captivating melodies, RZ Shahid confronts pressing issues such as oppression, heartbreak, and the enigmatic facets of the contemporary world. The essence of "I've Got Something to Say" lies in RZ's desire to provide a window into his perspective. Through his lyrical prowess and musical ingenuity, he paints a vivid panorama that reflects his introspections, observations, and revelations. The infusion of R&B and jazz elements into his hip-hop foundation adds layers of depth and complexity to his sound, creating a sonic landscape that is as rich as it is emotionally charged. "I've Got Something to Say" isn't just a project; it's a sonic confessional. It's RZ's unfiltered perspective on a world undergoing rapid transformations in the wake of the protests, uprising, and mutual aid of summer 2020. Through his melodies and thought-provoking lyrics, RZ invites us to see the world through his eyes, inviting empathy, understanding, and connection. As he pours his soul into each track, listeners are bound to find pieces of their own experiences mirrored in his words, fostering a profound sense of unity through shared emotions.
Image courtesy of Michelle Bennett, Wolfskull Creative
Sarah Larsson (she/her)
“Kholemen In Zikh Arayn” (Dreaming into ourselves)
Sarah (Jagoda/O’Brien/Goldstein) Larsson will compose a suite of new folksongs in Yiddish, her mother’s family’s mothertongue. Setting poems written by Canadian and Minnesotan Yiddish poets, and illuminating the music with crankie storytelling puppetry, Sarah takes her first foray into writing music as though there hadn’t been a broken line of culture in her lineage. Music for harmony, group singing, and dancing — songs in a mothertongue that are meant to bring groups of people together; inspired by her growing community of klezmorim and Yiddish-lovers in the Twin Cities and beyond, Sarah hopes to make more spaces where people hold hands with strangers and imagine themselves fully into an integrated past and future.
Tri Vo (he / "anh" / ask)
"49th Anniversary: Let the Mekong Rock'"
49 years is both a long time and no time, depending on what role in the universe you play. For Tri Vo, his role is to melt off nice, Minnesotan faces with the screams and melodies from his filthy punk lungs. It's also to wade through the 49 years of cold war blues since 1975, when the United States had evacuated its troops from Vietnam and a new era for mainland Southeast Asia began to emerge. At least Tri can rock out in the Free World™ without the fear of the state making roadkill out of him, right? In "49th Anniversary: Let the Mekong Rock", Tri tries his darndest to not be a common tool for neoliberal capitalism nor liberalized forms of actually-existing "communisms," while exploring what the hell ideology, political economies, and the abrasive music he loves have to do with each other — and him — as the 49th and 50th anniversaries of hard, hard feelings come ever closer. Tri is gonna sing some original punk ditties, maybe a protest ballad or two, have a talented puppet artist immerse you into evocative worlds, and jump around a lot; he'd love for you to jump along with him.
Yev Rosso (he/him)
"Echoes of Resilience: A Ukrainian Tapestry of War and Hope"
Journey with YEV into the intricate mosaic of Ukraine, where timeless Eastern European harmonies gracefully blend with soulful Western undertones. As a first-generation Ukrainian-American artist, YEV's immersive project seeks to illuminate Ukraine’s enduring spirit, its trials, and the pivotal moments shaped by war. Weaving together new music, evocative dance, and profound testimonies from Ukrainian soldiers and refugees who have found a new home in Minnesota, YEV crafts a narrative that navigates the depths of despair - and fortitude. This multisensory odyssey delves deep into the authentic core of Ukraine, aiming to give audiences a better understanding of their fight for freedom. Step into a realm where tales of adversity transition into harmonies of hope, unwavering valor, and passionate cultural tribute.
All photos courtesy of Christopher Ludtke
The Cedar Commissions is made possible in part by a grant from the Jerome Foundation.
The Cedar’s mission is to promote intercultural appreciation and understanding through the presentation of global music and dance. The Cedar is committed to artistic excellence and integrity, diversity of programming, support for emerging artists, and community outreach.