Cafe Europa II with Dan Chouinard

Minnesota public radio presents café europa ii with dan chouinard at the fitzgerald theater on saturday, may 31st at 8:00 p.m. Dan chouinard returns to the fitzgerald theater with the second installment of his musical memoir trilogy café europa, a travelogue for bicycle and accordion. The show comes out of chouinard’s midlife crisis summer spent bicycling europe with tent and accordion. It features a whole gang of his favorite musician friends including maria jette, peter ostroushko, dirk freymuth, josette antomarchi, john munson, the rose ensemble, and the brass messengers, to share an evening of music and storytelling. They’ll explore the musical byways of the old world, from majestic cathedral to street cafe, from crowded train car to raucous bar. Pianist, accordionist and occasional storyteller dan chouinard is a minneapolis native who plays, tours and records regularly with an ever-expanding roster of local and national performers. Dan regularly creates special programs for minnesota public radio which blend storytelling, interview and music. Two recent shows, “cafe europa” (2005) and “mambo italiano” (2006) have been aired on twin cities public televison and broadcast statewide on mpr. He created the acclaimed weekly radio series “the singer’s voice,” broadcast live sunday nights from the dakota jazz club, then in st. Paul, hosting song-laced conversation from the piano with a different singer each week.