FREE Courtroom Concert: Laura Caviani, piano & David Milne, saxophone

Hosted by composer Abbie Betinis, our popular Courtroom Concerts take place at noon most Thursdays in the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. This series features accomplished musicians and composers from the Twin Cities and surrounding area, as well as occasional musical newcomers to the area. These one-hour concerts are free and open to the public.

About the Artists

The Minneapolis Star Tribune hailed jazz pianist Laura Caviani’s debut CD, Dreamlife as “…in a word, outstanding”.

As a sideman, Ms. Caviani has recorded and toured with the 2002 Grammy nominee Karrin Allyson (Concord Records) whose band, according to the Wall Street Journal, “…could waltz into any New York nightclub and tear up the joint…”. Ms. Caviani has shared the stage with other greats as Toots Theilemans, Bob Mintzer, and Dave Liebman. Locally, she has recorded with numerous musicians, including Pete Whitman’s Quintet and Xtet, and the jazz orchestra JazzMN, all on the Artegra label. She has also recorded with Twin Cities jazz vocal greats: Lucia Newell, Prudence Johnson, and Voice Trek.

Inn ’97, Caviani received a grant from the Atlantic Center for the Arts to study with renowned pianist and composer JoAnne Brackeen. The following year, she was selected to study in Japan at the Akiyoshidai International Art Village.

As a composer, her commissions include numerous works for jazz ensembles and smaller jazz combos (some of which are currently available through Increase Music and Really Good Music) as well as orchestral works for both the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.

Caviani has both a bachelors of music in Composition from Lawrence University, and a masters of music in Improvisation from The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She has taught at a number of schools, including St. John’s University, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, The University of St. Thomas, and many middle schools in Minneapolis through the “Harman How to Listen Program”, an outreach program co-founded by Wynton Marsalis. Currently, she is on faculty at both Carleton College and St. Olaf College, both located in Northfield, MN.

Saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist David Milne is an accomplished and versatile performer, composer, and arranger in musical settings ranging from creative jazz, modern big band, and progressive popular styles to symphonic/orchestral, chamber music, and contemporary classical styles. Originally from Rochester NY, he earned a DMA in Saxophone Performance at the Eastman School of Music, an MM in Woodwind Performance and a BA in Music from the Indiana University School of Music.  He serves as Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Programs at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he teaches applied saxophone, directs the UW-River Falls Jazz Ensembles, and teaches jazz-related courses. David Milne is a Conn-Selmer Saxophone Artist-Clinician.