About Rochester Public Music

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Rochester Public Music brings people together through concerts, cultural programs, and music education. Our events are free and public by design.

We turn parks into concert venues, bring artists into classrooms, and share music across neighborhoods. Our work is rooted in shared experience, local connection, and the belief that music belongs to everyone.

Music with Purpose.

Rochester Public Music is a department of the City of Rochester.

Our Programs

  • FORWARD Park Concerts: Free summer concerts in Rochester parks. Local bands, local food, and space for everyone to gather.
  • Riverside Music Series: Live music. Big names. No tickets. Large-scale concerts featuring chart-topping acts and rising stars.
  • Sound School: In-school residencies where students explore rhythm, movement, and musical identity — from hip hop and taiko drumming to close-harmony singing.
  • Passport Sessions: Free outdoor concerts during Thursdays Downtown, celebrating culture and connection through sound.

Down by the Riverside: Smash Mouth w/ Push and Turn


Think Bank Down by the Riverside 2021 | Mayo Park | Week #3 - '90s Alt-Rock Night
Admission is FREE! | Sponsored by MN 97.5 The Hits

SMASH MOUTH (Headliner) - The band’s unparalleled wealth of original and legendary material is strong and deep. Smash Mouth boasts seven smash hits including the chart-topping “Walkin’ On The Sun”, “Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby”, and “Then The Morning Comes”, as well as “Pacific Coast Party”, and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”, both of which made the top-30, and of course the smash #1 hits “All Star”, and “I’m A Believer”, both featured in the blockbuster animated film Shrek.

Push and Turn (Opener) - Push & Turn is an energetic reggae/rock band from Rochester, MN consisting of Cameron Smith on drums, Kyle Truex on bass, and Sothea Lam on lead vocals/guitar/loop station. After years of playing the local music scene, they recently added lead guitarist/vocalist Tyler Kispert, and backup vocalist/keyboardist Zach Kase, adding a blues and jam band feel to their reggae sound with harmonies that turn heads.


Rochester Civic Music is pleased to announce the return of the "Think Bank Down by the Riverside" FREE outdoor concert series. The series takes place over six Sundays in July and August (July 11 through August 15) in one of the most beautiful green spaces in the area, Mayo Park (behind the Mayo Civic Center and Rochester Art Center) along the banks of the Zumbro River. This is an open-to-the-public City park, so lawn chairs, blankets, and coolers are welcome. On-site concessions will also be available. All events to feature local Southeastern Minnesota bands as opening acts starting at 7:00 p.m., with headliners taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. This summer will mark the 29th year the City's Music Department (Rochester Civic Music) has produced the popular outdoor concert series.

Video: Experience the Think Bank Down by the Riverside

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support Grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.
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