Music in the Trees is just around the corner! On August 19th and 20th, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, Belwin Conservancy will host our fourth annual Music in the Trees. This two-day outdoor musical event features a diverse array of musicians performing from perches high up in the red pines of Belwin’s Education Site. We can’t wait to share these great performances with you!
It takes a lot to make Music in the Trees happen, but the more than anything, it takes musicians. Check the schedule and performer bios below!
Schedule
For the first three hours of each day, musicians will perform on two separate stands. Audiences are free to pick an artist, or move between the stands to hear as much music as possible. Each day will end with an accessible performance on the ground level. Check out the schedule below!
Performer Bios
Steve Clarke & Laurie Knutson (Edmonds Station)
Bass flute/Wood flute
Edmonds Station – the duo of Steve Clarke and Laurie Knutson, perform soothing, sound healing and meditative improvisational duets on bass flute and wood flutes and other woodwinds, connecting music to nature.
Ritika Ganguly & Shinjan Sengupta
Guitar/vocals
Ritika and Shinjan invite adventurous audiences into their genre-bending conversations with music in their first language – Bangla. As a duo, they are known and loved for drawing the listener into familiar, future, and faraway worlds as they connect our everyday with 200 year-old songs and poems written in specific geo-cultural contexts of pre- and post-partition India and Bangladesh.
Learn more at https://ritikagangulymusic.wordpress.com/
Nathan Hanson & Chris Bates
Saxophone/bass
Saxophonist Nathan Hanson and bassist Chris Bates will spontaneously create music inspired by the surroundings using a musical language rooted in jazz and tempered by their thirty year association.
Videos can be found at nathanhanson.com
C.B James & Daniel Lentz
Cello/violin
TCP Strings are the string players of local Twin Cities band The Common Practice. As a string section, the trio achieves a tonal unity while each player retains their own unique sound identity as it relates to their individual experience. The group is led by cellist C.B. James and features Daniel Lentz on violin.
Learn more about C.B. James at www.cbjames.squarespace.com
Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli
Interactive dance/drumming
Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli means warriors of the first cactus flower. Our group is composed of families that are committed to life-long learning of the philosophy, dance, drum and songs of the Mexica (Aztec) traditions.
Learn more at https://indigenous-roots.org/kalpulli-yaocenoxtli
Mira & Tom Kehoe
Winds/vocals/percussion
Tom and Mira have been performing Brazilian music and jazz for many years. Multi-instrumentalists, they will play melodica, flutes, voice, whistles, percussion and more, in response to each other and the environment.
Learn more at miratomkehoe.com/
Rebecca Merblum
Cello
Rebecca Merblum, originally from Connecticut, has been dedicated to chamber music throughout her life as a cellist. Based in Minneapolis, Rebecca is a frequent substitute with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Liquid Music series. Rebecca was recently recognized for the breadth of her work with a 2022-2023 McKnight Fellowship Grant.
Scott Nieman & Mark Black
Bouzouki/percussion
Mark and Scott have performed together for nearly 10 years as two core members of Other Country Ensemble, a larger ensemble that has regular performances at various venues across the Metro and will be performing at the MN State Fair this year on the International Bazaar Stage August 28 and 29th. Mark also performs with industrial percussion band Savage Aural Hotbed. Scott also performs oud with Makam Baklava, a Turkish and Bulgarian band.
Hannah Lou Woods
Guitar/drums
An award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Hannah Lou Woods creates heartfelt folksy-bluesy-pop: soulful songs with lyrical depth, powerful melodies, and intricate arrangements on instruments such as piano, ukulele, and guitar. Her music reflects her own personal journey of healing, self-discovery, and transformation. Hannah’s electro-pop project We Saw Lions has amassed over 6 million streams on Spotify.
Learn more at https://www.hannahlouwoods.com/bio.
A fully accessible hour-long performance will be held during the final hour of each day.
This event will take place, rain or shine. Parking will be $10 per car (cash or check). We ask attendees to bring their own chairs, picnics, or hammocks. No alcohol or dogs are permitted. Handicap restrooms will be available.
Music in the Trees is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional support for this event comes from the St. Croix Valley Foundation.
Thanks to Steve Smillie for supporting our entire season of events in 2023!
