EVENTS

Kevin Kling and Friends: Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log
Dec
7

Kevin Kling and Friends: Tales from the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log

Kevin Kling, Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin perform their celebrated holiday show, “Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log” at The O’Shaughnessy this year. Joined again by the ever-popular Brass Messengers, the show has been performed every year since 1995 and has become a holiday tradition for many.


Kevin is best known for his popular commentaries on NPR and the PBS series, “Almanac”. His hilarious, often tender stories have delighted audiences around the world. Dan Chouinard is a local musical legend, arranging, performing, and creating programs with the best of the best. Simone Perrin entertains and amazes audiences with a voice that ranges from sublime to comic genius. Add in the musical acrobatics and anarchy of the Brass Messengers for the makings of an evening where everything is planned and then anything can happen. Like the holidays!

 

*ASL Interpretation is planned for this event. We invite you to reach out to the Ticket Office if you are planning or hoping to utilize this service. 
*Patrons who would like to control the volume of their listening experience, assistive listening devices and sensory ear plugs are available upon request at the Ticket Office. More info at: https://oshag.stkate.edu/accessibility
*Patrons can book a wheelchair accessible seat online, but we encourage you to call the Ticket Office if you have any questions during the booking process.

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
8

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
21

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
21

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
22

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
23

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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Bringing in the New Year with Kevin Kling and Jan Lee
Dec
28

Bringing in the New Year with Kevin Kling and Jan Lee

Gather with us amid the warmth of friends, memories, songs and stories at the literary gem of Bayfield. Bring your warm hearts and cold hands and join yarn spinner Kevin Kling and accordianista Jan Lee for an evening of stories and songs specially designed to take off the winter chill.

The holidays are in the rear view mirror and the windshield is scraped for 2025. That time of year we decide which memories we usher ahead and which ones to bid adieu — 

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Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival
Jan
24
to Jan 25

Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival


The 2025 Pike Piddlers Storytelling Festival will take place on January 24th and 25th, 2025. The Friday night performance is $30 at the We Piddle Around Theater and includes dinner. There are three performances on Saturday at the Trojan Center Theater on the Troy University campus in Troy. Weekend ticket packages are $55 and include Friday night supper and stories and all three performances on Saturday. 

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The Amelia Island Festival of Stories & Songs
Jan
30
to Feb 2

The Amelia Island Festival of Stories & Songs

  • Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

The rich tradition of telling stories has been part of humankind as long as there has been language. Today, there has been a renaissance in stories told in a personal, authentic way, bringing people together to remind us of our shared experience.

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The Love Show
Feb
14

The Love Show

When there’s danger all about, that’s when the call goes out: “Here we come to save the day!” And you know that MIGHTY LOVE is on the way!

In a world teaming with Jokers, Riddlers, Penguins and Crime Bosses we say, “Enough is Enough!” It’s time to take off the gloves and the scarf and hat.

Once again, we’ve gathered our terrific team of inter-galactic talent, who by day walk among us as mild-mannered Prudence Johnson, Dan Chouinard, Claudia Schmidt, Dane Stauffer, Bradley Greenwald and Simone Perrin, but by night, specifically Valentine’s Day night, unleash their superpowers of Country (POW!), Opera (ZAP!), Folk (SHING!), Poetry (RELATE!) and the Spoken Word (MEZMERIZE!)

The world needs love more than ever. And it starts here, at The O’Shaughnessy, Earth.

 

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The Love Show
Feb
15

The Love Show

When there’s danger all about, that’s when the call goes out: “Here we come to save the day!” And you know that MIGHTY LOVE is on the way!

In a world teaming with Jokers, Riddlers, Penguins and Crime Bosses we say, “Enough is Enough!” It’s time to take off the gloves and the scarf and hat.

Once again, we’ve gathered our terrific team of inter-galactic talent, who by day walk among us as mild-mannered Prudence Johnson, Dan Chouinard, Claudia Schmidt, Dane Stauffer, Bradley Greenwald and Simone Perrin, but by night, specifically Valentine’s Day night, unleash their superpowers of Country (POW!), Opera (ZAP!), Folk (SHING!), Poetry (RELATE!) and the Spoken Word (MEZMERIZE!)

The world needs love more than ever. And it starts at The Central Lakes Community Performing Arts Center in Brainerd, Minnesota.

 

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The Love Show
Feb
16

The Love Show

Author, playwright, and storyteller-extraordinaire Kevin Kling enlists an all-star cast for an evening all about matters of the heart. When there’s danger all about, that’s when the call goes out: “Here we come to save the day!” And you know that MIGHTY LOVE is on the way!

