First Avenue Presents the chart topping podcast, Ladies & Tangents - on tour with their "Camp Tangents" live program. Creating companionship by discussing anything and everything while almost certainly getting completely sidetracked along the way with, well, tangents!

Having separately played The Cedar with other co-bill partners, we are honored to present this pairing for the first time as they tour together in all of their acoustic glory. Peter Mulvey, self-described as a songwriter, road-dog, raconteur, and almost-poet since before he can remember...Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today”. Together they make for a contemporary folk dream team for a Friday spring night!

An immersive concert experience that illuminates hidden Asian American histories through folk songs, sound pieces, live projections, and storytelling - The Cedar is delighted to welcome back NO-NO BOY!

In our 35th Anniversary year, we welcome CHERYL WHEELER back to The Cedar Stage. Cheryl Wheeler has to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing you read and nothing you hear from her albums prepares you for how entertaining a performer she is.

Longtime collaborator Kenny White opens and joins Cheryl for this rollicking sweet Spring evening.

The Cedar is honored to host the debut of HATIS NOIT: Japanese vocal performer hailing from distant Shiretoko in Hokkaido who now resides in London. Hatis Noit's accomplished range is astonishingly self-taught, inspired by everything she could find from Gagaku — Japanese classical music — and operatic styles, Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, to avant-garde and pop vocalists.

The cutting-edge fiddle and cello explorations of Scottish and global music partnership of Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas returns to The Cedar!

" … you would think they'd been playing together for centuries. While his fiddle dances, her cello throbs darkly or plucks puckishly. Then [Haas] opens her cello's throat, joining Fraser in soaring sustains, windswept refrains, and sudden, jazzy explosions. Their sound is as urbane as a Manhattan midnight, and as wild as a Clackmannan winter." — Boston Globe

The Cedar is honored to host Laurel Premo + Jake Shulman-ment. Laurel and Jake share a certain ruminant, compositional style in their work, each drawing from deep roots in the folk music and stories of their ancestors. In this extraordinary concert, their two separate sets as soloists will culminate in a collaborative performance that explores new sounds and connections in a shared American story of migration, search for identity and community, and innovation.

Ana Tijoux is THE Chilean hip-hop protester. Touring behind her first album in nine years, VIDA, with media outlets like The Rolling Stones naming her as the best rapper in Spanish, The New York Times pointing to her as the Latin American response to Lauryn Hill and magazines like Newsweek ranking her as the most important Latin American rapper on the international scene - The Cedar is super excited to be presenting this show in our very special 35th Anniversary year!

The Cedar Presents the return of COLIN HAY to the Pantages Theatre!

Le Winston Band is a one-of-a-kind Quebec ensemble that blends its French-Canadian roots with Zydeco and Cajun music. Since 2012, the band has been all over spreading its joie de vivre in Canada and Europe, through a sound that fuses the rich Louisiana musical tradition with original compositions. Making their debut in the Twin Cities at The Cedar - please put your dancing shoes on and come fais do-do with us!

Comprising of Irish uilleann piper Fiachra O’Regan, Québec fiddler/singer Sophie Lavoie, and guitarist André Marchand, Grosse Isle takes traditional Irish and Québécois traditional music, blended with Lavoie’s “lithe and masterful” compositions. Their choice of songs will “captivate the most casual listener.”

In celebration of The Cedar's 35th Anniversary, we present this live-music concert from our stage/screen for the first time in Minneapolis! It is a live concert designed as a soundtrack to a montage of silent films by Georges Méliès (1861 – 1938) considered to be one of the inventors of cinematography. It is the musical brainchild of Jean-François Alcoléa who has created a magical show where a multi-layered, evocative and intricate score complements and interprets the otherwise silent films. A trio of virtuoso musicians are almost a show in themselves, as they conjure music from an extraordinary array of instruments: basics like piano, percussion and guitar; fantastic oddities like the aquaphone (ocean harp), theremin and melodica; and mundane objects like stemware, circular saws, and even plastic take-out lids. The mesmerizing score and panoply of unexpected sound expertly evokes the technical wizardry, hilarity, and stream of invention bequeathed to cinema by Méliès.

The Cedar is honored to present Grammy-nominated folk singer-songwriter and author, Mary Gauthier with special guest Jaimee Harris.

 “Mary Gauthier came late to the party when it came to music but when she arrived, she changed lives with the songs she crafted and the stories she told.” -Maverick Magazine

The Cedar is honored to present John McCutcheon - folk music's renaissance man - master instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author.

“John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.” - Pete Seeger

Explore contemporary and classic Nordic folk music in a special evening of live performance and dancing at the Midwinter Nordic Dance!This special collaboration features an opportunity to learn and perform Swedish folk dances accompanied by the ASI Spelmanslag and Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag. EventGoers are encouraged to join in lively dancing and celebration—or to sit back and take it all in!
The evening includes an exciting performance by Swedish musician Helena Hallberg, a uniquely diverse artist who blends Folk, Jazz, and Pop to create a captivating fusion of traditional Nordic and American folk music.
The Midwinter Nordic Dance is presented as part of the American Swedish Institute’s Midwinter Folk Fest, a two-day celebration of all things contemporary and traditional folkways. MFF features hands-on activities, workshops, and performances by top folk artists from near and far. Explore Nordic folk music and dance with artists like Helena Hallberg, who will be leading a dulcimer workshop at ASI on Saturday before her performance at The Cedar.
Midwinter Folk Fest takes place at the American Swedish Institute from 10am-4pm on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3.

Visit asimn.org for fest updates and schedule. A ticket to the Midwinter Nordic Dance is included in admission to either day of the Midwinter Folk Fest.

