LINCOLN SHOWCASE
Festival Stars
Sat. July 26 // 7:30-9:30pm // Sheldon Sculpture Garden–UNL Downtown Campus
Grab your blanket, lawn chair, and favorite drink for our annual Crossroads Showcase—this year in Sheldon Museum of Art’s beautiful Sculpture Garden, the beloved and traditional home of Lincoln's iconic “Jazz in June” series. In it’s first appearance in this new venue, Crossroads and our esteemed co-presenting partner, the Lied Center, are trying something completely new. Come and see!
Enjoy an eclectic evening of music and poetry with festival headliners Dawn of Midi, Layale Chaker and Sarafand, and Kinan Azmeh performing his iconic Suite for Improvisor and Orchestra, along with poetry from the current and former Nebraska State Poet and true Cornhusker wordsmiths Jewel Rodgers and Matt Mason, food trucks, and family activities with our friends from the Asian Community and Cultural Center.
RSVP HERE!
Co-presented by:
Featuring:
Anna Steinhoff
Baroque cellist and viola da gamba specialist Anna Steinhoff returns to the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival for her third appearance, bringing expressive depth and period
Dawn of Midi
Newly reunited after a decade-long hiatus, Dawn of Midi brings their hypnotic, genre-defying minimalism to Crossroads for the first time, performing selections from their groundbreaking
Erik Higgins
Lincoln native and double bassist Erik Higgins is the founder and Artistic Director of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival, where his globally inspired musical vision
Jewel Rodgers
Making her Crossroads debut, Jewel Rodgers brings powerful interdisciplinary artistry as Nebraska’s new State Poet. A TEDx speaker and award-nominated performer, she blends poetry, performance,
John Hadfield
John Hadfield, a Missouri-born composer and percussionist now based in France, returns to Crossroads for his fourth season, bringing a boundary-blurring musical vision shaped by
Kinan Azmeh
Clarinetist, composer, and improviser Kinan Azmeh—this year’s Guest Curator for the 2025 Festival—brings a genre-bending voice shaped by global collaborations and deep musical storytelling. Born
Kyle Miller
Violist Kyle Miller joins Crossroads for the first time, bringing a dynamic career that spans both historical and contemporary performance, including roles with Diderot String
Layale Chaker & Sarafand
Making their Crossroads debut, Sarafand brings the genre-defying music of composer-violinist Layale Chaker to the stage—blending jazz, Arabic maqam, and contemporary classical in a sound
Los Mariachis de la Ciudad Estrella
Los Mariachis de la Ciudad Estrella is Lincoln Public Schools’ All-City Mariachi, featuring students in grades 7–12. Directed by Brett Noser and Leila Zila, the
Matt Mason
Making his Crossroads debut, poet Matt Mason joins the festival to lead writing workshops and perform readings from his award-winning work. A former Nebraska State
Olga Smola
Olga Smola is a founding artist and Executive Director of the Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival. A globally touring violinist and UNO professor, she blends classical,
Véronique Mathieu
Returning for her third appearance at Crossroads, violinist Véronique Mathieu brings dazzling technique and deep musicality to the 2025 Festival. A passionate advocate for contemporary