Driftless Urban Orchestra

08/16/2026

Looking for Sunday plans? Head over to the Winona Arts Center at 2:30 PM for the fifth installment of their Seven Sundays series!

This week’s gallery exhibit, In Stitches, features work by close friends Mary Lee Eischen and Kim Hammer. Mary Lee’s art quilts explore color and design with machine stitching; Kim Hammer incorporates vintage textiles and hand-stitching on thrifted apparel. Additionally, their long-time friendship is demonstrated in their collaboration on 10 healing art quilts.

To go along with the artwork, a trio from the Driftless Urban Orchestra will be playing live in the gallery from 2:30 to 4:00 PM, featuring music by Debussy, Haydn, Farrenc, Clarke and Doppler. Exhibit opens at 1 with DUO's set starting at 2:30 PM.

Musicians:
• Tara Kelly, flute
• Heidi Bryant, flute
• Rachael Ryan, cello
• Meredith Mihm, piano

Check out a few clips and photos below for a quick preview of the art and music.

Winona Arts Center
Today, 2:30 – 4:00 PM
Cost: Free

Stop by, check out the exhibit, and enjoy some live music. Hope we will see you there!

06/22/2026

📣📣📣 Hey! 📣📣📣

Did you come to our concert last week? If so, check your email for our audience survey! We want to hear your thoughts as we're planning our next season. Hopefully you felt better about it than Finn the cat feels about vet visits.

06/19/2026

One week later and all we can say is THANK YOU to everyone who helped us pack the Nature Place La Crosse last week for our finale concert! We loved performing for you all in such gorgeous venue and are already looking forward to announcing our next season in the coming months.

06/10/2026

Have orchestra, will travel!

Ever wanted chamber music or an orchestra at your special event? DUO is the only pocket sized orchestra around and would love to play for your audience!*

*Sweaty artistic director/mover sometimes included

06/09/2026

The fourth and final composer on Thursday's concert is an ensemble-favorite and recurring collaborator, Kim Osberg!

DUO will be performing "Rocky Summer," originally premiered in 2019 by the Dallas Chamber Symphony, written as a companion piece for Copland's "Appalachian Spring," using the same instrumentation plus a percussionist covering several instruments like marimba, bass drum, suspended cymbal and temple blocks.

Kim describes the piece as an "experience it was based on was simply a fun memory: a hike in the Rocky Mountains gone a bit awry... The ensemble works to create a fully-fledged soundscape of the journey up and down the mountain, leading listeners to what they expect is the peak of the work—only to drop them off somewhere else entirely by the end."

We're so excited to experience all the twists and turns of Kim's hike, though maybe secretly glad ours is a second hand experience 😅

Grab your tickets now for Thursday night at Nature Place La Crosse! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/duo-season-finale

06/08/2026

One of the landmark pieces on Thursday evening programs is Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring."

In their program notes for the Berlin Philharmonic, author Kerstin Schüssler-Bach writes of the ballet: The ballet scenario, in Copland’s words, describes “a celebration of the first settlers in springtime around a newly-built farmhouse in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century.” The main characters are a bride and groom, their neighbors, and a preacher. The eight sections of the suite offer glimpses into the young couple’s life on the farm (and since the story is set in spring, the word spring regains its seasonal meaning after all). Following a serene introduction, we meet the bride and groom. The preacher speaks, square dancing begins, fiddler music enlivens the scene. The most famous section is the penultimate one: the variations on “The Gift to be Simple”, a Shaker melody. The Christian congregation of the Shakers, a Quaker offshoot, was dedicated to industriousness and high education, which made them a wealthy and influential group along the East Coast in the 19th century. Their name derives from the verb to shake, referencing their shaking dance as a form of prayer. This might have inspired Copland to use this simple yet beautiful melody in a ballet. At the end, the couple is left “quiet and strong in their new house.” Over the farmhouse door might well hang a Shaker motto: “Hands to work, hearts to God.” Muted strings play a hymn-like passage, revisiting the opening mood. Just as peacefully as the day began, it draws to a close.

If you want to hear this famous American composition live in La Crosse, get your tickets now at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/duo-season-finale and mark you calendar for Thursday evening at 7PM at the Nature Place La Crosse.

06/08/2026

DUO is excited to be programming Lisa Neher's "Seedling & Branches" on Thursday evening's concert at the Nature Place La Crosse!

With a voice praised as “full and rich” and “especially alive” (OR ArtsWatch), Dr. Lisa Neher’s (b. 1985) ​performance credits include Third Angle New Music, Experiments in Opera, Renegade Opera, and the Portland Opera Chorus. Described as a “supremely talented,” “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), and author of “liquid, impressionist piano writing and fluent melding” of voices (New York Classical Review), Neher’s compositions are inspired by the climate crisis, the tender love of family and friends, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life. Her works have been commissioned and performed by NATS, Cincinnati Song Initiative and Third Angle New Music, among others. She is President of New Wave Opera. www.lisanehermusic.com

Grab tickets now (pay-what-you-can sliding scale) and come hear Dr. Neher's chamber music live in La Crosse: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/duo-season-finale

05/29/2026

We're getting excited! Final pieces are coming together with our volunteers, board members, and performers. You wont want to miss out on this special concert at the Nature Place La Crosse!

Pay-what-you-can tickets even if thats $1! Or $0! We just want your butt in the seat with a friend. Or come solo and make new friends!

Be sure to grab tickets in advance here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/duo-season-finale

05/22/2026

Just under three weeks until we perform at the Nature Place La Crosse!

If you've been meaning to grab tickets for our finale, Driftless Journeys, now's the time. With pay-what-you-can tickets, there's availability for everyone!

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/duo-season-finale

Bring a friend, a mortal enemy, or a frenemy and experience live, local music in a fun space!

Driftless Journeys — DUO's Season Finale at the Nature Place.This is our biggest concert yet! Made possible by generous grants from the City of La Crosse Arts Board and La Crosse County, the Driftless Urban Orchestra is bringing together its largest ensemble ever for an unforgettable evening of mu...