Sacred Heart Music Center

Jazz Night: Kavyesh Kaviraj
2026-03-07 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Sacred Heart Music Center, 201 West 4th Street, Duluth, MN, 55806, United States
Kavyesh Kaviraj is a composer, arranger and pianist living and working in Minnesota. The Twin Cities based musician has worked with several internationally renowned artists, including the likes of Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Justin Robinson, Roosevelt Collier & Steve Cole.
Born in the town of Sohar in Oman to Indian parents, Kavyesh began his musical journey almost immediately, inspired by his family’s rich musical ancestry. After studying music in India, Kavyesh moved to the United States in 2016 to pursue a music education career. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2018, with a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Music.
Kaviraj performs and teaches in the Twin Cities and released “Fables,” his debut album of original work, in 2025.
The Duluth Studio Trio featuring students from the University of Minnesota Duluth will open the night.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Advance E-tickets are available for $25 (plus $3.52 in fees) on Eventbrite HERE. Paper tickets are available for $25 at Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth (plus $1 handling fee) and at Globe News in Superior (cash only). Tickets will be available at the door for $30 (Student rush $5) while supply lasts. Doors at 6. Music at 7.

Blues Night: Cornbread Harris
2026-03-27 19:00 - 22:00
Minnesota music legend Cornbread Harris, age 98, sings and performs his unique brand of blues on piano with a full backing band in a historic night at Sacred Heart Music Center.
Born in Chicago and raised in St. Paul, Harris began entertaining on piano while in the U.S. Army at a World War II recreation center. Following the war, he joined a band led by Augie Garcia, recording Minnesota’s first rock and roll hit “Hi-Yo Silver.” The group famously opened Elvis Presley’s first Twin Cities concert in 1956.
Harris has performed solo jazz and blues piano regularly in Twin Cities nightclubs and bars for decades. He is the father of musician and Grammy-winning producer “Jimmy Jam” Harris.
Biographer Andrea Swensson will discuss her 2024 University of Minnesota Press book Deeper Blues: The Life, Songs, and Salvation of Cornbread Harris prior to the show with Duluth New Tribune arts and entertainment reporter Jay Gabler.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Advance E-tickets will are for $20 (plus $3.18 in fees) on Eventbrite HERE . Paper tickets are available for $20 at Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth (plus $1 handling fee) and at Globe News in Superior (cash only). Tickets will be available at the door for $25 while supply lasts. Doors at 6. Music at 7.

Rachael Kilgour & Zack Baltich
2026-04-11 19:00 - 22:00
2025 McKnight Music Fellowship award winners Rachael Kilgour and Zack Baltich, both Duluth-based artists, collaborate on a special night of music on the beautiful Sacred Heart Music Center altar stage at 7 pm Saturday, April 11.
Singer-songwriter Rachael Kilgour is a confessional poet at heart, her songs set out in pursuit of the universal truths within her own fears, loves and longings. Kilgour’s fourth full length album, My Father Loved Me (2023), was written in memory of her late father. Kilgour has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada and has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Percussionist Zack Baltich creates work to inspire curiosity in the creation of sound; instigate empathy in the form of emotional resonance; and bring satisfaction that comes from long-form music weaving. He has collaborated with Mathew Jazcewski’s Arena Dances, folk band Ginger Bones and superproducer Lazerbeak.
Advance E-tickets will be available for $20 (plus $3.18 in fees) on Eventbrite HERE beginning at 10 a.m Friday, March 6. Paper tickets will be available for $20 at Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth (plus $1 handling fee) and at Globe News in Superior (cash only). Tickets will be available at the door for $25 while supply lasts. Doors at 6. Music at 7.

Sara Thomsen & Peter Mayer
2026-04-24 19:30 - 22:00
Minnesota folk favorites share the beautiful altar stage for a special concert celebrating Earth Day.

Minnesota folk favorites Sara Thomsen and Peter Mayer will celebrate Earth Day with a great double bill on the beautiful Sacred Heart altar stage at 7:30 pm Friday, April 24.
A portion of the ticket proceeds will go to Ecolibrium3, a sustainability non-profit working in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Based in Stillwater, Peter Mayer has produced music full-time for 25 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs for a small planet, songs about life and the mysterious fact of our existence. He also writes about dress hats, pumpkins and pajamas and other important stuff. Peter has 11 albums to his credit and has sold over 100,000 of them to his legions of fans.
Northland singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen has released seven solo albums including her latest “Here and Gone.” She is artist director and member of “Three Altos” and is the founder and artistic director of the Echos for Peace Choir. Her music has been compared to Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Holly Near, filled with passion for love, life, nature and human rights.
Peter and Sara will each perform a set and play together on a few choice songs as we celebrate our planet.
Tickets are $30 in advance (plus $3.85 in fees) and $35 at the door. E-tickets will be available HERE at 10 am Friday, March 20. Paper tickets will be available at Globe News in Superior (cash only) and Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth(plus $1 service fee). Tickets will be available at the door while supply lasts. Doors at 6:30 pm. Music at 7:30.

Duluth Homegrown Music Festival
2026-05-01 19:00 - 22:00
The Duluth Homegrown Music Festival takes over the altar stage with three Twin Ports area bands performing each night May 1-2.
Friday, May 1:
7 p.m. – James Taylor Donskey
8 p.m. – Lee Clark Allen
9 p.m. – Ross Thorn
For ticket information go to the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival website HERE.

Duluth Homegrown Music Festival
2026-05-02 19:00 - 22:00
The Duluth Homegrown Music Festival takes over the altar stage with three Twin Ports area bands performing each night May 1-2.
Saturday, May 2:
7 p.m. – Misisipi Mike & The Plain High Drifters
8 p.m. – Cyr & The Cosmonauts
9 p.m. – Witchfarm
For ticket information go to the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival website HERE.

