Winona Arts Center - Past Concerts
Wabasha Street Trio
Saturday / March 18, 2023 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Sharing music, friendship, and family ties for over 25 years, the Wabasha Street Trio formalized their collaboration in 2013 while presenting “For Our Fathers,” a celebration of the musical inspiration that flowered under the guidance of their musical fathers.
The trio, comprised of Nancy Edstrom Bachler, piano, Heidi Guenther Ryan, violin, and Rachael Ryan Dahlgren, cello, performs music from the classical through contemporary piano trio literature, traditional song literature, and original arrangements of sacred hymn tunes. Noted for both their evident warmth and humor, the trio delights in interacting with their audiences, providing historical and musical background as well as contextual highlights to their listeners.
The Gentlemen's Anti-Temperance League
Saturday / March 4, 2023 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
1 part infectious enthusiasm - 1 part vintage hot club jazz - 1 part modern songwriting - 1 part hot picking swing. Shake with ice and you've got The Gentlemen's Anti-Temperance League (GATL)!
The GATL plays jazz originals. Modern songs under an old-time facade. It’s music your granddad would listen to, if your granddad was a time-traveler from 2050 with a hankering for vintage cocktails and hot jazz. It’s hot, infectious, and emotional. Kind of like that on-and-off relationship you had in your early twenties, but a lot more grounded. Six years, five albums, and hundreds of shows have honed GATL into a finely tuned machine—greased with whiskey, regular exercise, and a taste for wheels on pavement. And they are bringing it to Winona!
John Paulson Big Band
10th Anniversary Concerts
Saturday / February 4, 2023 / 7:00pm
Sunday / February 5, 2023 / 3:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open one hour prior to Saturday concert
The 20 piece John Paulson Big Band will perform their mix of original, contemporary jazz with two concerts at the beautifully renovated Winona Arts Center. The concerts will celebrate 10 years of successful concerts, recordings and residencies by the band—many of which will be highlighted in a short video which will start playing an hour before each performance and continue until the band starts plus during their break. The concerts will also be live-streamed on John Paulson’s YouTube channel (search John Paulson Jazz). Viewers are encouraged to donate to the Winona Arts Center.
The John Paulson Big Band got its start in November 2012 when the band blew the roof off the old church that houses the Winona Arts Center with a standing room only concert. The live recording of that event led to the completion of their first CD The John Paulson Big Band Project. Their 2nd CD Five Years On was recognized as one of the top big band jazz CD’s of 2018 by KBEM jazz radio in Minneapolis. This project included vocalist and recording artist Ariane Lydon who will be performing with the group at these concerts. The band’s repertoire includes straight ahead blues, Latin and swing, ballads with vocals and a twisted tango—all composed and arranged by Dr. Paulson. This group includes the top jazz performers and educators in the region and over the past decade. They have performed to enthusiastic audiences at the Page Theatre, Winona Statue University, Saint Cecilia Hall, The Winona County History Center, a road trip to the JEN (Jazz Educators’ Network) Conference in Louisville, KY and multiple residencies at area high schools.
This activity is made possible through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council in cooperation with a private foundation.
For more information, visit www.paulsonjazz.com.
The Good Time Gals
Saturday / January 7, 2023 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Where good music and good times come together . . . The Good Time Gals is a fresh, fun, vintage group with modern sensibilities. As the frontwomen, Miss Myra and Debbie Briggs deliver a one-of-a-kind musical performance featuring tight vocal harmonies and complimented by the swing guitar stylings of Miss Myra and the sweet fiddle sounds of Alissa Jacobsen (Mississippi Hot Club). Their rhythm section queen, Beth Varela, plays the part of bassist on a cello and somehow does percussion all at the same time! Their playful and complex arrangements draw from old blues, hot club jazz, western swing, old country, and the popular music of the 20s, 30s, and 40s.
The Good Time Gals was founded in late 2020 by Debbie Briggs (of Debbie Briggs Vintage Jazz) and Myra Burnette, a.k.a. “Miss Myra” (of Miss Myra and the Moonshiners). Briggs and Burnette met in a speakeasy of all places back in 2019 and became fast friends bonding over their shared love of old jazz and all things vintage. They began inviting each other to sit in on their respective gigs and the project took off from there. The Good Time Gals was born!
Johnson Street Underground
Friday / December 9, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Johnson Street Underground is Winona’s premiere TTBB acapella group. JSU performs in and around Winona covering a wide variety of songs and styles, including songs by Green Day, Dolly Parton, the Beatles, and Adele. They recently completed their outdoor performance schedule, singing twice at the Farmers’ Market and four times at various backyards scattered across Winona. JSU’s Holiday Show will include many new tunes for the quartet, some familiar and others not. And they will also invite the audience to join in on a few songs.
The clear, strong lead you hear is Matt Schultz, Johnson Street Underground’s dramatic tenor. Matt is the Elementary Title I teacher at Jefferson Elementary School. Matt has also sung for the Blue Heron Consort. Matt’s other hobbies include guitar, oil painting and yurt construction. If you’re hurtin’ for a yurtin’, Matt’s your man.