The vibrancy of African rhythms meets The Cedar's dancefloor when Cheikh Ibra Fam, visits with his Ayitaria invitation for you all to come and dance!
His music is as much anchored in Africa as it is open to the wider world. It is connected to his ancestral roots and resolutely contemporary. He glides in between rhythms that feel almost as Latin as West African.
In 2022 he introduced his fourth solo album “Peace in Africa” in preparation for his departure from the mystical Senegalese group Orchestra Baobab. This opus incorporates modern hip-hop and R&B beats, alongside distinctly Afrobeat horns with nods to his Senegalese heritage. His music transcends languages and countries as he naturally moves from English, French and his native Wolof.

Folk-noir trench-fighters, on the cultural front of Ukraine’s battle for democracy and freedom, BALAKLAVA BLUES return to the Cedar stage and we are ecstatic about it!

Chinese pipa virtuoso Gao Hong and flamenco guitarist Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde met for the first time three days before they were scheduled to record their album, Alondra, at Abbey Road Studios in London. Taking on the bold and blithe freedom of the skylark, they flew together from ancient Asian dynasties, through the Thar desert to Andalusia, harmoniously combining cultures as the East meets West. The Cedar is honored to celebrate the release of this special project.

“My concept for such collaborations is to blend each other’s music together. I want the music we create to bring people together. On this album, our music is not specifically from China or Argentina. It combines elements and musical languages from both of our roots into a new, one-of-a-kind musical expression.” – Gao Hong

The Wisconsin Brass Quintet is joined by drummer Matthew Endres for an evening of music from around the globe and across an array of styles. From Piazzolla tangos to the Hindustani-influenced music of Reena Esmail to Leonard Bernstein's vibrant and eclectic MASS, this program showcases the virtuosity and versatility of the widely acclaimed WBQ. Brass artistry and an abundance of grooves combine for a dynamic and energetic performance.

One of our favorite sets from globalFEST 2023! Justin Adams, guitarist, producer and composer with deep experience in African traditions and post-punk grooves, in a new collaboration with Mauro Durante, one of the leading players in the pizzica style of Southern Italy and leader of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino.

Making their Cedar debut, please make a neighborly welcome to Wisconsin based Soul-pop R&B group TAE & THE NEIGHBORLY.

Live and direct from Glasgow, TALISK, one of Scotland’s most popular folk-based groups to emerge in the last decade, returns to welcome the new year!

Amongst the most talked-about folk bands of the 21st century, Talisk tear apart stereotypes and redefine the genre. With over 15 million streams, sold out shows across five continents, and headline appearances at festivals the world over, the Scottish trio have amassed a global following.

Wielding instruments that have rarely seen the likes of their music, Mohsen Amini (concertina), Benedict Morris (violin) and Charlie Galloway (guitar) have gathered major awards for their explosively energetic sound. Never afraid to push musical boundaries, or test the live production capabilities of just three people, there’s captivating a crowd, and then there’s Talisk.

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 and Saturday, February 10th features Sarah Larsson, Lady Xøk / Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra, and Tri Vo.
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.

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 and Saturday, February 10th features Sarah Larsson, Lady Xøk / Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra, and Tri Vo.
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.

Minnesota's own Klezmer on Ice; the second annual Klezmer music + Yiddish culture festival returns to The Cedar with Forshpil -Yiddish psychedelic rock!
Klezmer on Ice features a film screening; a Yiddish cabaret; instrumental, singing, and dancing workshops; and an outdoor event on the ice of Lake Harriet/Bdé Umáŋ celebrating the fusion of Jewish culture and Minnesota wintertime traditions.
Presented by Klezmer on Ice and their sponsors: Folk Will Save Us / Minnesota JCC / Art Shanty Projects / Beth Jacob Congregation / and J-Pride
From February 1-4, 2024.

Details at klezmeronice.com

Making Movies is a psychedelic Panamanian band that makes American music with an asterisk: because Making Movies’ sound encompasses the entirety of the Americas. It’s through this broader perspective that Making Movies crunches classic rock into Latin American rhythms - African-derived percussion and styles like rumba, merengue, mambo and cumbia — in a way that feels oddly familiar, yet delivers the invigorating chills of hearing something singularly special.

After six long years, the masters of Tuvan throat singing, ALASH, return to The Cedar stage!

The Cedar is honored to host the 2023 McKnight Composer Fellows whose music will be featured on this concert: Mychal “MMYYKK” Fisher; deVon Russell Gray / LaAerial; and Troy Rogers (aka Robot Rickshaw).

A benefit for Doctors Without Borders, Minneapolis' DRONE NOT DRONES is part benefit concert, part art project, part community event. 

Now, for the Ninth offering in the Cedar's 35th year of existence,  more than fifty acts will rotate on and off the stage to create a single uninterrupted 28-hour drone to protest the extrajudicial and immoral drone program and raise money for the victims of the United States military-industrial complex.  The experts at Wikipedia say "Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds... It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other music." 

Be part of a unique experience while supporting a just cause. Come by before work, after work, or both. Bring a pillow/blanket to make yourself comfortable. Spend the night with us. 

Stay tuned for a lineup announcement later in December! 

For more information and to donate directly to Doctors Without Borders: dronenotdrones.com 

We may feel powerless to stop the military industrial complex from spreading war. But we can spread peace if we drone on and on about it...

Originally scheduled for July 29th, 2023, we are very excited to have this confirmed rescheduled date with our friends from Colombia!

Los Rolling Ruanas, one of the most well known bands in Colombia, blend elements of the peasant music from the Colombian Andes with different genres from Latin America and the world. We are delighted to host them again, first seen here in 2018, on their 2nd tour of the United States.