Green Minneapolis is excited to announce a summer long series of free performing arts presentations at Peavey Plaza!
Enjoy free performing arts presentations this summer at Peavey Plaza, the City of Minneapolis owned downtown architectural landmark.
Green Minneapolis believes in the power of art to nurture human connection, and parks and public spaces are some of the best places in our community where people from all walks of life come together to relax, recreate and get to know one another.
As part of the broader reanimation of downtown, every week from June thru September, Peavey Plaza will be the place to go downtown for free music, dance and theater performances. Performing partners include the Minnesota Orchestra, the Children’s Theatre Company, Cantus, MNspin, ARENA DANCES, Mirage Performing Arts, Joe Davis & The Poetic Diaspora and Westminster Presbyterian Church Music Program. Funding for this programming is made possible by charitable contributions to Green Minneapolis.
Peavey Plaza Performing Arts Series Summer 2022 Schedule:
Westminster Presbyterian Church: Bluegrass Evening Prayer
Program Dates: Every Wednesday June 1 – June 29
Time: 5:45–6:30pm; Cookout at Westminster to follow
Description: Join Westminster Presbyterian Church for a bluegrass-style evening worship on Wednesdays in June in Peavey Plaza. Come at 5:45pm for a hymn sing-along, followed by worship at 6pm, and an outdoor cookout at 6:30pm across the street at Westminster Presbyterian Church (1200 Marquette Ave.).
Learn more at westminstermpls.org/.
MNSpin: Musician of the Week
Program Dates: Every Thursday June 2 – September 29
Time: 12:00–1:00pm
Description: MNspin is an online collection of Minnesota music curated by local experts that launched in 2017. The collection features the selected works of Minnesota artists of all genres. Minnesota artists gain exposure, and music lovers can explore the rich diversity of the local scene and find new favorite local artists and bands. Music is available to stream or download here: hclib.musicat.co/.
Children’s Theatre Company: Story Theatre
Program Dates: Every Saturday June 11–August 27
Time: Two performances each Saturday: 12:00–12:30pm, 12:30–1:00pm
Description: Join Children’s Theatre Company for summertime fun at Peavey Plaza! Through imaginative play, collaborative storytelling, music, and family engagement, we’ll explore beloved children’s books together. Laugh, dance, and discover along with your family and friends.
Learn more at childrenstheatre.org/.
Cantus: Concert Performance
Program Date: Thursday, June 23
Time: 6:30–7:30pm
Description: Cantus performs highlights from its popular Covers concerts, along with audience favorites drawn from its concert season. Join the Minneapolis-based eight-member vocal ensemble for an upbeat mix of a cappella hits! Learn more at cantussings.org/.
Minnesota Orchestra: Summer at Orchestra Hall
Program Dates: July 15 – August 7
Time: Various
Description: Summer at Orchestra Hall is a new take on the Minnesota Orchestra’s traditional summer festival, celebrating the Orchestra’s home in the city and its proximity to the revitalized Peavey Plaza. Activities include ticketed performances within Orchestra Hall and free entertainment open to all on
Peavey Plaza. Offered this summer with the theme “The Beethoven Influence” and running from July 15 to August 7, 2022, the experience features four curated weeks of music that illuminate Ludwig van Beethoven’s musical universe, exploring his influences and the composers he influenced in return. Spearheaded by Creative Partner for Summer at Orchestra Hall Jon Kimura Parker, who appears as pianist
in several concerts, the programming celebrates a spirit of fresh musical invention and showcases partnerships with BRKFST Dance Company, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, and The Moving Company.
The community is invited to participate in special food experiences and free entertainment by outstanding local performers on Peavey Plaza before and after scheduled performances. For a complete list of upcoming performances, visit minnesotaorchestra.org/summer.
Arena Dances: Thermal: Modern Dance
Program Dates:
Friday, August 5, 6:00-7:00pm
Friday, August 5, 7:30pm-8:30pm
Description: THERMAL is a dialogue – through movement, form and sound – centered on Earth’s changing environment. With the effects of climate change here – Thermal invites viewers to slow down and appreciate our natural surroundings while simultaneously delivering a sense of urgency to act and anxiety to what might happen next. Learn more at arena-dances.org/thermal/.
Mirage Performing Arts: Ballet & Classical Music
Program Dates:
Thursday, August 18, 6:00–6:45pm
Saturday, August 20, 2:00–2:45pm
Description: MIRAGE Performing Arts is a performing arts group focused on creating a new and authentic expression of Classical Music and Ballet through innovative collaboration, programing and choreography. The primary goal being the spreading of joy and hope through the arts.
Learn more at: yukitokuda.com/mirage-performing-arts.
Joe Davis & The Poetic Diaspora: Concert
Program Date: Saturday, August 27, 6:00–7:30pm
Description: Journeying through the sonically diverse realms of old school and new school hip hop, R&B, funk, and soul, Joe Davis & The Poetic Diaspora seamlessly blend melodic harmonies, smooth instrumentation, and raw, poetic energy to tell stories of struggle, resilience, and celebration. Formed in the heart of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, the collective is dedicated to crafting vibrant soundscapes around honest narratives that reflect their community’s sacred humanity. Each song is an ancestral echo, a battle cry calling for freedom, an unending dance for justice and joy, welcoming all of the diaspora home.
Learn more at: joedavispoetry.com/diaspora.
About Peavey Plaza:
Designed by M. Paul Friedberg and opened in 1975, Peavey Plaza has been referred to as a “marvel of modernism” and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After years of decline, the City of Minneapolis completed a renovation in 2019 to restore its fountains, pavements and gardens, bringing
this architectural masterpiece back to life. Adjacent to Orchestra Hall, the plaza is designed as a sunken urban oasis where fountains and waterfalls calm the sounds of the street and a series of garden rooms create intimate gathering places. At its center, an expansive granite basin with a scrim of water beckons
children and adults alike to take off their shoes and play. When the water is off, the basin becomes a performance space with surrounding stairs and terraces offering amphitheater style seating that accommodates hundreds of spectators. Historic Peavey Plaza is an iconic public gathering space and venue for public art and celebrations in the heart of downtown, convenient to transit lines, Nicollet Mall, the convention center, Orchestra Hall and downtown shopping, bars and restaurants.
About Green Minneapolis:
Green Minneapolis is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) conservancy with the mission to advance the vibrancy of Minneapolis through parks and greening. Our vision is to grow a green future for our city, with tree-lined streets and active public spaces that enrich quality of life, create a healthier environment and connect people through place. Green Minneapolis partnered with the City of Minneapolis to raise $10 million of public and private funding for the renovation of Peavey Plaza, and Green Minneapolis operates, maintains and programs the plaza under a five year agreement with the city.
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