The Cedar Cultural Center

The World’s Music. Here in Minnesota.

We believe that music makes a difference. 

The Cedar Cultural Center is an anchor institution of the West Bank neighborhood that is internationally recognized for bringing artists from across the globe and bringing people together to celebrate their cultural heritage and connect with international and emerging artists.  The Cedar has brought people together to share and experience music for more than 30 years. It is a place of joy and the celebration of music. A place where intercultural appreciation and understanding are enhanced through the presentation of global music. 

This year's Give to the Max will allow The Cedar to continue to 

• Maintain mission-driven programming

• Host international artists who may not otherwise visit the region

• Work with schools to facilitate arts education

• Foster connections among and between cultural groups

• Develop partnerships to engage underserved and at-risk communities

• Support local artists with performance and commission opportunities

• Launch initiatives that further accessibility and outreach, allowing us to serve a large and diverse audience. 

Your gifts make possible:

The presentation of over 200 concerts, educational programs, and workshops per year by acclaimed local, national, and international artists. The Cedar maintains the vibrancy and diversity of the arts in Minnesota by providing accessible, high-quality creative and cultural experiences. Our core, mission-driven programs present arts from different traditions and engage people from various cultures in order to facilitate inter-cultural interaction and further diversity learning. Our initiatives also focus on supporting local artists, increasing access to the arts, and using the arts to solve community problems.

In addition to our regular programming, we are proud to host these special events:

Global Roots Festival

Free and family-friendly, we have been hosting the annual Global Roots Festival for 12 years. Our 2022 festival featured Estonian, Malawian, Mexican, French-Venezuelan, Ethiopian, and Afghani artists. In 2019, the festival showcased musicians from Chad, Canada, Palestine, Jordan, Korea, Ireland, Africa, and Argentina, along with Afroasiatic Tuareg artists. Each evening before these concerts, our outdoor “Local Roots Stage'' on the Community Plaza showcases performances by diverse local artists, with tables featuring community businesses and organizations. In 2019 these local artists included Indigenous, Somali, Hmong, South American, Mexican, Nordic, Korean, and other musicians. During the day, The Cedar’s staff curates opportunities for deeper community engagement with off-site special performances, Q&A sessions, conversations, instructional workshops, or educational activities. We develop one such offering per day of the festival with three of the visiting artists/groups to illuminate the cultural, educational, and artistic context of their work and to foster intercultural connections. For example, in 2022, we brought artists from the touring group Heart of Afghanistan into Minneapolis Public Schools that have welcomed recently-immigrated Afghan students.

Cedar Commissions

The Cedar Commissions is a flagship program that began in 2011. The program supports six emerging Minnesota-based artists as they participate in a fellowship to compose new work to perform at The Cedar and build momentum for next steps in their burgeoning careers. 

Since its inception in 2011, The Cedar has provided these valuable commissions to 70 emerging artists.

The application process opens in early May of each year. Our thirteenth cohort was announced in mid-August 2022 and includes Aram Kavoossi, Cydi Yang, Emily Boyajian, DJ Fawzi, Sophia Deutsch, and Theo Langason.

Mni Sota Native Music Series

As The Cedar starts to prioritize racial justice within the organization, we wanted to highlight Native artists of the United States through the Mni Sota Native Music Series. This series was a four-part program that took place the last four Thursday’s of July.

For over 10 years, The Cedar has run an Indigenous Music Series funded by the Rosemary and David Good Family Foundation which presents Indigenous artists from around the world performing traditional music styles from their respective countries. 

This series featured Keith Secola, The Wake Singers, and Corey Medina along with several collaborating artists. 

One wonderful performer coming up in 2023 is Emma Donovan, with additional announcements to follow.  

The Cedar wouldn't be what it is today without the support of our community. We know you believe what we believe: Music and art can be powerful tools for building intercultural appreciation and understanding. Join us to keep making excellent global performances available and keep nurturing our rich Minnesota music community!

Banner photo courtesy to Pallav Kumar.