In a world teaming with Jokers, Riddlers, Penguins and Crime Bosses we say, “Enough is Enough!” It’s time to take off the gloves and the scarf and hat.

Once again, we’ve gathered our terrific team of inter-galactic talent, who by day walk among us as mild-mannered Prudence Johnson, Dan Chouinard, Claudia Schmidt, Dane Stauffer, Bradley Greenwald and Simone Perrin, but by night, unleash their superpowers of Country (POW!), Opera (ZAP!), Folk (SHING!), Poetry (RELATE!) and the Spoken Word (MESMERIZE!)

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Invisible Fences
Mar
6
to Mar 15

Invisible Fences

The Largroff (Gaelynn Lea) is a platypus who was born with a spontaneous genetic mutation that caused her to sprout wings, horns and a snout. The Grasshopper (Kevin Kling) lost two of his limbs as a nymph, and is on a quest to get to the city for a peaceful retirement. Together this unlikely pair embarks on a journey where they come face-to-face with different worlds, dangers and dreams. This musical play touches on identity, disability and the stories we tell ourselves. Featuring Kling’s signature poetic word-play, and an array of captivating songs, written and sung by Lea, who plays her violin accompanied on guitar by Jeremy Ylvisaker.

This production blends their internationally-renowned skills in music and storytelling to create an intimate show that is rich in the wit and wisdom inherent in Disability Culture. After co-commissioning INVISIBLE FENCES last summer for a sold out run, we’re excited to bring it back for a two-week engagement!

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Christmas on the Prairie
Dec
1

Christmas on the Prairie

Featuring Boyd Lee, Aimée Lee, Mary Jane Alm and acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling

Back again, some of your very favorite Minnesota musicians get together for a very special holiday collaboration! It’s a not-to-be-missed cornucopia of Christmas conviviality featuring singers extraordinaire Mary Jane Alm, Aimée Lee and Boyd Lee, Prairie Home Companion regulars Richard Kriehn, Gary Raynor, Joe Savage and Peter Johnson, plus this year’s very special guest, Minnesota’s acclaimed storyteller Kevin Kling. Don’t miss it!

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INVISIBLE FENCES
Nov
7
to Nov 23

INVISIBLE FENCES

Singer-songwriter Gaelynn Lea and storyteller-playwright Kevin Kling combine their talents in an original musical fable, which weaves together storytelling and song to create a unique theatrical experience. This production blends their internationally-renowned skills in music and storytelling to create an intimate show that is rich in the wit and wisdom inherent in Disability Culture.

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An Evening with Kevin Kling
Oct
16

An Evening with Kevin Kling

  • SDSU University Student Union Volstorff (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

One-Night Only Performance. Award winning storyteller, playwright, actor, and author Kevin Kling has been called a Minnesota state treasure. His work is infused with an innate sense of humor and reflects the life challenges he has surmounted, including a congenital birth disorder and partial paralysis from a near-fatal motorcycle accident.

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Cave Run Storytelling Festival
Sep
27
to Sep 28

Cave Run Storytelling Festival

Join America’s most beloved storytellers in a beautiful mountain lakeside setting surrounded by a vibrant palette of fall colors. These talented artists will take you away to other times and places through the art of storytelling. Stories are told in large tents on the shore of Cave Run Lake at Twin Knobs Recreation Area in the Daniel Boone National Forest, located eight miles west of Morehead, Kentucky.

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Timpanogos Storytelling Festival
Sep
5
to Sep 7

Timpanogos Storytelling Festival

  • 3003 Thanksgiving Way Lehi, UT, 84043 United States (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Kevin Kling will perform at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. The Festival offers a wide variety of storytellers, musicians, puppeteers, magicians, entertainers, and potters. More info coming soon!

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Fest Du Nord Family Music Festival 2024
Aug
30
to Sep 1

Fest Du Nord Family Music Festival 2024

  • YMCA Camp du Nord (3606 N Arm Rd, Ely, MN) Ely, MN (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join us at Camp du Nord on Burntside Lake this Labor Day Weekend for a series of outdoor concerts!

Bring a blanket or lawn chairs and snacks for the family! Food from Wilderness Woodfire Pizza and Buns To Go, beer from @
Bent Paddle Brewing Co., and musician merchandise available for purchase.

Please leave pets, alcohol, tobacco, and vapes at home.

