Zeitgeist's work for the 2020/2021 concert season will concentrate on collaborations with composers to create new works, most of which will be presented online, virtually, or through recorded means. Read more about our plans!
In compliance with the guidelines from the CDC & the MN Dept. of Health, Studio Z will be closed until further notice and Zeitgeist's performances are postponed with the exception of those listed below. We will monitor the guidelines and the needs of our community and will keep you informed as to when we can reopen. We are so grateful to the community of musicians and listeners who work with us to bring new music into being, and we look forward to working with all of you once this crisis is past. Please stay safe.
Crocus Hill Ghost Story at Anderson Center Oct. 29, 2020 • Anderson Center, Red Wing, MN A collaboration between Zeitgeist, composer/flutist Julie Johnson, writer Cheri Johnson, and filmmaker DJ Mendel, Crocus Hill Ghost Story is a macabre tale of a house possessed, accompanied by a wildly evocative and colorful score performed live by Zeitgeist, Johnson, and KrisAnne Weiss, narrator.
Crocus Hill Ghost Story in New York Mills Oct. 30, 2020 • New York Mills Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN A collaboration between Zeitgeist, composer/flutist Julie Johnson, writer Cheri Johnson, and filmmaker DJ Mendel, Crocus Hill Ghost Story is a macabre tale of a house possessed, accompanied by a wildly evocative and colorful score performed live by Zeitgeist, Johnson, and KrisAnne Weiss, narrator.
Past Events
Early Music Festival: Frederic Rzewski **CANCELLED** April 16-19, 2020 • Studio Z Zeitgeist’s 10th Annual Early Music Festival explores the powerful contributions of our musical pioneers with a celebration of composer Frederic Rzewski. From the 1960s to today, Rzewski has influenced American music profoundly through his work with minimalism, improvisation, text notation, and politically charged music.
Playing it Close to Home March 6-8, 2020 • Studio Z With winning songs from our Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Randy Bauer, Zeitgeist’s annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard.
Here & There: Zeitgeist & No Exit Ensemble in Cleveland Jan. 16-18, 2020 • Cleveland, Ohio Zeitgeist visits Cleveland, Ohio for a residency in January 2020 as part of our ongoing "Here & There" collaboration with Cleveland-based No Exit New Music Ensemble. Program includes works by Daniel Nass, Tiffany Skidmore, Buck McDaniel, Doug Opel, Pat O’Keefe, Pauline Oliveros and more.
The Blue in the Distance Jan. 11-12, 2020 • Studio Z Zeitgeist teams up with composer Scott L. Miller for a virtual reality experience featuring vocalist Tracey Engleman, poetry by Minnesota poet laureate Joyce Sutphen, and video footage from Quarry Park in Saint Cloud, MN.
Lowertown Listening Session: Scott L. Miller & Joyce Sutphen Jan. 7, 2020 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z Join Zeitgeist and special guests composer Scott L. Miller and poet Joyce Sutphen for a discussion of Miller’s new virtual reality work The Blue in the Distance featuring poetry by Sutphen and music and film inspired by Quarry Park Reserve in Waite Park, MN.
Lowertown Listening Session: Randy Bauer Nov. 19, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z Join Zeitgeist and Studio Z Composer-in-Residence Randy Bauer for a performance and discussion of Bauer's music, including a conversation about his new work for Zeitgeist that will premiere March 6-8 at Zeitgeist's annualPlaying it Close to Home concert.
The Blue in the Distance at SCSU Nov. 15, 2019 • St. Cloud State University The premiere of The Blue in the Distance by composer Scott L. Miller for a virtual reality experience featuring Zeitgeist and vocalist Tracey Engleman, poetry by Minnesota poet laureate Joyce Sutphen, and video footage from Quarry Park in Saint Cloud, MN. 4 p.m. reading by Joyce Sutphen, 7:30 p.m. concert at Ruth Grant Recital Hall, St. Cloud State University.
Zeitgeist Halloween Festival 2019 Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2019 • Studio Z Zeitgeist’s Halloween Festival features four days of haunting sounds, bone-chilling new commissions, and spine-tingling storytelling at Studio Z. Highlights of the 2nd annual festival include the premieres of new works by Asuka Kakitani and the composer/choreographer team of Nick Gaudette and Maggie Bergeron.
Lowertown Listening Session: Hub New Music Oct. 24, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z Join special guests Hub New Music for a performance and discussion of newly commissioned works by members of Spitting Image Collective, a Twin Cities composer collective whose members include Katherine Bergman, Joshua Clausen, and Daniel Nass.
Zeitgeist at UW-River Falls Oct. 22, 2019 • 7:30 p.m. • Kleinpell Fine Arts Center, UW-River Falls Zeitgeist will perform a public concert at the University of Winsconsin-River Falls on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kleinpell Fine Arts Center. Repertoire will include works by Doug Opel, Pat O’Keefe, Daniel Nass, Buck McDaniel, and Pauline Oliveros.
Lowertown Listening Session: Andrea Mazzariello Oct. 10, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z Composer Andrea Mazzariello and pianists Matthew McCright and Michael Mizrahi present a performance and discussion on works by Mazzariello, including the premiere of As Far As You Can Stretch a Web and a never-before-heard work from 2002.
