On August 17 and 18, Belwin Conservancy will host our fifth annual Music in the Trees. This two-day outdoor musical event features a diverse array of musicians performing from perches high up in a stand of red pines at Belwin’s Education Site.

Throughout the event, a variety of musicians will take turns performing from two separate stands. Audiences are welcome to set up a chair and listen at one stand in particular, or move between the trees to hear as much music as possible. Each day will end with an accessible performance from The Sampson Bros on the ground level. Check out the 2024 roster of performers below.

MUSIC IN THE TREES 2024 PERFORMERS

Tim Cheesebrow & Chris Herriges
Guitar & Vocal
Dynamic music duo, the union of two long-time regional faves. Each a great solo-performing singer/guitarist in their own right, they’ve recently conjoined as a duo, with a busy schedule of venues throughout the region.
cheesebrowmusic.com
chrisherriges.net 

Sean Egan & Aaron Kerr
Clarinet and Cello
Cellist Aaron Kerr and clarinetist Sean Egan will play improvised duets inspired by classical, jazz, folk, and world music.
aaronkerr.com
seaneganmusic.com/solo-improvisations

Ritika Ganguly & Shinjan Sengupta
Traditional Bengali Music Vocals & Guitar
As cultural carriers of Bengali folk music, Ritika and Shinjan connect global story listeners with rich traditions of oral musical storytelling in South Asia. As a duo, they are known and loved for drawing the listener into familiar, faraway, and future worlds as they connect our everyday with 200 year-old songs and poems in Bangla.
https://www.ritikaganguly.com/blog/ritika-and-shinjan-ongoing

Ina-Yukka (Vladimir Garrido-Biagetti & Nia Biagetti)
Pan Flute, Percussion & Vocals
Ina-Yukka is a mother and son duo which performs traditional folk music from South America and the “New Chilean Song” movement.
Facebook Profile

Nathan Hanson & Laura Harada
Saxophone & Violin
Saxophonist Nathan Hanson and violinist Laura Harada will improvise music that draws from many sources. Their process is to listen deeply, and then alchemize those sounds through their vast experience and study of music from around the world. What results is a never-heard-before composition unfolding itself in real time.
nathanhanson.com
alignable.com/minneapolis-mn/laura-harada-violin-studio

Sydney Kakuk & Lauren Bird
Vocals
Sydney and Lauren will be performing duets from a variety of genres and historical periods.

Dave Mehling
Zither
Dave will perform modal improvisations on a modified autoharp alongside pre-recorded samples of various found sounds. Heavily influenced by the music of Laraaji and David Rothenberg.
davemehling.bandcamp.com/album/light-forms

Rebecca Merblum
Cello
Rebecca (she/her) serves as co-artistic director of the Kenya International Chamber Music Festival. She is a 2022/23 McKnight fellowship grant recipient, a former MacPhail Center artist in residence in association with Global Music Initiative, and guest lecturer at the Longy School for Music in Alternative Spaces.
rebeccamerblum.com/about

Pat O’Keefe & Heather Barringer
Clarinet and Percussion
Heather and Pat will be doing an extended improvisation inspired by their surroundings that will be based upon John Cage’s own meditation on nature, Ryoanji. Pat and Heather are members of Zeitgeist, music of our time.
zeitgeistnewmusic.org

Peter Phippen & Victoria Shoemaker
Bamboo Flutes
Flutists Peter Phippen & Victoria Shoemaker improvise to the sounds of nature with significant effect. “There is a rare synergy here that simply can’t be defined. It’s magical” – Dyan Garris
peterphippen.com
musicofvictoria.wixsite.com/musicofvictoria/about

Red Thread (Sarah Larsson & Rada Kolarova)
Vocals
Red Thread is a harmony-driven ensemble that plays original music rooted in Eastern European, Yiddish, and Americana genres.
redthreadsings.com

The Sampson Bros Arts
Hoop Dancing
Dedicated to promoting cultural pride, unity, and hope, the Sampson Brothers aim to break stereotypes and create opportunities for future generations through their art, education, and dance. With over 25 years of experience, they have performed in numerous countries and educated thousands about Indigenous Hoop Dancing.
sampsonbrosarts.com

Audrey Q. Snyder
Cello
Audrey will interact with and draw inspiration from her surroundings as she improvises on cello using drones, plucking, and other unexpected textures.
audreyqsnyder.com

Schedule

A fully accessible hour-long performance will be held during the final hour of each day.

This event will take place, rain or shine. We advise attendees to bring their own chairs, picnics, or hammocks. No food will be available for sale at this event. No smoking, alcohol, or dogs are permitted. Handicap restrooms will be available.


Music in the Trees is made possible by support from the St. Croix Valley Foundation.
Thanks to Midwest Exteriors MN for supporting our entire season of events in 2024!

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Afton, MN 55001
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