Jewel Rodgers Residency – Listening Session and Q&A (Read More)
Be the first to hear the fresh new sounds from Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers recording residency with Swedish producer Fredrik Serholt at this one-of-a-kind listening session following Rodger’s and Serholt’s multi-day recording residency at the 2026 Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival. Combining the worlds of deep synths, acoustic instruments and spoken word, Rodgers and Serholt will give a unique look behind the scenes and a first look at the music before it becomes available to the public. Listening session and Q&A with Nebraska State Poet and Jewel Rodgers, debuting new music from their multi-day festival recording residency. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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Dream Warriors Residency – Listening Session and Q&A (Read More)
Join this unique opportunity to hear music fresh out of the studio, when the Dream Warriors and producer Fredrik Serholt unpack the new music that they’ve just created during a four-day recording residency at the 2026 Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival. Listening Session and Q&A with the Hip Hop Collective Dream Warriors and Producer Fredrik Serholt. The Dream Warriors are a spoken word/hip-hop collective made up of Indigenous Artists. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
ííS (Erik Higgins and Marie Sønderskov) returns to Crossroads for an evening of Nordic Soundscapes and folk melodies. Fresh from the release of their first single, Frozen Water and preparing for their debut full-length album, ííS draws audiences into a luminous world of color, sound, and feeling, woven from Renaissance instruments, electronic textures, and evocative vocals. At the beginning of the presentation, the artists will give an informal talk about the composition process and the influence of Nordic folk music, world music and chamber music in their musical language. Tickets for the concert are free and can be reserved online via the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival website. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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The Composer’s Mind: La Folia Global – Omaha (Read More)
La Folia Global is a transcontinental musical journey that brings together Baroque repertoire and instruments with world music traditions whose roots intersect in the cultural crossroads of Renaissance Venice. At its center is Valeri Tolstov’s brilliant reimagining of Vivaldi’s La Folia, moving seamlessly between Armenian folk music, Hindustani classical raga, and Vivaldi’s original score. Step behind the scenes of La Folia Global and explore how the project came to life, the inspirations behind the music, and the collaborative process that brings these artists together. Featuring composer Valeri Tolstov and Crossroads Artistic Director Erik Higgins and hosted by Nebraska Public Media’s own Genevieve Randall, this event offers an in-depth look at the music and the creative minds behind it. This conversation precedes a concert by La Folia Global in the same location at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for both the conversation and concert are free and can be reserved online via the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival website. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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“Luminous Wings” Orchestra Finale – Omaha (Read More)
Luminous Wings brings the Nebraska Crossroads Festival Orchestra back in 2026 for another year of deep collaboration, new music, and exhilarating performance. Inspired by birds, motion, and the bright creative energy of this year’s featured works, the program takes flight through music that shimmers, pulses, and soars. The concert features Murmurations by Derek Bermel, a new concerto for tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das and additional soloists co-written by Das, Marie Sønderskov, and Crossroads Artistic Director Erik Higgins, along with a new work by festival friend Valeri Tolstov. Bringing together local and visiting artists, the Festival Orchestra embodies the collaborative spirit of Crossroads—music shaped by friendship, imagination, and the Festival’s creative energy. Between works, the program will include live, on-stage conversations with featured artists to provide historical, cultural, and personal context. Tickets for the concert are free and can be reserved online via the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival website. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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“Luminous Wings” Orchestra Finale – Lincoln (Read More)
Luminous Wings brings the Nebraska Crossroads Festival Orchestra back in 2026 for another year of deep collaboration, new music, and exhilarating performance. Inspired by birds, motion, and the bright creative energy of this year’s featured works, the program takes flight through music that shimmers, pulses, and soars. The concert features Murmurations by Derek Bermel, a new concerto for tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das and additional soloists co-written by Das, Marie Sønderskov, and Crossroads Artistic Director Erik Higgins, along with a new work by festival friend Valeri Tolstov. Bringing together local and visiting artists, the Festival Orchestra embodies the collaborative spirit of Crossroads—music shaped by friendship, imagination, and the Festival’s creative energy. Between works, the program will include live, on-stage conversations with featured artists to provide historical, cultural, and personal context. Tickets for the concert are free and can be reserved online via the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival website. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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The Composer’s Mind: La Folia Global – Lincoln (Read More)
La Folia Global is a transcontinental musical journey that brings together Baroque repertoire and instruments with world music traditions whose roots intersect in the cultural crossroads of Renaissance Venice. At its center is Valeri Tolstov’s brilliant reimagining of Vivaldi’s La Folia, moving seamlessly between Armenian folk music, Hindustani classical raga, and Vivaldi’s original score. Step behind the scenes of La Folia Global and explore how the project came to life, the inspirations behind the music, and the collaborative process that brings these artists together. Featuring composer Valeri Tolstov and Crossroads Artistic Director Erik Higgins and hosted by Nebraska Public Media’s own Genevieve Randall, this event offers an in-depth look at the music and the creative minds behind it. This conversation precedes a concert by La Folia Global in the same location at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for both the conversation and concert are free and can be reserved online via the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival website. This event is part of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, which encompasses events in Lincoln and Omaha on July 19, July 24 -August 2, and August 5. Visit the website for details: https://nebraskamusicfest.org/
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Family Day: Music and Storytelling for All Ages (Read More)
The July edition of The Sheldon Art Museum's Family Day with Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival will feature a special children’s storytelling concert with Crossroads’ artists, an evocative performance by Nordic-folk duo iiS in the Museum’s Great Hall, and a hands-on, storytelling-through-poetry-workshop with the wryly perceptive and truly Nebraskan wordsmith and former Nebraska State Poet, Matt Mason.
