Tickets on sale November 2nd for the Rochester Civic Music Presents concert series featuring John Mueller's Winter Dance Party, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, and Farah Siraj with Honors Choirs of SE MN.

Rochester Civic Music, organizers of the popular outdoor summer concert series' Down by the Riverside and forWARD Neighborhood Park Concerts, is moving the party inside for a series of ticketed shows to take place at the Mayo Civic Center complex in early 2022.

The Rochester Civic Music Presents series will kick off on February 5th with John Mueller's Winter Dance Party: the music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, followed by a performance from the West African ensemble Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba on March 5, and concluding with a special performance from Jordanian artist Farah Siraj with special guests the Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota on March 19.

TICKETS GO ON SALE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 AT 9AM.

John Mueller's Winter Dance Party, the music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper

Sat, Feb 5, 7:30 PM - Mayo Civic Center Auditorium

Reserved Seats • Tickets: $33 - Ticketmaster

John Mueller’s “Winter Dance Party” ® is the official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper's final tour and the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens and Richardson estates. Each live concert performance includes over two hours of unbridled, high voltage entertainment featuring all the hit songs of the 50's era: “That'll Be The Day”, “Peggy Sue”, “Oh, Boy”, “Rave On”, “La Bamba”, “Chantilly Lace”, and many, many more.

Table seating options and wood dance floor included. Poodle skirts are not required, but strongly encouraged :).

Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba

Sat, Mar 5, 7:30 PM - Rochester Civic Theatre
General Admission • Tickets: $23 - Ticketmaster

West African ensemble Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba will be in the Rochester area the week of February 28 - March 5  performing Youth Enrichment Services at local and surrounding elementary schools (part of Rochester Civic Music's Artist-in- the-Schools music education residency program), and Adult Enrichment Services at select Southeast Minnesota rural libraries (part of Rochester Civic Music's Southeastern Minnesota Rural Library Tour), leading up to a full length public performance at Rochester Civic Theatre on March 5th.

Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba ecstatically explore the spiritual songs, stories, and rhythms of Senegal’s millennia-old Mandé culture. Cissokho comes from a long line of prominent griots who are entrusted to maintain a West African village’s genealogies and important ceremonial affairs through song. Cissokho and his band, Kaira Ba, effortlessly integrate the traditional sounds of the kora with a modern rush of electric guitar and an exuberant rhythm section.

Farah Siraj w/ Honors Choirs of SE MN

Sat, Mar 19, 7:30 PM - Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall

Reserved Seats • Tickets: $28 - Ticketmaster

Jordanian artist Farah Siraj will be in Rochester for a two-day mini residency featuring Youth and Adult Enrichment Services on March 17 and 18 (venues/times TBD), leading up to a full length public performance at the Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall on March 5th. Part of Rochester Civic Music's 2022 Global Music Series.

Referred to as “the Norah Jones of the Middle East”, Farah Siraj fuses her influences of middle eastern music, flamenco, jazz, bossa and pop in her music. Farah currently leads an ethnically diverse quintet of Arabian Flamenco Jazz, with world-class musicians from the Middle East, Europe, the United States and South America. Farah will perform three selections with local youth choral ensemble the Honors Choirs of Southeast Minnesota, under the direction of Rick Kvam.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.