OBITUARY: American Musicologist and Opera Librettist Kendra Preston Leonard (1974-2026) Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 24, 2026August 25, 2026 Kendra Preston Leonard, one of the most dynamic voices in creating 21st-century American operas, has died. The multi-talented cello and viol player, musicologist, and opera librettist passed away on August 19, 2026 at the age of 52. Kendra, as she was known to friends, was born on June 11, 1974, and
FRINGE FILE #23: Mini-Reviews #4 – Magical %$@!s, The Shire/Surge, and Anna Arts Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 10, 2026 This is the fourth installment in the Twin Cities Arts Reader’s mini-review series covering the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Read the 1st installment. Read the 2nd installment. Read the 3rd installment. A Confluence of Magical Arseholes (The Winding Sheet Outfit) Show Page: https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/a-confluence-of-magical-arseholes Official Show Description: The feckin' story and singy-song
REVIEW: A Glittering MNSong Showcase (Source Song Festival) Arts Music by Basil Considine - August 7, 2026August 7, 2026 A file photo of a Source Song Festival event at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis. Once upon a time, a certain CEO of Target said that the combination of low cost-of-living and wealth of arts and lifestyle offerings in the Twin Cities was one of Minnesota's best-kept secrets. Thanks to the
FRINGE FILE #18: Mini-Reviews #1 – Watership Down, Mario, and Papi Arts Dance Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 7, 2026August 8, 2026 A collage of official show photos for Minnesota Fringe shows covered in this review round-up. This is the first installment in the Twin Cities Arts Reader's mini-review series covering the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Watership Down (Melancholics Anonymous) Show page: https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2026/watership-down Official Show Description: Digger. Listener. Runner. A small band of
PREVIEW: The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company’s Crew of Pirates (and More) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 5, 2026 This fall, when the Twin Cities are bracing for the winter, the Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company will be preparing itself for the spotlight. Piracy under the spotlight, that is. In the...Wild West? Indeed, for its fall production of The Pirates of Penzance, GSVLOC is going with a new subtitle
FRINGE FILE #16: INTERVIEW – r. d. rhobajt and the Shoes & Socks & Coats Show Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 4, 2026August 7, 2026 The official show image for Socks & Shoes & Coats by rick rhobajt widen, one of 104 shows playing at the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival.. The Minnesota Fringe Festival has never shied away from life’s larger questions, but most shows don't come with quite so many pediatric appointments, preschool anxieties, and
FRINGE FILE #15: Preview #2 (August 5) Arts Comedy Dance Lifestyle Music Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 4, 2026August 5, 2026 A collage of the official show photos for the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Trying to plan your Minnesota Fringe Festival experience and unsure of where to start? How about seeing a bunch of 3-minute show excerpts – live – before deciding to commit? Mark your calendar for August 5 at 7:30 PM. That's when
FRINGE FILE #14: INTERVIEW – Foshay, Foshay, Foshay – with Kevin Bowen Arts Music by Basil Considine - August 3, 2026August 3, 2026 A promotional image for the musical Foshay! You Know The Tower - Now Hear The Story, which runs at the Rarig Stoll Thrust Theatre in Minneapolis as part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival from August 8-16. One of the most unmistakable parts of the Minneapolis skyline is the Foshay Tower. This
NEWS: Minneapolis 8th Annual SongSLAM Winners Arts Music by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 1, 2026August 3, 2026 If Classical music is dead, no one told the sold out audience at this evening's SongSLAM. Not a seat was free at the Icehouse in Minneapolis, where lovers of music and poetry sipped libations and listened to the world premiere of six new art songs. The event, the Minneapolis 8th Annual
FRINGE FILE #13: INTERVIEW – Christy Johnson and the Radiant Ember in the Theatre Arts Music Theatre by Basil Considine - July 29, 2026July 29, 2026 The official show photo for Black and Foxy Co's cabaret Ember, which plays at the University of Minnesota's Rarig Kilburn Theatre as part of the 2026 Minnesota Fringe Festival. What does a theatre producer do? In short, oversee everything – financial, logistics, creative, and anything else that needs nudging, nurturing, prodding,