Winona Arts Center - Fall 2021 Concert Series
Concerts are presented at 7:00pm on select Saturdays at the Winona Art Center, 228 East 5th Street, Winona, MN.
The fall series runs from October 9th through December 19, alternating weekends with films. Ticket price is $8 in advance at Eventbrite and Hardt's Music or $10 at the door. The Coffeehouse is open at 6pm prior to concerts.
Please review our Covid-19 Protocol before planning your visit to the Winona Arts Center. We appreciate your understanding.
The Fall Music Series is funded in part by Winona Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union.
We appreciate their support.
String Ties Christmas Show
Sunday / December 19, 2021 / 2:00pm
String Ties bluegrass band will bring their Christmas Show to the Winona Arts Center. The La Crosse area band has honed this popular yule show over the last 10 years, with tight vocal harmonies and powerful playing – a fresh and heart-warming take on the melodies of the season. String Ties is Dan Sebranek on guitar (who also performs with Johnsmith, Hans Mayer, Bill Miller); Wayne Beezley on mandolin (Bus Boys, Monroe Doctrine); Larry Dalton on bass (Under Paris Skies, Dalton Brothers Trio); Rick Sampson on banjo (Sampson & Son, River Benders); and Winona fiddler Betsy Neil (Roux La La, Buffalo Gals). You won’t want to miss this unique and entertaining show!
Mike Munson
Rescheduled for Saturday / November 27, 2021 / 7:00pm
Having established himself as an adept slide guitar player, Mike Munson is steeped in the country blues tradition. His original works weave together dark lyrics, impossibly fast-paced finger-picking and grinding rhythms. His sound marks the similarities and highlights the distance between Fred McDowell, Leo Kottke and Chuck Berry.
The Midwest is home but the Mississippi Delta has been his training ground. With his fourth release, Rose Hill (2018) Munson traced the blues tradition to its birthplace, recording at the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi on the Blue Front Record label. Studying under and performing alongside the Grammy nominee Jimmy “Duck” Holmes has informed Munson’s style and refined his craft. Blues is the backbone of Munson’s songwriting as it is the origin story of all American music.
Munson has built a body of work that blends his Midwestern home with his Mississippi travels. From sad and somber slow tunes to swampy, caterwauling stompers, his music is a master class in creative composition and performance, often heavy, yet lyrically compelling and altogether danceable. He never loses sight of his artform or the music’s roots while seeking a sound that is distinctively his own. After releasing the single “Wheels” in early 2021, Munson began recording his sixth full-length album.
Frankly My Dears and Flutistry
Saturday / November 6, 2021 / 7:00pm
This concert will feature music in a variety of styles and showcase the talents of many of our local instrumentalists.
Flutistry is an outgrowth of a flute choir class started by Mandy Moburg in the fall of 2011 in Winona. The class brought together several experienced flutists who decided to make things official, so they became Flutistry. The membership has adjusted over the years, but the current group still includes three founding members: Janet Heukeshoven, Heidi Bryant, and Arlene Boll. More recently, Lisa Ramsey and Amanda Wenzel have joined the group. Over the past 10 years, they have performed for many types of events around Winona. Their repertoire ranges from Baroque to Jazz. For this concert, the program will feature works by female composers.
Frankly My Dears is a woodwind quintet that was founded in 2020 by clarinetist and Winona musical institution, Dr. Frank Bures. He is joined by Heidi Bryant (flute), Kristi Krause (oboe), Pamela Lehmeier (bassoon), and Shawn Kennedy-Lee (French horn). In addition to being members of the Winona Municipal Band, each of these musicians performs with other ensembles around the region. They come together to explore the interesting variety of repertoire that has been scored for woodwind quintet and look forward to sharing their music with the community.
Johnson Street Underground
Saturday / October 23, 2021 / 7:00pm
Johnson Street Underground is a dynamic, a cappella quartet from Winona. Their repertoire covers the gamut from Adele and Billy Joel to Sting and Mumford & Sons. The group formed in January 2018 for the love of close harmonies, without instruments! JSU has entertained crowds at various venues and events in the area since then.
The members are Matt Schultz, Seth Flatten, Charlie Opatz, and John Chernega.