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Art-Tastic Saturday: Music and Storytelling for All Ages (Read More)
Crossroads Music Festival joins forces with the The Joslyn for a day of creativity and connection for the whole family. Enjoy a fun-filled children’s concert, two performances by the enchanting Nordic-folk duo ííS, live poetry with Nebraska State Poets, current and former, Jewel Rodgers and Matt Mason, and an interactive storytelling-through-poetry workshop with Matt Mason. It’s a perfect way to experience music, stories, and art–together.
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Dinuk Wijeratne: The Composer’s Mind-Creativity Insights (Read More)
Join internationally acclaimed composer Dinuk Wijeratne for a rare behind-the-scenes look into his creative process. Wijeratne shares personal insights, stories, and musical excerpts in this intimate conversation about inspiration, collaboration, and invention. Sri Lankan-born Canadian Dinuk Wijeratne is a JUNO and multi-award-winning composer, conductor, and pianist who has been described by the New York Times as ‘exuberantly creative’, by the Toronto Star as ‘an artist who reflects a positive vision of our cultural future’, and by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra as ‘a modern polymath’. His boundary-crossing work sees him equally at home in collaborations with symphony orchestras and string quartets, tabla players and DJs, and takes him to international venues as poles apart as the Berlin Philharmonie and the North Sea Jazz Festival.
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Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival Lincoln Showcase with artist interviews (Read More)
This one concert brings the festival’s full breadth of style and artistry in one thrilling evening. Artists include Dream Warriors, Authentic Light Orchestra, John Hadfield & Ron Blake Duo and Mixed Harmony. Artist interviews with Nebraska Public Media's Genevieve Randall will take place throughout the showcase performance. This event is a part of the weeklong Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, with events in Lincoln and Omaha August 4 - 11 including musical performances, story sharing, and artist discussions. For a full event schedule, visit nebraskamusicfest.org.
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Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival Artist Roundtable (Read More)
Get an in-depth glimpse into the inspiration, motivation and life-stories behind the music you hear at the Artist Roundtable with Vardan Ovsepian, Juantío Becenti, John Hadfield and Valeri Tolstov. This artist roundtable at 9 p.m. follows the 7 p.m. Contemporary Classical Concert at the same venue. This event is a part of the weeklong Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, with events in Lincoln and Omaha August 4 - 11 including musical performances, story sharing, and artist discussions. For a full event schedule, visit nebraskamusicfest.org.
The 2024 Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival will play host to a 5-day workshop bringing together hip-hop, classical, and indie music, together with visual and digital art that explores indigenous narratives. Come and get a sneak peak of the results of this 5-day creative process and hear the artists speak about their creative process, their motivations and their dreams for the future. The artists include composer Juantio Becenti, visual artist Sarah Rowe, and digital artist Jinku Kim. This event is a part of the weeklong Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, with events in Lincoln and Omaha August 4 - 11 including musical performances, story sharing, and artist discussions. For a full event schedule, visit nebraskamusicfest.org.
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Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival: storytelling, artist conversations & “The Seat Beside You” (Read More)
Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival is a celebration of culture through world-class music in Omaha and Lincoln. Taking place August 4-6 in Omaha and Lincoln, on August 5 on the UNL City Campus, the music festival features several free humanities events. 10 am - Storytelling Slam Listen to stories of the festival artists, or share your own. 11 am - Artist Roundtable There are always so many stories behind all the music at Crossroads. Hear the artists’ unique perspectives through an in-depth artist roundtable discussion. Ask questions and get to know the artists and where they – and the music that defines them – are really coming from. 1 pm - "The Seat Beside You" Q&A "The Seat Beside You" is a video created to get to know the unique stories behind the more than 40,000 students who make up Lincoln Public Schools. The video will be screening all day, and this Q&A session will provide space and a forum for discussion. For the full schedule of events and tickets for musical performances, visit https://nebraskamusicfest.org/.
