A Murmur in the Trees at Barringer Family Farms Aug. 5, 2022 • 7pm Join us at Barringer Family Farms in Ellsworth, WI to walk among the trees and surround yourself with the sounds of twenty-four double bass players from throughout our community.
Do Hay with Davu Seru Aug. 12, 2022 • 6pm Zeitgeist and Davu Seru present the premiere of Seru's new work, entitled Do Hay, for three bass drummers and audience. Do Hay invites the community to join in with their voices at this outdoor performance at Frogtown Farm, an urban demonstration farm in St. Paul for those who seek learning, innovation, reflection, celebration, and authentic community.
A Murmur in the Trees at Caponi Art Park Sept. 23, 2022 • 6pm Join us at Caponi Art Park in Eagan to walk among the trees and surround yourself with the sounds of twenty-four double bass players from throughout our community.
Past Events
The Music of George Lewis at Walker Art Center May 21, 2022 • 8pm Zeitgeist returns to the Walker to celebrate an eclectic range of works by experimental composer, trombonist, scholar, and computer music innovator George Lewis. Zeitgeist and Lewis will be joined by an all-star roster of local improvisers and musicians. The evening features a newly co-commissioned work by Lewis for Zeitgeist, and large improvisational works Shadowgraph V, Artificial Life 2007, and Calder, inspired by Alexander Calder’s mobile pieces.
George Lewis & Zeitgeist Performance & Discussion at Walker West Music Academy May 18, 2022 • 6pm Zeitgeist and Walker West Music Academy present a free performance and discussion of the music of American composer George Lewis. The event will feature a talk by George Lewis himself, and a performance by Zeitgeist musicians of Shadowgraph V, a situational improvisational work that will also be performed at Zeitgeist's "Music of George Lewis" performance at the Walker Art Center.
SOUNDING GROUND Composer Showcase March 25-26, 2022 • Studio Z Join Zeitgeist and Sounding Ground artists Queen Drea, Eric M. C. Gonzalez, and Ivan Cunningham for a first look at the new works they have developed during the Sounding Ground residency.
Zeitgeist Early Music Festival: Frederic Rzewski Nov. 19-20, 2021 • 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.
Crocus Hill Ghost Story at New York Mills Cultural Center Oct. 22, 2021 • New York Mills, MN A collaboration between Zeitgeist, composer/flutist Julie Johnson and writer Cheri Johnson, 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.
Playing it Close to Home 2021 Sept. 10-12, 2021 • Studio Z With winning songs from our Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Michelle Kinney, Zeitgeist’s annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard.
New Music Gathering Aug. 12-14, 2021 • St. Paul, MN and online New Music Gathering is coming to St. Paul Aug. 12-14, including performances at Studio Z! New Music Gathering is an annual conference/festival hybrid dedicated to the performance, production, promotion, support, and creation of new and forward-thinking music.
Zeitgeist performs works by Minnesota composers Scott L. Miller, Katherine Bergman, Shruthi Rajasekar, and Nirmala Rajasekar on Aug. 14, 5pm at Studio Z.
Be Where You Are July 25, 2021 • Barringer Family Farms, Ellsworth, WI Zeitgeist and Barringer Family Farms present a unique outdoor experience that connects artists and community members with agriculture and land. Featuring 44.71, -92.53 (Be Where You Are) by Heather Barringer, a 45 minute work that explores human relationship to land and others through the experience of sound--intentional and unintentional.
COINCIDENT Episode 4 Premiere + Virtual Reception July 15, 2021 • Online via Zoom The premiere of COINCIDENT Episode 4 (approximately 10 minutes), followed by a virtual reception (bring your own refreshments!) with composer Scott L. Miller and members of Zeitgeist.
Here and There: Zeitgeist & No Exit New Music Ensemble May 21, 2021 • Zeitgeist's website and noexitnewmusic.com Zeitgeist and No Exit New Music Ensemble continue our annual Here and There collaboration with a virtual concert featuring performances by members of each ensemble plus the world premiere of COINCIDENT: Exit Velocity, performed collaboratively by Zeitgeist, No Exit, and Scott L. Miller.
The premiere of COINCIDENT Episode 3 (approximately 10 minutes), followed by a virtual reception (bring your own refreshments!) with composer Scott L. Miller, visual artist Carole Kim, and members of Zeitgeist.
The premiere of COINCIDENT Episode 2 (approximately 10 minutes), followed by a virtual reception (bring your own refreshments!) with composer Scott L. Miller, visual artist Carole Kim, and members of Zeitgeist.
COINCIDENT is a telematic, multi-episode, audiovisual collaboration between Zeitgeist, composer Scott L. Miller, visual artist Carole Kim, and an evolving list of artists. The debut event features the premiere of Episode 1, followed by a Q&A with Miller, Kim, and members of Zeitgeist.
Here and There 2020: No Exit New Music Ensemble Nov. 27, 2020 • Zeitgeist's website and noexitnewmusic.com Zeitgeist and No Exit New Music Ensemble continue our annual Here and There collaboration with virtual presentations from each ensemble. No Exit presents a stirring and evocative online concert à la miniature consisting of short works, about 5 minutes or less in duration, showcasing music by some of the most pioneering composers of the last 100 years.
Crocus Hill Ghost Story VIDEO RELEASE Nov. 13, 2020 Video release of Crocus Hill Ghost Story: A macabre tale of a house possessed that is accompanied by a wildly evocative and colorful score, Crocus Hill Ghost Story explores the complex relationship between two longtime friends and the evolution of their relationship as they experience a haunting. Performed by Zeitgeist and KrisAnne Weiss, narrator. Video by FIX Agency.
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.
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 • 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 • 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 • 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 • 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.
