Performance Series events are made possible by grants from the NorAM/Minnegasco Foundation, Prairie Ecology Bus, Incorporated, and by Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, Waseca from appropriations by the Minnesota State Legislature. Events are also funded in part by the Bunny Just Piano Festival Endowment and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
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From the first sounds to the last chord, Story City takes you on a musical journey that is as
distinctive as it is artistic. Prepare to experience a band that will remind you Music is melodic, vibrant, and complex at the same time. In this decidedly American Classical/Jazz genre, there is a reason not many groups attempt its performance. In three words: it's incredibly difficult.
Story City was put together to explore the music of jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and the late saxophone great Michael Brecker. The ensemble has now expanded its reach to include the Yellowjackets and most importantly, original compositions all their own. A wide variety of musical styles has been pursued by these composers in their conscious effort to promote, advance, and develop original musical voices. The music is so complex that its performance takes an incredible commitment and technique in its execution. Each member of the group was chosen because they posses this level of dedication to their instrument and to the music. Specifically through this perspective, Story City ushers in its own new thoughts, ideas, and concepts to this ever-changing musical force we know as JAZZ.
Website: www.storycityjazz.com/
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Dáithí Sproule, well known for his pioneering guitar styles, deep knowledge of Irish song, 
andhis place in the internationally acclaimed ensemble Altan, is a brilliant musician and a virtual font of cultural knowledge. Multi-instrumentalist Laura MacKenzie has received numerous honors and awards for her work in traditional music, and has performed nationally. Sproule and MacKenzie have been making music together in various ensembles for two decades and now offer a concert duo, featuring a rich gamut of traditional Irish and Scottish music plus Dáithí's recent compositions.
Website: www.lauramackenzie.com/
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Guitarist Charlie Parr plays original and traditional folk and blues. Raised in a household that prized traditional American folk music, his style bears the influence of country blues records and Smithsonian/Folkways field recordings as well as Mississippi John Hurt, Dave Van Ronk and Harry Smith’s.
Parr has appeared as a performer on A Prairie Home Companion and a regional headliner at the 5th annual Resophonic Guitar Festival in Minneapolis. In addition, he tours the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Scotland. He recently returned from a tour of Australia.
Website: www.charlieparr.com/
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Davina and the Vagabonds are known for their hard-working professionalism, high-energy stage performance, and original sound. They have shared the stage with a multitude of national acts. At first glance, the idea of a blues band without a guitarist strikes the mind as a daring if not totally outrageous concept. They have the panache and superlative musicianship to recreate a retro sound, driven by New Orleans horns and the campy purr of vocalist/pianist Davina Sowers.
"Hardest -working Blues woman in Minnesota, but......two things remain consistent at all her shows, though: her throaty but cushiony voice, which has a sort of hard-mattress comfort to it that's part Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and a little Amy Winehouse, and her band's rollicking New Orleans flavor, driven home by dueling horn players and a bayou-thick standup bass”
-CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune
You Tube Video: Red Shoes (original) @ The Dakota Jazz Club
Website: www.davinaandthevagabonds.com/
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In 23 countries throughout the world, Armen Donelian has performed
and recorded as a featured solo pianist, leader of his own quintet and trio, and with Jazz legends including Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker and Billy Harper. Called “A pianist with a crystalline touch, but a penchant for avant gardism” (New York Times), Armen Donelian has composed over 90 works and produced eleven critically acclaimed recordings. He has received six Jazz Performance Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts for concerts and master classes. Donelian has taught at conservatories in Copenhagen, Iasi, Jyväskylä, Lisbon, Paris, Tblisi, Yerevan and Zürich.
Website: www.armenjazz.com/
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Pianist Jay Hershberger has appeared internationally in concerts and recitals. He has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, is a frequent participant in the Great Romantics Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. An Associate Professor of Piano at Concordia College in Moorhead MN, Dr. Hershberger maintains an active and successful studio of collegiate pianists. He is vice president of the American Liszt Society, and is an advocate for informed scholarship and performance of the Hungarian composer's music. His principal teachers were Robert Roux, Boaz Sharon, and Robert Hamilton.
Website: www.barkingdogrecords.com/jayhbio.html
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The Dakota String Quartet has presented concerts and workshops
throughout a five-state region. Musicians selected for the group have participated in highly competitive auditions and have been chosen on the basis of musical excellence as well as diversity of
background and experience in orchestral, chamber and solo performance. The majority of the ensemble’s time is spent on tour, performing at concert halls, colleges, and public schools. Through their individual roles as principals in the South Dakota Symphony, they bring music enrichment and leadership to people of all ages.
Website: www.sdsymphony.org/aboutus/dakotastringquartet/
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Taj Weekes & Adowa present a brand new experience in classic roots reggae. With wry lyrics, a haunting dusky quiver in his voice and the knockdown sound of his band Adowa, Taj Weekes weaves a rare social consciousness with an unforgettable reggae groove.
Hailing from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, the group’s founder, singer/songwriter Taj Weekes, has been noted for "raising the level of songwriting within the idiom of reggae music," by veteran reggae music journalist and XM Satellite Radio program director, Dermot Hussey.
In 2005, the band released their debut album, Hope & Doubt, to critical acclaim. Accepted by reggae, dancehall, world music and college audiences alike, the group toured extensively throughout the United States in 2006 and 2007, expanding their fan base and playing with reggae icons such as Gregory Isaacs, Toots & the Maytals, Third World and Yellowman.
Taj Weekes & Adowa released their latest album, DEIDEM, to exceptional reviews. The album, in radio rotation worldwide was named by Billboard Magazine as one of "Six Essential Albums Heralding Roots Rock's Resurgence," and was shortlisted for the Grammy Awards. DEIDEM is also nominated for Best Reggae Album for the Just Plain Folks Awards. Angry Language and Little Fire are nominated for Best Reggae Song.
You Tube Video: Taj Weekes and Adowa
Website: www.tajandadowa.com/
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