Rochester Civic Music receives Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Grant to support the 2023 Global Music Series.

ROCHESTER, MINN. – 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 Rochester Civic Music's Global Music Series, now in its fourteenth season.

The Global Music Series is a fun-filled exploration of music in its many forms. The annual series features free public performances by renowned artists, highlighting a broad range of music from a variety of cultures and traditions – there’s always something new to discover.

BLACKBIRD - Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, is a 6X Native American Music Award-winning band that fuses Native American flute and contemporary rock into a genre they self-classify as "Alter-Native" Rock. Blackbird was co-Founded by Cody Blackbird (Dakota/Cherokee/Romani gypsy) who has been referred to as one of the top Native American flutists touring, along with brother Caleb Blackbird (Dakota/Cherokee/Romani gypsy). They are joined by musicians, Ed Koban (6 Nations), Adrian Wall (Pueblo), and Michael Odin Justin Hyland. Blackbird has shared the bill with such artists as The Black-Eyed Peas, Wayne Newton, John Trudell, Buffy St. Marie, Jewel, Jason Mraz and many others. In 2021, Blackbird was featured in Rolling Stone magazine for their collaboration with fellow Alaskans and GRAMMY winners Portugal The Man. Through their lyricism, and musical platform, Blackbird strives to share the importance of finding purpose and keeping Indigenous culture alive through the arts.

FEUFOLLET -The young and vibrant Southwest Louisiana band takes Cajun, honky-tonk, and string-band music as their starting point, and keeps an open mind about where their song craft will lead them. On Two Universes, their first studio album in over five years, Feufollet proves their Cajun roots don’t define them as much as propel them forward; whispers of the swamp and its time-honored waltzes trigger a modern and broad musical imagination, one that finds equal expression in blues, old-time, country ballads, rock’n’roll, whatever, all for the sake of the song.

JIGJAM - JigJam is a multi-award winning quintet from the heart of the midlands in Ireland. Blending the best of traditional Irish music with Bluegrass and Americana in a new genre which has been branded as ‘I-Grass’ (Irish influenced Bluegrass), their onstage energy along with their virtuosic musical ability has captivated audiences throughout the world. They have developed their own unique style of music influenced by American Folk music whilst staying true to their Irish roots. Described as ‘The best Irish group so far in bluegrass’ this sharply dressed outfit deliver an energy-fuelled, foot-stomping live performance. All multi-instrumentalists, JigJam interchange between banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins and double bass onstage which creates an experience which is pleasing to both the eye and the ear.

Rochester Civic Music has been your City of Rochester Music Department since 1936. Rochester Civic Music provides the region with fun and memorable musical events such as the Down by the Riverside summer series, the forWARD neighborhood park series, the indoor ticketed "Theatre Season," the Global Music Series, the Artist-in-the-Schools program, and the online virtual music show Live from Med City.