The Cedar Presents
THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS Night One: A.P. Looze, Hibah Hassan, Phillip Saint John
January 31, 2025/ Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30 PM
All Ages
Seated
$15 General Admission, $25 Two-Show Pass
This is a seated show with general admission, first-come-first-served seating. The Cedar is happy to reserve seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access page.
General Admission tickets are available online.
Two-Show Pass admits you to both Friday, January 31st and Saturday, February 1st, 2025 Cedar Commissions concerts at The Cedar at a discount! You can find those, here.
ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Cedar Cultural Center presents the fourteenth annual Cedar Commissions, on January 31 and February 1, 2025 featuring all new works by A.P. Looze, Hibah Hassan, John Jamison ll, May Klug, Phillip Saint John, YEEJ.
Each evening, three artists of the 2024-25 cohort will present their commissioned work on The Cedar stage:
Friday, January 31 features A.P. Looze, Hibah Hassan, and Phillip Saint John
Saturday, February 1 features John Jamison ll, May Klug and YEEJ.
THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS
The Cedar Commissions is a celebrated program for local emerging artists made possible by a grant from Jerome Foundation as well as support from New Music USA. Since 2011, the Commissions have showcased new work by over 80 Minnesota-based emerging composers and musicians, including Dessa, Aby Wolf, Ritika Ganguly, Maria Isa, deVon Russell Gray, Joey Van Phillips, Gao Hong, Dameun Strange, Vie Boheme, and many more.The 2024-25 cohort of artists was selected by a diverse committee of Minnesota-based artists, industry professionals, and Cedar staff. The 6 commissioned artists each receive $5,000 to compose at least 30 minutes of new musical work to debut at The Cedar in 2025. Additionally, the cohort receives support from Cedar staff, a designated mentor of their choice, and other guest artists. This year’s cohort embodies what lies at the core of this program: an unwavering commitment to experimentation, artistic growth, and self-expression.
A.P. Looze (they/them): “Prism”
A.P. Looze's deepest inspiration and companion in this particular lifetime of theirs is Love. Looze will derive songs/sonic worlds through a process of channeling the Akashic Record--a sphere of consciousness that holds all unconditional love for our souls. This act of listening to love is the most precious act of surrender, often leading to the taproot of their most impassioned needs and desires. This mysterious and often ineffable realm is the place Looze strives to make Known in an Unknowable Way by way of art. It's less about understanding, and more about learning to hold the unpronounceable feeling that connects us to What Matters Most in our precious lives. Looze wishes to sing this beautiful and holy part of existence wide open--imperfectly, a little haphazardly, with wonder, humility, an earnest passion, and above all, a big 'ol sense of humor. When I offer and listen to love, what will love offer in return? Hopefully...some songs. :) xoxo
To learn more about A.P. Looze:
Hibah Hassan (she/her): “privileged communications”
“Privileged Communications” is a multimedia showcase comprising visual art, poetry, and music, created by Hibah Hassan. Raised in a Muslim household by Pakistani-immigrant parents, often with the buzz of South Asian sound and American Pop music in the background, Hibah’s artistry is defined by a strong passion for storytelling and complex lyricism. Her work is not only reflective of her experiences, but the experiences of her community. In “privileged communications”, a movement in six parts, she sets out to explore the intersection of speech and privilege, where our greatest powers are stifled. A love letter to the parts of speech, the words we don’t express, and the immense power many of us hold; the longing we have for our nostalgia-painted homelands, the sacrifices we make to avoid feeling “othered”, and the experiences that often demand we keep our heads down and work hard. Dedicated to the people who speak out against injustice and are subsequently punished; to all the BIPOC, immigrants, refugees who traded their voices for the promise of freedom; for the people who never had voices to begin with: we will make your words ours.
To learn more about Hibah Hassan:
Phillip Saint John (he/him): “Tribal Community”
Through his social experiences as an emcee and soul singer in the twin cities for a decade, Phillip is bringing together pieces of what he’s learned musically and socially centering community over hyper individual living. Though he is Apache Native American, his upbringing in Hastings, Minnesota came with a lot of social isolation and conditioning about the American dream. With his hometowns water supply currently polluted with chemicals and the shift of music culture due to artists focus on social media and metrics, Phillip is using the skills he’s learned from communal circles such as sound bowls, group harmonization, collaboration with other musicians, meditations & guitar to bridge us back to ourselves in a more symbiotic and inclusive way of life. A life not previously possible for his last four generations.