Rochester Civic Music (City of Rochester Music Department) receives Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant

ROCHESTER, MN - The City of Rochester Music Department/Rochester Civic Music is pleased to announce that it was among a select group of Minnesota arts organizations chosen to receive a Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund grant. This award will help support year twelve of Rochester Civic Music's Global Music Series project featuring world-class artists/ensembles exploring musical landscapes from around globe.

Each artist in the 2021 Global Music Series will be in the area for two-day mini-residencies; performing two free concert previews leading up to a full-length capstone performance. The purpose of this program is to foster among community members an appreciation for music, develop future audience, patrons and contributors for the arts and introduce the community to a variety of musical instruments and genres. Each of the artists to be engaged will be meritorious World Music artists of national or international importance. Southeast Minnesota has been and will continue to be enriched and challenged by alternative views of the world. Cultural literacy is essential to becoming a well-rounded individual because it points the way to understanding, cooperation, collaboration and problem solving. The vision of this project will enable the department to contribute to a fuller understanding of diverse cultural points of view. Rochester Civic Music can help citizens gain insight into how they define their broader community and themselves.

Seffarine - The sounds that stir the dry winds of Southern Spain and Morocco, two countries separated by only a whisper of the Mediterranean, are the musical DNA of a beautifully complex extended family linking North Africa and Europe. The musicians of Seffarine, soulful Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp, supported by master musicians of diverse cultures, embrace and extend this rich legacy. Their exciting performances masterfully combine explosive flamenco footwork, exotic instrumentation and grooving basslines. These diverse backgrounds meld, creating what Bass Player Magazine calls a “gorgeous intersection of Spanish flamenco, Arabic and Andalusian music, Persian classical, and jazz”.

Scott Agster is a freelance trombonist, teacher, and arranger in the Twin Cities area. He also plays in other commercial genres such as jazz quintet (Snowblind), hip/hop (G8), New Orleans brass band (Jack Brass), and big band (Bellagala Big Band). He has had the opportunity to perform and work with many acclaimed artists like Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Dave Douglas, Phil Woods, Nicholas Payton, Stefan Karlsson, Slide Hampton, and Paul McKee. Scott has also performed internationally at venues such as the 2006 North Sea Jazz Festival, the 2005 Iwawa Jazz Festival and Sopot/Gdansk Festival in Poland, the King's Palace in Thailand (2004), the 2004 Vancouver Jazz Festival, and the 2003 International Trombone Festival in Helsinki, Finland.

Salsa del Soul - Salsa del Soul, is a Twin Cities-based, nine-piece orchestra performing various styles of dance music from the Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean. Salsa del Soul was formed with the purpose to provide great dance music for Minnesota Salsa fans. The musicians of Salsa del Soul represent some of the finest musicians in the Twin Cities Latin music scene. The styles of music they perfom include Son, Son Montuno, Plena, Cha-cha-cha, Bachata, Timba, and, of course, Salsa!

Los Rebeldes - Los Rebeldes is a Minnesota based Tex-Mex band that formed in 1984. Their style from the north blends with traditions of the south to bring Tex-Mex, Conjunto, Cumbia, Country, Rock, and Folk genres alive on stage. Classic songs from artists like Vicente Fernandez, Texas Tornados, Little Joe, Johnny Cash, and more are led by accordion, trumpet, and guitar melodies. Los Rebeldes brings traditional Tex-Mex and Conjunto music into the modern era while still preserving the essence and history of each tune.​ The Cardona family band, known as Los Rebeldes (of Minnesota), has been playing music together for over four decades.