Day and Weekend passes are available at festdunord2024.brownpapertickets.com.

Cabins and tent sites at at du Nord are sold out for the weekend.

Friday, August 30
6:30 p.m. - Roe Family Singers

Saturday, August 31

3:00 – Pine & Fire
4:00 – Gaelynn Lea
5:00 – Laamar
6:00 – Koo Koo

7:30 - Storytelling with Kevin Kling

Sunday, September 1
3:00 – Mississippi Hot Club
4:00 – Chris Koza
5:00 – Molly Brandt
6:00 – Little Fevers

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T. Mychael Rambo & Kevin Kling – An Evening Of Songs & Stories
Aug
26

T. Mychael Rambo & Kevin Kling – An Evening Of Songs & Stories

A unique and entertaining evening with two of the Twin Cities’ truly tried and tested showmen. T. Mychael and Kevin have shared local stages for decades. Their friendship hit the ground running, bonded by growing up with brothers, the glitz and glamour of showbiz, and a love of community, faith and healing. From this rich trove, they have created an evening of songs and stories forged in irony, humor, heart and soul.

Kevin Kling became nationally recognized for his popular commentaries on NationalPublic Radio’s All Things Considered and regular appearances on TPT’s Almanac. Regional audiences have enjoyed his long-running annual Tales From the Charred Underbelly of the Yule Log and The Love Show. Additionally, his recent hit play Invisible Fences (with musician Gaelynn Lea) won the 2016 Tiny Desk Concert contest. Also, that play returns to Minnesota at the Zeitgeist stage in Duluth in November 2024. He is currently writing a new theatrical piece with polar explorer Will Steger.

Both Kevin and T. Mychael performed in the Minnesota Orchestra’s “Home for the Holidays”, featuring Kevin’s story of the same name. Further, Kevin has written five books and has received the Whiting Award, NEA Grant and Minnesota State Arts Board funding. Additionally, he has received the McKnight Award and Bush Fellowship. In 2014 Kevin was named the Minneapolis Storyteller Laureate by Mayor RT Rybak.

T. Mychael Rambo is a long-standing pillar of the Twin Cities arts community. He is a three-time Emmy-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer.

T. Mychael has made an indelible mark in the Twin Cities. To that end, he has performed principal roles at such theaters as the Guthrie, Ordway Theatre and Illusion Theatre. He also regularly appears at Mixed Blood, Park Square Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Children’s Theatre and Minnesota Opera.

Recommended for Fans of Luther Vandross, Garrison Keillor, Marvin Gaye and Al Green.

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Richard Kriehn & Kevin Kling
Aug
23

Richard Kriehn & Kevin Kling

Stories. How do they come to be? And more importantly, how do they come alive? Do we remember things exactly as they were? Or rather, when telling our stories does a sprinkling of romance, humor and idealism of our past come into play? Whatever it is and wherever it comes from, Kevin Kling has his hooks in it! With his keen and thoughtful delivery, images and emotions flow freely through his words straight into your heart. A master at weaving joy, sorrow and a truthful reminiscence of how life used to be, Kevin guides you through every feeling you can imagine, a few short moments at a time. Be prepared to get lost in your own memories of childhood, coming of age, and life as we know it in Minnesota! Combine all of that with a few musical interludes, intros and outros by THE BEST mandolin player alive, Richard Kriehn, and you will be assured a night to remember...

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Back in Orange & Black
Aug
19

Back in Orange & Black

Osseo Cross Country Alumni Presents its annual “Back in Orange & Black" concert featuring Kevin Kling and James Hersch. Event fundraiser is free and open to the public.

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Story & Song from Mallard Island
Aug
2

Story & Song from Mallard Island

Open Range Concerts Up North and the Oberholtzer Foundation present artists Kevin Kling, Darcy Sullivan, Dan Chouinard, Prudence Johnson & Randy Sabien for a night of stories, songs and laughs from Mallard Island.

Made possible through support from the Marshall N. Knudson Family Community Fund.

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FREE MASTER CLASSES
Jul
31

FREE MASTER CLASSES

We are offering FREE master classes on Mallard Island on July 31 with violin wizard Randy Sabien, master storyteller Kevin Kling, pianist and song leader Dan Chouinard and Soul Collage with Marian Moore. Keep reading for more information. Registration is limited and preference will be given to local residents.

MALLARD ISLAND MASTER CLASSES July 31 (or August 1 in case of bad weather)All classes will take place on Mallard Island in Rainy Lake. Pick up and drop off will be at Tilson Bay public landing.