The Gates of Horn and Ivory: A Lucid Experience Sept. 27-29, 2019 • Studio Z Author and lucid dream expert Robert Waggoner, composer Janika Vandervelde, and Zeitgeist percussionists Heather Barringer and Patti Cudd present a three-day event exploring the world of lucid dreaming, featuring the premiere of Vandervelde’s new work The Gates of Horn and Ivory and presentations by Waggoner on “The Science of Lucid Dreaming” and “Lucid Dreaming’s Incredible Potential.”
Here and There: Zeitgeist & No Exit Ensemble Sept. 19, 2019 • Weber Music Hall, Duluth Sept. 20-22, 2019 • Studio Z, St. Paul Zeitgeist kicks off the 2019-2020 season with their fifth annual collaboration with Cleveland-based No Exit New Music Ensemble. An exchange of local artistry, the event features Zeitgeist and No Exit performing music by Minnesota and Ohio composers.
Lowertown Listening Session: Janika Vandervelde on The Gates of Horn & Ivory Sept. 17, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z Composer Janika Vandervelde’s new work The Gates of Horn and Ivory blends live improvisation, electronic music, narration, and film in a work that explores the phenomena and practice of lucid dreaming. Join Vandervelde and Zeitgeist percussionists Heather Barringer and Patti Cudd for a discussion of how these elements work together and how they were developed throughout the past year.
Lowertown Listening Session: Zeitgeist-Composer Workshop Aug. 8, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Take a glimpse into the 2019 Zeitgeist-Composer Workshop, featuring music by composer participants Asuka Kakitani, Christopher Brakel, and Nick Gaudette (composer) and Maggie Bergeron (dance).
Lowertown Listening Session: Mary Ellen Childs June 18, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Composer Mary Ellen Childs, along with collaborator visual artist Lindsy Halleckson, are creating a new work for Zeitgeist inspired by their fall 2018 trip to the Arctic Circle through The Arctic Circle residency program. Join us as these two artists share field recordings, video, photographs, and experiences that are the inspiration for this new concert-length work and hear Zeitgeist play several of Childs' musical sketches.
Summer Rain at Caponi Art Park June 9, 2019 • Caponi Art Park, Eagan, MN • Details Summer Rain, developed and performed by Zeitgeist and composer/veena virtuoso Nirmala Rajasekar, is a blend of Indian classical music (Carnatic tradition) and Western classical new music, featuring five musical compositions interspersed with discussion and interactive opportunities. Rain date: June 23
Lowertown Listening Session: Janika Vandervelde May 28, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Composer Janika Vandervelde and Zeitgeist percussionists Heather Barringer and Patti Cudd present a preview and discussion of Vandervelde's new evening-length work for percussion and electronics exploring the world of lucid dreaming.
Zeitgeist with 113 Collective May 17-19, 2019 • Studio Z • Details Zeitgeist teams up with Twin Cities composers collective 113 to present new works by 113 members. 113, a collection of composers and performers of new music, curates concerts, seminars, and master classes throughout the Twin Cities with a focus on community building, educational outreach, and emphasis on extensive interaction between composers and performers.
Saint Paul Classical Music Crawl April 27, 2019 • 1-3 p.m. at Studio Z • Info Join Zeitgeist performs "mini-concerts" featuring music by Pauline Oliveros from 1:00-3:00 at Studio Z during the Saint Paul Classical Music Crawl.
Early Music Festival: Pauline Oliveros April 4-7, 2019 • Studio Z • Details Zeitgeist’s 9th Annual Early Music Festival explores the powerful contributions of our musical pioneers with a celebration of composer Pauline Oliveros. From the 1960's until her death in 2016, Oliveros influenced American music profoundly through her work with improvisation, meditation, electronic music, myth and ritual.
Zeitgeist Early Music Workshop: Deep Listening® with Viv Corringham April 6, 2019 • 3:30 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Can we listen differently to the sounds that compose our world? In this workshop heighten your awareness of the sonic environment - both external and internal - as well as your sense of experimentation, collaboration and playfulness. Based on Pauline Oliveros’s Deep Listening® practices and Sonic Meditations, this workshop is open to all with an interest in listening. No previous experience needed.
Zeitgeist Early Music Workshop: Deepening the Legacy April 2, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Composer and licensed Deep Listening® practitioner Viv Corringham has written a new work for Zeitgeist in honor of Pauline Oliveros and the Early Music Festival. Come hear a preview of this new work, learn about Deep Listening™, and discover how Oliveros's ideas continue to influence musicians today.
Zeitgeist Early Music Workshop: Pauline Oliveros - Artist & Activist March 26, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Pauline Oliveros created work that commented on contemporary society and encouraged social change. Join us as we explore her work addressing feminism and our relationship to our environment and each other. Featuring a performance of To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation.
Zeitgeist Early Music Workshop: Music of Pauline Oliveros March 19, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Join Zeitgeist for an overview of the music of Pauline Oliveros. Zeitgeist and guest artists will perform and discuss several works from throughout Oliveros' career, including her speaking choir piece Sound Patterns, early electronic works, and her text-based work The Well and the Gentle.
Lowertown Listening Session: The Dream Songs Project March 7, 2019 • 6 p.m. at Studio Z • Tickets Join The Dream Songs Project (Alyssa Anderson, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Spoelstra, guitar) and composer Joshua Weinberg for a preview and discussion of a new song cycle by Weinberg.
Playing it Close to Home Feb. 8-9, 2019 • Details With winning songs from our Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Yohannes Tona, our annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard.
