As summer comes to a close and we welcome in autumnal happenings — the start of school, Labor Day weekend celebrations, and Global Roots Festival — we also welcome a wonderful new team member to The Cedar Cultural Center. John Marks is joining us as The Cedar’s Operations Director: his first day is September 5, 2023!
Check out our 2022 Annual Report celebrating our 33rd revolution. We are proud of all that we did and we’re excited to share this with you.
In late April, The Cedar’s Sr. Box Office and Development Operations Manager MJ Gilmore sat down for a Zoom interview with the emotive and storied Ethiopian-Israeli musician Gili Yalo in advance of his forthcoming show at The Cedar on June 1! MJ was joined by Abreham Tsegaye and Jote Mulat — owners of Café Jote, an Ethiopian coffee shop just a block away from The Cedar. Faysal Abraham, former Cedar Operations Director, also stopped in for the interview.
Calling in from sunny Los Angeles, Gili shared vivid details of his life through this interview. He talked about the story of his name, the first cover he ever did, and the significance of his return to Minneapolis.
The Cedar is pleased to announce that we have added new staff and board members! These staffing additions are aligned with an organization-wide visioning session we did in October 2022, coalescing our hopes for the direction of The Cedar and distilling them into actionable items: one of which was building new audiences for the amazing artists we present here.
Our sixth and final spotlight interview in this year’s cohort is with Sophia Deutsch (she/her). Sophia is a cellist and composer. Her creation for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions, Vis Vitae, is an exploration into our planet as a sonic landscape. Simultaneously charmed and overwhelmed by the vast sources of inspiration in the concept of ‘nature,’ Sophia embraces the heavy weight of it by trusting her body’s interpretation of these earthly phenomena. She spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about the legacy of earth-inspired music, the restriction and subsequent freedom provided by classical training, and the wisdom of a mentor.
Our fifth spotlight interview in this year’s cohort is with Biaban (Aram Kavoossi, he/him). Biaban is an electronic musician and beatmaker. His new work for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions Oil and Dust is a sobering look at the omnipresent nature of oil. Inspired by the novel Cyclonopedia by Reza Negaristani, Biaban explores the narrative device of oil as sentient and ravenous, and all the while, claiming humans as dependents. Biaban spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about the history of oil in Iran, channeling the characterization of this substance into a sound(s), and gratitude for collaboration.
Our fourth spotlight interview in this year’s cohort is with Fawzi (she/her). Fawzi is a DJ and rapper. Her creation for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions Caruurteena is a mournful invitation to Somali parents and elders to witness harsh and heartbreaking truths of fentanyl abuse amongst Somali youth. The title translates to “for our children.” Fawzi compassionately addresses the topic of drug addiction and asks if we can place the stigma aside in order to save the lives of these young people. Fawzi spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about her steadfast commitment to music-making, her visioning, and the hopeful impact of this work.
Our third spotlight interview in this year’s cohort is with Cydi Yang (she/fluid). Cydi is a spoken word artist, musician, and dancer. Her new work for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions Soul Call is a modern interpretation of the traditional Hmong hu plig ceremony. In this ceremony, a soul is called back to the body after experiences of darkness create a disconnect. Cydi spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about pushing their artistic boundaries, exploring their expression as a Hmong person, and what the art of spoken word means to them.
Our second spotlight interview in this year's cohort is with Emily Boyajian (she/her). Emily is a pianist, and composer. Her creation for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions, Transition, is an illustration of the journey that is one’s gender transition. Emily draws on her own experiences as a trans woman and explores those nuanced and dynamic experiences, creating stories that other trans people can see themselves in, too. In December, Emily spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about the emotive possibilities of lyric-less music, encouragement to trans people to remove judgment from their self-expression, and her composition process.