All classes are FREE thanks to the support of the Marshall N Knudson Family Community Fund and the Oberholtzer Foundation, but participants are welcome to leave a donation to help pay the teaching artists.


For registration or questions, send an email to mallardmasterclass@gmail.com. Please include Name, Phone, class of interest. You’ll be contacted with more information. Class sizes will be limited by the capacity of the Mallard Island pontoon boat and the size of the teaching spaces. Classes are geared for adults but younger people may inquire.

9:30-11am—Randy Sabien, Violin Workshop. Randy created the String Department at Berklee School of Music in Boston and headed that dept. at McNally Smith College of Music for several years. He has given violin workshops all over the world, touching on fiddle, jazz and blues techniques. 11-11:30 tour of island back to landing by noon


10-11:30—Marian Moore, Soul Collage Marian works with groups and individuals as a facilitator and coach in the fields of philanthropy and social justice. Soul Collage is an art-based path to self-discovery and beautiful Mallard Island is the perfect setting. 11:30-12 tour of island back to landing by 12:30


1:30-3:00pm-- Dan Chouinard, Why We Sing. Besides being one of the most sought-after accompanists/collaborators in the Twin Cities, Dan leads several community sing alongs on a regular basis. A little history, a little philosophy, a LOT of singing. 3-3:30 tour, back to landing by 4


2-3:30 Kevin Kling, The Power of Story. World famous storyteller, author and playwright Kevin Kling has gathered tall tales and legends from all over the world and woven them into hilarious and poignant stories from his own life and experience. Spend some time at the foot of the Master. 3:30- 4 tour back to landing by 4:30

A free concert featuring these artists will take place on August 2nd, 7pm presented by Open Range Concerts Up North at Faith United Church.

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"I Like This Town" (Copy)
Jun
23

"I Like This Town" (Copy)

"I Like This Town" is a project created to honor our small towns. The brain child of Minnesota’s own Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner, the collaboration also features internationally renowned Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling. Join us for an evening of original songs by Vezner and stories by Kling, accompanied by Pat Frederick of the Daisy Dillman Band. Come and join us for a journey to rural America.

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"I Like This Town"
Jun
21

"I Like This Town"

"I Like This Town" is a project created to honor our small towns. The brain child of Minnesota’s own Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jon Vezner, the collaboration also features internationally renowned Minnesota storyteller Kevin Kling. Join us for an evening of original songs by Vezner and stories by Kling, accompanied by Pat Frederick of the Daisy Dillman Band. Come and join us for a journey to rural America.

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A View From The Rooftop: Summer in the City w/Kevin Kling, Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin
Jun
6

A View From The Rooftop: Summer in the City w/Kevin Kling, Dan Chouinard and Simone Perrin

For many of us who live in the city, there is the warmth of homecoming when we see the skyline. Then add in summer evenings rich with lilacs, barbecue, cicadas, a ball game, laughter, a kid learning the saxophone. The city forms its own music and, when taken in all at once — say from a rooftop — it’s a symphony for the senses. Join Kevin, Dan, and Simone as we celebrate this jewel on the prairie.

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Kevin Kling & Simone Perrin
Jun
1

Kevin Kling & Simone Perrin

Renowned storyteller Kevin Kling is joined by theater actress, composer, vocalist, and accordionista Simone Perrin, who has been featured on A Prairie Home Companion. Kling and Perrin frequently collaborate to create a performance that covers a range of humor, tenderness, and music.

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Shoals Storytelling Festival
May
16
to May 18

Shoals Storytelling Festival

The Shoals Storytelling Festival, listed as a Top Twenty Events in the Southeast, began in 2011 as the Front Porch Storytelling Festival, was originally hosted on the campus of the University of North Alabama (UNA) in Florence, a city on the banks of the Tennessee River in northwestern Alabama.

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Kevin Kling & Victor Zupanc Celebrate Mother's Day
May
11

Kevin Kling & Victor Zupanc Celebrate Mother's Day

Looking to celebrate this Mother’s Day? Come on down to Crooners on Saturday, May 11th. Whether you are a mother, or are married to one, or know, or have, or have had one, this is the show for you. Victor and Kevin are back under the big top for an early evening of stories, poems and songs that celebrate those who fed and wiped and everything in between. Come and share a laugh, maybe a tear, and don’t worry, it’s not a school night. What do you and Einstein, Gandhi, Taylor Swift and Queen Victoria have in common? Mothers.

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