Salsa, Percussion and Colombian Pacific Music Ensemble Workshops: Organize workshops open to the community, especially focused on the rich fusion of Afro-Caribbean and Latin American rhythms that characterize the music of Las Guaracheras.   Founded in 2014 by Geoffrey West Senn and Mac Santiago (percussionist/drum set), the Twin Cites Latin Jazz Orchestra (TCLJO) brings together […]

Home Grown All-Stars play Soul and Funk Infused Jazz Before Prince and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “The Minneapolis Sound” had Bobby Lyle, whose legendary career included touring with Sly & The Family Stone and Young-Holt Unlimited, being Music Director for George Benson, Anita Baker and Bette Midler, and recording with Pharaoh Sanders. Shortly before Jimi […]

Jazz pianist Jon Weber has recorded and toured all over the world, winning numerous honors for performance and composition – scoring extensively for television since 1987. Gary Burton, Roy Hargrove, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Avishai Cohen have all recorded Jon’s music, and his critically acclaimed release, SIMPLE COMPLEX, rose to #1. Jon lives in New […]

Get ready to groove at Urban Growler Brewing Company with Jazz Unplugged, the perfect warm-up for the Twin Cities Jazz Festival! Join us for an evening of smooth tunes, cold brews, and good vibes. Experience live jazz performances in an intimate setting, surrounded by fellow music lovers. Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or just looking for a […]

Tina Schlieske is Midwestern rock mainstay, commanding a dedicated and passionate following, especially in her hometown of Minneapolis. She’s best known for fronting the band Tina and the B-Sides (AKA Tina & the B-Side Movement). Schlieske grew up inspired by the diverse Minneapolis music scene, and you can hear and see the many influences in […]

Formed in 2005 as an off-shoot project between three Minneapolis-based musicians and friends, The New Standards has grown into a globe-spanning adventure—filling theaters and clubs around the world and spawning several CDs, videos, cartoons, and dance and theater projects that have charmed and delighted an ever-multiplying legion of faithful fans.

Experience Jazz is a genre-bridging music ensemble program for instrumentalists, vocalists, rappers, DJs and other aspiring musical artists. Launched in 2017 by Minnesota Jazz Education (formerly Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education), this innovative program is an incubator for middle and high school musicians to learn, play and compose new music together.

MacPhail’s elite Dakota Combo features some of the top high school talent in the state.  This group is an audition-based jazz combo made up of the region’s top high school jazz musicians. Additionally, musicians are offered scholarships for a year of serious extra-curricular jazz study and performance.

Inspired by the concept of community, the string ensemble of Walker West was created to perform works that reflect the cultural diversity of the string students and families in our program.  Kamoinge is a Kikuyu (Kenya) word meaning a group working together, unforced and unconstrained, to do good for the community.