Our first spotlight interview in this years cohort is with Theo Langason (he/him). Theo is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, teaching artist, and musician. His new work for the 2022-2023 Cedar Commissions songs for making sense of it all is an exploration into the inherently destabilizing time that was (is?) life from March 2020 onwards. In December, Theo spoke with Twin Cities music writer Youa Vang about his diverse upbringing, picking up and putting down various instruments, and watching his dreams disintegrate and reform.
The Cedar is pleased to announce the hire of Michelle Woster as Executive Director, effective July 15, 2022! Woster has been serving as Interim Executive Director of The Cedar since February 2022. “We are thrilled to welcome Michelle as our next Executive Director,” said Board President Brent Hickman. “She brings considerable skills and deep experience that will benefit this organization tremendously.”
Our sixth and final spotlight interview is with Kat Parent (they/she). Kat is a singer-songwriter and historian. Their new work for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions Swampling is a visit into the realm of eco-horror through electronic folk music. Swampling looks to honor the heartbreaking realities of humans mistreating the earth, and to highlight the beauty that remains. Kat spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about the importance and value of death and decay, their relationship to studying history, and the 80s comic book series “Swamp Thing.”
Our fifth spotlight interview is with Vie Boheme (she/her). Vie is a vocalist, poet, producer, dancer, yoga instructor, and more as a multimedia artist. Her new work for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions The Edge supportively encourages the listener and viewer to reflect upon being at ones ‘wits’ end,’ and assess what lessons we learn from reaching that point. Vie spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about approaching edges within herself, being connected to ones body, and the importance of stability for an audience.
Our fourth spotlight interview is with Maddie Thies (she/her). Maddie is a bassist, vocalist, and songwriter. Her project for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions Everywhere and Nowhere explores the distinct and simultaneously inconsistent experiences held by Third Culture Kids — a term describing people who spend formative years in a culture different from the culture(s) of their families. In mid-January Maddie spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about finding home in liminal spaces, her love of the bass, and the importance of creative collaboration.
Our third spotlight interview is with Nyttu Chongo (he/him). Nyttu is a Mozambican artist. His new work for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions NKOVU WA XIVAVU imagines the unity that could be tapped into across the African continent by bringing together different African instruments. Nyttu spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about breaking convention, longstanding impacts of colonialism, and the responsibility of artists.
Our second spotlight interview is with Alicia Thao (she/her). Alicia is a singer-songwriter and guitar player. Her new work for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions is self-titled: AS LIS SAM THOJ / ALICIA THAO. In this project Alicia is exploring her Hmong American identity and who ‘Alicia’ is. She spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about her relationship to her name, falling in love with musicianship, and connecting to her parents.
Our first spotlight interview is with Carlisle Evans Peck (they/he). Carlisle is a songwriter and musician. In their project for the 2021-2022 Cedar Commissions titled Iconoclasm, they explore what it means to queer their familial history of storytelling. Carlisle spoke with Marketing and Communications Manager Shasa Sartin about queer representation, uncovering truths, and the beauty of myth-making.
The Cedar has had a tremendous group of people help turn ideas into realities throughout its life, some of whose contributions span decades. Two of these individuals are Mark Johnson and Michael Lord. Read the full message here.
Time and time again, Black, brown, queer, indigenous people, trans people, disabled, nonbinary, asian, poor and chronically ill have stepped up to support the larger community and to fight against society's injustices - HYPERNOVA invites audience members on a liberatory journey into space to envision what’s possible for our collective futures.
An intimate, one-on-one performance by Kashimana organized by Music in Minnesota bringing live music back to Twin Cities venues.
On April 23, 2021, we shared our new Racial Equity Statement. Find the entire statement here.
In this program, viewers get a glimpse into each 2020-21 Cedar Commissions artist's larger work by hearing one song from each artist and a portion of their respective interviews.
S U N A H spoke with Aida Shahghasemi, The Cedar’s former Marketing and Communications Manager, about their background, their Cedar Commissions project, and what they hope the future holds. Read the entire interview here.