Seth Flatten’s warm, bright voice makes him JSU’s lyric tenor. Seth is a Customized Training Representative at Minnesota State College Southeast. A lifelong Winona resident, Seth began singing in a children’s choir directed by his parents. In his free time, Seth plays guitar and slays orcs in Dungeons & Dragons.
JSU’s esteemed baritone is Charlie Opatz, but his vocal talents allow him to swap parts with everyone else! Charlie is recently retired as an Academic Advisor/Career Counselor from Winona State University. He has also sung a cappella with The Half-Steps (St. Cloud) and served as choir conductor for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winona. Charlie loves golf and pickle ball and makes a mean gin and tonic. He also loves dad jokes, so be sure to ask him what you call a deer with no eyes.
John Chernega sings the low notes as JSU’s second bass. John is an English teacher who has taught all over the Winona-La Crosse area. He has sung the national anthem for the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Cubs, and the Minnesota Twins, but only because he was in the stands singing with everyone else. John writes short stories, poems, and comics, and you can see his webcomics at nilesandnash.com.
Sam Miltich & Chris Bates
Saturday / December 3, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Sam Miltich and Chris Bates present The Improvised Life: Exploring Intersections of Mental Health & Creativity through Jazz, a program highlighting cultural contributions of famous artists with mental illness and inspiring hope through Sam's own story and original compositions. Sam's dialogue explores intersections of mental health and the creative process and his pursuit of well-being amidst the daily challenges of living with a serious mental illness. He will describe his definition of recovery and the sense of purpose he cultivates through quality engagement in career and family life.
Sam Miltich has played with Hot Club of San Francisco and toured internationally with world renowned Robin Nolan Trio. He has performed at Lincoln Center in NYC for the Django Reinhardt All Star Tour and has won numerous awards.
Chris Bates is a bassist of formidable talent. Having worked professionally for 25 years across all spectrums of the musical landscape he continues to be a driving force in the Minnesota music scene. Chris has been awarded a McKnight Composer’s Fellowship for his writing with Motion Poet's.
Winds of Winona
Saturday / November 12, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
With woodwind repertoire ranging from Baroque to Jazz, the Winds of Winona offer something for everyone. The ensemble features Ryan Ballanger, Chris Buswell, and Ruth and Frank Bures on clarinet and bass clarinet along with Heidi Bryant on flute. All of the performers are members of the Winona Municipal Band and each perform as soloists as well as in other local and regional performing ensembles.
The program will be a mix of clarinet quartets, flute and clarinet duets, and quintets. Winona is home to many talented local musicians and this is a fun opportunity to gather and enjoy a variety of music in the wonderful Winona Arts Center venue.
Opposable Thumbs
with special guest Sampson and Son
Saturday / October 29, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
This will be a rare event, Opposable Thumbs (right) last performed in the beginning of the new millennium. The group still consists of Wayne Beezley on mandolin and octave mandolin, Rick Sampson on banjo, guitar and mandolin, and Betsy Neil on fiddle, and now comes with a new bass player, Larry Dalton. This is an all-instrumental group featuring well-crafted originals and new acoustic music from favorite new acoustic string bands.
The concert will open with Sampson and Son, Rick Sampson and his son Aric Sampson (left). Larry Dalton will perform with them as well. Sampson and Son have been performing in the coulee region for 15 years. Their music covers many styles: traditional, contemporary, popular, and originals. Thoughtfully arranged and orchestrated instrumentals (hot pickin') and Aric's sweet vocals. Their music pleases younger and not so young audiences. They have fun!
Radoslav Lorković
Saturday / October 8, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, Radoslav Lorković has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style. His tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five critically acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with artists including Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Ribbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Ronny Cox, Dave Moore, Andy White, and Bo Ramsey. His thirty year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, the Canary Islands, the Yup’ik villages of Alaska, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall.
This concert is underwritten by Paul Schollmeier and Efficiency Detectives.
Under Paris Skies
Friday / September 16, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
The acoustic trio Under Paris Skies celebrates the music of French sidewalk cafes, vintage jazz clubs, Argentine dance halls and Latin rhythms. Together Ron Reimer, Steven Meger and Larry Dalton forge a unique musical blend of wall-of-sound accordion, swinging guitar and rocking bass. Sophisticated arrangements and sentimental melodies carry you to faraway and familiar places. An extremely popular regional band, Under Paris Skies features a unique musical blend of vintage swing, cabaret, tango, samba, bossa and flamenco influences.
Learn more about Under Paris Skies: Facebook and SoundCloud.
The Winona Fiddlers
Sunday / June 5, 2022 / 2:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 1:00pm
The Winona Fiddlers is excited to perform at the Winona Arts Center. Founded and directed by Betsy Neil in 2000, The Winona Fiddlers is made up of string instrument students who have a special interest in learning and performing traditional fiddle music from around the world. The ages in the group range from elementary to high school seniors. The group meets once a week throughout the school year, and they perform at various local events.