AICHO Music Festival
2026-05-09 17:00 - 21:00
Music is a profound language that brings together community members, generates medicinal impacts, and has positive impacts throughout an individual’s body. We are excited to have James Harvin, Pink Marlena, Annie Humphrey, and Keith Secola with Geneviève Gros-Louis, who is a world class Native violinist, joining us for our music festival and sharing their gifts with the community.
TICKETS: $35 per person, Gathering Circle Pass – must be purchased before May 8, 2026
$40 per person, Good Life Pass – purchased at the door.
Over the last 30 years, AICHO has been instrumental in providing safety and shelter for people who experience domestic, need permanent supportive housing, as well as offer traditional health and healing programming for residents and community members.
AICHO has been a voice on local, state and national levels particularly for Indigenous people.
Please join us for this spectacular gathering to support the work we are doing in our community.
This event is alcohol and substance free.
Tickets and more information HERE.

Saltydog & Lanue
2026-05-15 19:00 - 22:30
Duluth’s favorite jam band Saltydog and Eau Claire-based Lanue share the beautiful Sacred Heart altar stage with a one-time-only concert at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15.
Saltydog is a funk jam Improvisational exploration that takes the audience & band on a journey through their playfully crafted folk driven tunes inspired by the likes of everyone from The Talking Heads, The Band, those classic country and jam band staples along with everyone in between.
The band spawned on the banks of Duluth’s ice covered stones by brothers Jacob and Owen Mahon. This midwestern psychedelic cowboy review features Calvin (Calzone) Lund, Lefty Johnson, Gavin St. Clair, and Sam Deters.
The group released its third album “Runnin’ Again” earlier this year.
Singer-songwriter Sarah Krueger founded Lanue in Duluth and released a self-titled debut album in 2021. Krueger has a knack for straightforward and earnest songwriting while maintaining a vocal delivery that sits like honey over layers of warm synths, guitars, and percussion. Ranging from confessional to nostalgic, each track is brightened by a lush lift while continuing to rest inside the framework of the folk tradition.
Krueger relocated to her hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and continues to push the Lanue sound forward.
Advance E-tickets will be available for $15 (plus $2.85 in fees) on Eventbrite beginning at 10 a.m Wednesday, April 1 HERE. Paper tickets will be available for $15 at Zenith Bookstore in West Duluth (plus $1 handling fee) and at Globe News in Superior (cash only). Tickets will be available at the door for $20 while supply lasts. Doors at 6. Music at 7.

Music For All, Voices Together
2026-05-21 21:00
Music For All, Voice Together is a fundraiser for the Kako Foundation and the Music Resource Center in Duluth. The event will be held at 6 pm, Thursday, May 21.
The fundraiser will feature music from the Solomon Witherspoon Band, Jon Edwards, Born Too Late, Casino Cuz’O and Jason Schooler Band. Music Resource Center students will also perform.
Admission will be by freewill donation, with a suggested donation of $15 for individuals and $25 for families. Appetizer buffet and cash bar available. Doors at 5:30. Music at 6.

Duluth Dylan Fest Songwriter Contest
2026-05-22 19:00 - 22:00
The Duluth Dylan Fest hosts its annual Singer/Songwriter Contest featuring musicians from all over performing an original song and a Bob Dylan song beginning at 7pm Friday, May 22.
Participants are judged only on their original song and prizes are awarded to the top three artists.
E-tickets are $10 plus a $2.50 service fee on Eventbrite HERE. Tickets will be available at the door for $15. Doors at 6. Music at 7.

The Music of Bob Dylan performed by Dan Israel & Friends
2026-05-23 19:00 - 21:30
Longtime Minnesota singer-songwriter and Bob Dylan aficionado Dan Israel returns to Sacred Heart Music Center for Duluth DylanFest 2026 with an all-star band for this one-time only performance Saturday, May 23.
The band will feature ace guitarist Steve Brantseg (of the Suburbs and Phones), along with bassist Bart Bakker, drummer David J. Russ (also a veteran of numerous Minnesota rock bands) and keys/piano player GR Svenddal. The group will perform a wide range of material spanning Dylan’s amazing career – drawing from classic ’60s albums like “Bringing it All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited” and “Nashville Skyline,” legendary ’70s records like “Blood on the Tracks” and “Desire,” as well as strong material from later-period Dylan albums like “Infidels” and “Oh, Mercy,” and much, much more.
Being big Dylan fans themselves, the group will be playing Bob’s music with dedication, passion and reverence, but also injecting it with their own musical sensibilities.
E-tickets are available for $20 (plus $3.18 in fees) on Eventbrite.com HERE. Paper tickets will be available at Globe News in Superior (cash only) and Zenith Bookstore (plus $1 handling fee) in West Duluth. Tickets will be available at the door for $25. Doors at 6 pm. Music at 7 pm.

Canal String Quartet - Beethoven & Perrault
2026-05-31 15:00 - 16:30
The Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra debuts its Canal String Quartet on the beautiful Sacred Heart altar stage at 3 pm on Sunday, May 31.
The Canal String Quartet blends contemporary storytelling with classical brilliance. Featuring “Exodus,” a three-movement work dedicated to all those forced from their homelands, by local Haitian American composer Jean “Rudy” Perrault. The piece will be paired with the first of Beethoven’s famous “Razumovsky” Quartets.
Don’t miss this timely and important event.
Advance tickets are available HERE. Tickets will be available at the door while supply lasts. Doors at 2 pm. Music at 3.
