Davina & the Vagabonds
Saturday, July 18th at 7:30pm

When the City Pages says that Davina takes “retro back further than Amy Winehouse and beckons an age when bad girls wore red lipstick and pin curls” . . . well, you just know this is the perfect band for a hot summer night by the river in St. Croix Falls! The Star Tribune describes the backup band Vagabonds as “rollicking with New Orleans flavor, driven home by dueling horn players and a bayou-thick standup bass." We can’t wait for this blues & jazz band to make their debut at Festival.

Tickets are $20 reserved / $25 at the door

Alice Peacock
AutumnFest Weekend
Saturday, September 26th at 7:30pm

“Becoming a songwriter was a matter of necessity,” says Alice Peacock. “It’s how I communicate. It’s how I give what I have to give.” You may hear the inspiration of Joni Mitchell or Carole King in Peacock’s voice, but those powerful and personal lyrics offer up a uniqueness growing stronger every year.

With a new CD out this year, Alice’s St. Croix River Valley fans and friends are eager to welcome her home from Chicago so we can experience some of those new songs along with our old favorites. Alice’s necessity is certainly a gift to us all.

Tickets are $25 reserved / $30 at the door

Sidewalk Café
Saturday, November 7th at 7:30pm

A trio of the Midwest’s top string jazz artists makes up Sidewalk Café, playing the music popularized by Django Reinhart and legendary jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli.

Musicians Gary Schulte on violin, guitarist/composer Reynold Philipsek, and upright bassist Jeff Brueske perform frequently at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis, where the curator says they play “with bravado and passion that transcends the genre and captures its fundamental appeal and excitement."

Their New Doors concert in 2008 earned Sidewalk Café a standing ovation, along with an invitation to join this 2009 Music Series!

Tickets are $20 reserved / $25 at the door

Ring of Kerry
Celtic Christmas Concert
Saturday, December 5th at 7:30pm

They’re back! After three amazing years in our St. Patrick’s Day concert slot, we’re finally going to hear Ring of Kerry offer up music for a different holiday season.

These five musicians sing and play several instruments, offering sounds that range from the thunder of the Irish bodhran drum to the sparkle of the hammered dulcimer; from the lilt and rhythm of fiddle and guitar to the haunting wails of flutes and pennywhistles.

The band has developed a blend that is animated, ruggedly beautiful and fun with music that reflects the character and traditions of the Celtic people.

Tickets are $25 reserved / $30 at the door

Frostbite Follies
Saturday, February 14th, 7:30 pm
Children’s Concert at 1:00 pm

Join Festival Theatre’s tribute to Vaudeville on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, February 14th at 7:30 p.m.

The Frostbite Follies is a special show in the spirit of old classic vaudeville featuring music, juggling, dancing, rope twirling and more. This show features comic juggler Sean Emery, awesome ventriloquist, James Wedgewood, two principle members of Café Accordion Orchestra – Dan Newton and Eric Mohring, the amazing talents of Julie Young, percussive step dancer extraordinaire, and last (but definitely not least) – one of Festival Theatre’s all-time favorites: Pop Wagner himself. During the afternoon a one-hour children’s version of this full-length show will be on stage as part of the 2009 Big Read activities.

Flex Passes may be used for the evening show or single tickets are $25.00. (Children’s Show tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for youth ages 3 to 18).

Sweet Colleens
St. Paddy’s Celebration
Saturday, March 21st, 7:30pm

The Sweet Colleens are five multi-instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high-energy, infectious, and crowd-pleasing mix of Celtic folk-rock and alternative country. This remarkable Minneapolis band also ventures into sounds of the Cajun and Caribbean.

With its reputation as a favorite in the Twin Cities’ Irish Pub scene and the band’s fiery arrangements of traditional melodies, the Sweet Colleens are winning a loyal following across the Midwest and beyond.

Tickets are $20 reserved / $25 at the door

Dan Chouinard & Friends
Once Upon a River...
Celebrating Our Place on Earth in Song & Story
Presented in Partnership with Arcola on the St. Croix
Earth Day Concerts
April 18th & 19th, 2:00 and 7:30pm

Join Dan Chouinard & Friends to share the love, laughter and life lessons given to us by our most constant neighbor, the St. Croix River.

This unique celebration of Earth Day features a full concert on Saturday evening and two family concerts (Saturday & Sunday matinees) for an entire weekend of music and stories, orchestrated by our very own Pied Piper of the St. Croix, Dan Chouinard!

Joining Dan are Patricia Hampl and Prudence Johnson.

Tickets are $25 reserved / $30 at the door

Neal & Leandra
Mother’s Day Weekend
Saturday, May 9th, 7:30pm

Festival Theatre welcomes back the vocal duet of Neal & Leandra for a memorable concert on Mother’s Day weekend. The Washington Post says "as songwriters, Neal & Leandra have clearly mastered the art of saying more with less" and the Victory Review of Seattle writes that Neal & Leandra have "one of the most sensuous mixes of voice we’ve heard."

This - combined with their remarkable blend and funny stories - connects with people’s own experiences in a way that keeps them coming back for more and bringing friends the next time around.

Tickets are $25 reserved / $30 at the door

Monroe Crossing
Father’s Day Concert
Sunday, June 21st at 2:00pm

Our audiences simply cannot get enough of Monroe Crossing! Bluegrass at its very best, treat yourself to a high energy, instrumentally superb concert that you’ll never forget. With fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and bass backing up tight vocal harmonies, Monroe Crossing gets audiences smiling with the first notes. The band members are Mark Anderson, Benji Flaming, Matt Thompson, Lisa Fuglie, and Art Blackburn.

Tickets are $25 reserved / $30 at the door