Fiddle tunes are mostly taught by ear, and since the group is multi-age with a large range of ability, students learn at a variety of levels as they progress. In this year’s concert, students will be performing Irish, Scottish, Cajun, French Canadian, Ukrainian, and Appalachian Old Time Dance Music, along with a few novelty tunes. We will be joined by guest musicians Maureen Mullen on guitar, and Adelyn Rosenwinkel on banjo and triangle. We are excited to also be joined by several alumni of the Winona Fiddlers.
Mike Munson, Mike Gangloff & Adam Kiesling
Thursday / June 2, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Join us for a very special evening of Mike Munson (slide guitar country blues performer), Mike Gangloff (Black Twig Players, Pelt), Adam Kiesling (Corpse Reviver, Pert Near Sandstone). They will showcase their individual talents while combining their own unique styles together to play a variety of American music.
Mike Munson on slide guitar with his tradition steeped in Mississippi Delta blues combines with Mike Gangloff on fiddle and banjo within an Appalachian style music along with Adam Kiesling on guitar and banjo in his style of string band and country blues. This is a rare event that these 3 talents are together in a concert in a quiet & acoustically great venue.
Wabasha Street Trio
Saturday / April 9, 2022 / 7:00pm
Sharing music, friendship, and family ties for over 25 years, the Wabasha Street Trio formalized their corroboration in 2013 while presenting “For Our Fathers,” a celebration of the musical inspiration that flowered under the guidance of their musical fathers.
The trio comprised of Nancy Edstrom Bachler, piano, Heidi Guenther Ryan, violin, and Rachael Ryan Dahlgren, cello, performs music from the classical through contemporary piano trio literature, traditional song literature, and original arrangements of sacred hymn tunes. Noted for both their evident warmth and humor, the trio delights in interacting with their audiences, providing historical and musical background as well as contextual highlights to their listeners.
woolen lover and Flyway Dance
Saturday / March 26, 2022 / 7:00pm
woolen lover (they/them) is a local queer sound and movement artist. In their live music performances they layer vocals, synthesizer, found sounds, and electronic sounds- using the loop pedal to unfold each song in the moment.
Find music at woolenlover.bandcamp.com.
Flyway Dance is a dance collective based in Keoxa/Winona, directed by Erin Drummond and named after the "Mississippi Flyway" of migrating birds through this region. This inaugural showing will feature Fault Lines, a new duet featuring dancers Courtney Armani and Brianna Rae Johnson, and an improvisational set with Berlin-based guest artist Nicola Bullock.
Wing Dam Jammers
Friday / March 25, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
The Wing Dam Jammers are delighted to be at the Winona Arts Center. They describe their art as a mix of untraditional and original North Americana music somewhere between rock and a grassy patch. Current members include Chris Kendall and Mark Christensen on guitars, Mark Gunderson on upright bass, Bruce Malenke on accordion, Alex Meine on mandolin/fiddle, and all sing like they mean it.
Miss Myra & the Good Time Gals
Saturday / March 12, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
Where good music and good times come together . . . The Good Time Gals is a fresh, fun, vintage inspired trio with modern sensibilities. Miss Myra, Debbie Briggs, and Beth Varela deliver a one-of-a-kind musical performance of originals featuring tight vocal harmonies, the swing guitar stylings of Miss Myra, and the inspired bass and rhythm accompaniment of Beth Varela on cello and cajón. Their music is peppered with influences of blues, hot club jazz, western swing, old country, and popular music of the 20s, 30s, and 40s, and is certain to delight audiences near and far.
The Gentlemen's Anti-Temperance League
Saturday / February 19, 2022 / 7:00pm
Coffeehouse and Gallery open at 6:00pm
1 part infectious enthusiasm - 1 part vintage hot club jazz - 1 part modern songwriting - 1 part hot picking swing. Shake with ice and you've got The Gentlemen's Anti-Temperance League.
The GATL plays jazz originals. Modern songs under an old-time facade. It’s music your granddad would listen to, if your granddad was a time-traveler from 2050 with a hankering for vintage cocktails and hot jazz. It’s hot, infectious, and emotional. Kind of like that on-and-off relationship you had in your early twenties, but a lot more grounded. Six years, five albums, and hundreds of shows have honed GATL into a finely tuned machine—greased with whiskey, regular exercise, and a taste for wheels on pavement.
John Paulson Jazz
Saturday / January 22, 2022 / 7:00pm
In addition to being a noted educator, John Paulson has been playing jazz with various groups in the region for over 40 years. Along with his quartet, he leads and writes all the music for the John Paulson Big Band, which got its start at the Winona Arts Center with their premiere performance nearly 10 years ago. For this concert, John will be joined by drummer Rich MacDonald (well known for his outstanding musicianship suited to a variety of styles), along with the brilliant Twin Cities guitarist Scott Gerry and bassist Eric Graham (know in the region for his solid time and amazing solos). The group will be performing a mix of recognizable jazz standards and time-tested originals. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.
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.