Festival Season is Upon Us!

Here's what's coming up:

	The 19th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival takes place June 22-24 with three days of free music in and around Mears Park in Lowertown, Saint Paul. Headliners this year include include John Coltrane Quartet pianist McCoy Tyner performing with Joshua Redman; Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard; Anat Cohen with Choro Aventuroso; and keyboardist, organist, and Minnesota-native Bobby Lyle. Ride to the festival for free with a downloadable MetroTransit bus and lightrail pass. Gear up for the weekend with pre-festival events at the Saint Paul Libraries and Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.
	Also the weekend of June 22 - 25, One Voice Mixed Chorus is bringing the Pride celebration to Saint Paul with a special production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Piarates of Penzance on Raspberry Island. In collaboration with Nautilus Theater, this topsy-turvy, gender-bending musical adventure for the whole family is sure to be unlike anything the Twin Cities has ever seen. The show is free, though reservations are recommended.
	This weekend, Nero Wolfe returns to Park Square Theatre with a new, world premiere commission of Might As Well Be Dead: A Nero Wolfe Mystery, playing through July 30. Whether your style is NCIS or Miss Marple, this is a delicious chance to discover or share one of the great detectives with your family and friends. Then, later this month, Girl Friday Productions, one of Park Square's Theatres in Residence, presents Idiot's Delight on the Andy Boss Thrsut Stage, June 29 - July 23. Single tickets and season packages are now on sale for Park Square's 2017-2018 Season.
	Then, next month, the Lowertown Blues and Funk Festival returns to Mears Park with a night of soul and funk on Friday, July 21, followed by a day of blues on Saturday, July 21. The lineup for the Twin Cities' largest, free blues and funk festival includes a salute to the music of Prince by Chase & Ovation, as well as performances by Average White Band, Shannon Curfman, Tomy Castro & the Painkillers, and more.

Upcoming winter/spring events:

While the summer's big events and festivals are being finalized, there are still plenty of exciting happenings to get us through this cold winter! Here are a few events to warm you up:

Carnaval Brasileiro (Brazilian Carnival): March 8, 2014. Twin Cities-based band Beira Mar Brasil (led by Robert Everest) hosts a Carnival bash to rival a night in Rio with over 80 singers, drummers, and dancers! For this celebration of the holiday that claims the world's largest party, singer and samba dancer extraordinaire Dandara returns, along with Brazilian percussion ensembles, professional samba dancers, a Brazilian martial arts group, true Brazilian drinks, carnival masks, and face and body painting (just like in Rio!). More at carnavalbrasileiro.org

Park Square presents Cyrano: March 14 - April 6, 2014. An unabashed romance set in the 1640s, with a swashbuckling hero, a case of hidden identity, and a passionate love story. Cyrano will satisfy any theatergoer regardless of age or gender. More at parksquaretheatre.org.

Jazz Noir Live Broadcast from The Dakota: April 27, 2014. For those who long for "the grand old days" of radio, Jazz88 KBEM presents the second installment of Jazz Noir, an original radio drama series complete with live voice actors and musicians in front of a studio audience. There will be two performances--one at 5 p.m. and another at 9 p.m.--and the later performance will be broadcast live on Jazz 88.5 FM. More at jazz88.mpls.k12.mn.us.

Festival of Nations: May 1 - 4, 2014. The Festival of Nations is the largest multi-cultural event in Minnesota. Come and join us as we celebrate over 45 ethnic groups showing how we can have peace among the people at the Festival of Nations at the St. Paul RiverCentre. The Festival offers the opportunity to develop an appreciation and understanding, rather then just a tolerance of the cultures of others and helps educate people as we build towards the future together. More at festivalofnations.com.

Twin Cities Jazz Festival: June 26 – 28, 2014. The Twin Cities Jazz Festival holds its 16^th annual event this June in downtown St. Paul. Recognized as one of the region’s premiere music festivals, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival is a free, three-day festival with performances on three public stages in Mears Park, as well as at dozens of local jazz clubs. Stay tuned for the headliners announcment... More at twincitiesjazzfestival.com

Spring into summer

As the last of the April snow disapears, it's finally beginning to feel more like spring--and a busy spring, at that! Here's a look at some of the upcoming events:

Saturday, April 20: Circus Juventas Presents World Circus Day 2013. Circus Juventas is celebrating World Circus Day with back-to-back benefit performances for Mission Manduhai. Founded by Circus Juventas’ Coach Chimgee Haltarhuu, who grew up in dire conditions in Mongolia, Mission Manduhai works to aid those in her homeland by bringing artistic performances to nomadic people and helping to prevent domestic abuse through education. Tickets go on sale the day of the event at the Circus Juventas Box Office from 9am through show time.

Saturday, April 27: JazzMN presents saxophonist Eric Marienthal. For JazzMN's season finale, they are joined by one of the most highly praised saxophonists around today, Gramming Award-winning Eric Marienthal, for a show that promises to be a real ear-pleaser. More information and tickets »

Sunday, April 28: Jazz88 KBEM presents Jazz Noir, a Live Broadcast Performance. For those who long for “the grand old days” of radio, Jazz Noir is a new, original radio series, complete with live voiceover actors in front of a studio audience. Jazz88 KBEM’s first episode is an original drama, Charles & Avon, that will be performed, recorded and broadcast in front of a live audience from the Artists’ Quarter in downtown Saint Paul.  The radio show will be re-broadcast on KBEM Jazz88 in June 2013. More information and tickets »

May 2 - 5: Festival of Nations 2013. Minnesota’s largest multi-cultural celebration, returns to Saint Paul RiverCentre, bringing together people from a vast array of backgrounds to celebrate their ethnic heritage, learn about other cultures and enjoy great food. New this year, Festival of Nations presents Think Global, Party Local on Friday night with extended hours, international wine tasting, beers from around the world and a lineup of fresh music from international artists like Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, Rahim Alhaj, and Salsa del Soul. More information and tickets »