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.

Good Morning Bedlam w/ My Grandma's Cardigan - forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series

 Current_oval 2020
forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series - 2022 | John Withers Sports Complex | Week #4 | Admission is FREE! | Sponsored by Mayo ClinicThe Current | Hosted by 1st Ward City Council Person Patrick Keane Food trucks (Whiskey Dick's, & Minne’SNO’da Shave Ice) will be on-site!

My Grandma's Cardigan (5:30 PM) - My Grandma's Cardigan is a folk rock group that came together in the heart of Winona, MN. What started as a folk duo jamming in a living room, has grown into a great group of friends that love playing music together. Their melodic harmonies and fun upbeat sounds have made their way across the midwest. They have a little something for everyone.


GOOD MORNING BEDLAM (6:30 PM) -
Good Morning Bedlam has become an innovative force in the midwest folk scene. Their shows are known for their contagious energy, with members careening about the stage. With tight soaring three part harmonies, and thumping kick-drum, they captivate their audience night after night. Every song is a unique twist on what is generally dubbed as folk music. “We want to surprise our audience from song to song. Rather than creating our music to fit a genre, we allow it to be an outpouring of our own stories and unique sound,” says Isaak, frontman of GMB. You will be treated to a haunting waltz, whistling, jazz scatting, and the euphoria of the violin melodies.  


The City of Rochester
, Rochester Civic Music, and Rochester Park & Rec present the forWARD Neighborhood Park Concert Series. Six free events in six parks, one for each ward in the City, on Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, featuring local bands opening for regional, national, or international headliners. Promoting neighborhood vitality and livability, emphasizing activities outside the downtown area. Designed to activate the City park system, and raise awareness of the City ward system and each ward’s representative on the City Council. Food trucks will be on-site for each event! Sponsored by Mayo ClinicThe Current

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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