Founded in 2025 by House of Hope Presbyterian Church, Hope Arts Center is a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the community through accessible, joyful, and innovative arts and wellness programming.
We look forward to all that lies ahead as Hope Arts Center begins this new chapter of service, inspiration, and connection.
First Friday Jazz is a relaxed, social evening inspired by classic jazz clubs—where live music accompanies conversation and community. Friends, neighbors, families, music-lovers, and newcomers of all ages are welcome at this candlelit, nightlife-inspired jazz party.
May 1: Jazz Savvy and guest accordionist Ryan Charles Cihlar perform Café Music from Around the World.
Ryan Charles Cihlar takes his audiences all over the world: a romantic café in Paris, a spirited wurst hall in Germany, a breezy Italian beach. Playing everything from classic European music to Midwestern folk, Ryan will transport you to a different country – or decade – as he breathes new life into beloved classics on his 1950’s Excelsior accordion.
Accessible cover charge: Suggested admission for adults $25
Hope Arts Center presents Osip Nikiforov, piano
Friday, May 15 | 6 p.m.
House of Hope Sanctuary
Free Admission
Exploring the historical connection and stylistic influences between Franz Liszt and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Mr. Nikiforov will present rarely heard gems, including Tchaikovsky’s Piano Pieces, Op. 72, as well as works that are the cornerstone of piano solo repertoire, such as Liszt’s “Dante Sonata.” The program marks Liszt’s 215th birthday and Tchaikovsky’s 185th, offering a fresh perspective on two composers whose musical worlds intersect during the Romantic period.
Siberian-born pianist Osip Nikiforov studied with renowned pianists Alexander Braginsky, Yefim Bronfman, and Jon Kimura Parker and is a Third Prize winner of the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition. He began piano studies with his father at age six and made his orchestral debut at fourteen performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Minnesota Orchestra. Nikiforov has appeared in recital and with orchestras across the United States and internationally, and his performances have been featured on Minnesota Public Radio and Performance Today. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Manhattan School of Music, and Rice University, he joined the piano and keyboard skills faculty at Macalester College in 2025.
Osip Nikiforov is a fiscal year 2026 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
We invite you!
Charrettes: House of Hope Park Engagement and Future Planning
What is a Charrette?
A charrette is a workshop or series of design sessions for community brainstorming —a collaborative, focused, and facilitated planning process where community members, neighbors, designers, and stakeholders come together to share ideas, explore possibilities, and help shape a project.
Save the dates: July 20, August 3, August 17, August 31
Watch for more details coming soon!
Hope Arts Center is delighted to launch Summer in the Park, a new outdoor series bringing the arts, wellness, and community together in the green space of the House of Hope on Portland Avenue, lovingly called “Hippo Park” by neighborhood children.
Enjoy live music in collaboration with Tiny Porch Concerts, family-friendly movie nights, a puppet show, outdoor yoga, and opportunities to be involved in planning for the future renovation of the park. Bring a blanket, invite a friend, and spend a summer evening with neighbors enjoying the arts in a welcoming outdoor setting.
| Tuesday June 2 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Choro Borealis* |
| Tuesday June 16 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Dan Chouinard* |
| Monday, June 29 | 5:30 p.m. | Imagine the Park: Yoga, Music, Food Truck & Park Visioning Activities (FREE) |
| Tuesday, June 30 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Phil Heywood & Tim Sparks* |
| Thursday, July 9 | 7 p.m. | Open Eye Theater Puppet Show: Tucker’s Robot (FREE) |
| Tuesday July 14 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: The High 48s* |
| Tuesday July 28 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Erik Brandt and the Folksingers (featuring members of the Urban Hillbilly Quartet)* |
| Thursday, August 6 | 5 p.m. | Goat Yoga, ages 8 and up (ticketed) |
| Thursday, August 6 | 6 p.m. | Goat Yoga, ages 18 and up (ticketed) |
| Tuesday, August 11 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: OK Factor* |
| Thursday, August 13 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Selby Avenue Brass Band and Thomasina Petrus* |
| Wednesday, August 19 | 6 p.m. | Movie Night: Encanto (FREE) |
| Tuesday, August 25 | 7 p.m. | Tiny Porch Concert: Duo CORDA (Jaqueline Ultan, cello & Pavel Jany, guitar)* |
*Free, with a “pass the hat” invitation to contribute in support of the musicians.
Hope Arts hosted the distinguished musicians of Florestan Chamber Music for a powerful recital of Janáček string quartets. We are delighted to partner with Florestan, reflecting our shared dedication to excellence in performance and deep community engagement. At Hope Arts Center, in partnership with House of Hope, we are committed to creating spaces where music like this can be experienced: intimate settings, distinctive programming, and world-class performances.
Hope Arts Center, House of Hope, and The Singers hosted a Community Sing, inviting community members from across Minnesota and the nation to lift their voices in song, solidarity, and support for Minnesota’s immigrant communities and all those standing together to demand accountability and justice. Partners included Minnesota Chorale, National Lutheran Choir, University of Minnesota School of Music, One Voice, Giving Voice, and Border CrosSing.
This popular series became a program of Hope Arts Center in February 2026, announcing a quarterly lineup of cabaret-inspired events at House of Hope. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the evening of February 6 featured romantic jazz favorites performed by Jazz Savvy, with guest vocalist Charmin Michelle. Friends, neighbors, families, music-lovers, and newcomers of all ages are welcome at this nightlife inspired, candlelit jazz party.
House of Hope and Hope Arts Center were pleased to present a transcendent program that blends chamber music traditions with the syncopated rhythms of Puerto Rican and Caribbean soundscapes. Performed by José Antonio Zayas Cabán, the trio {Trés}, and Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón, the program included a screening of the documentary musical experience Pedacito de Tierra. The concert was followed by a panel moderated by Tom Crann of MPR.
Internationally acclaimed poet Pádraig Ó Tuama presented an intimate evening of poetry in support of the Loft Literary Center. Known for his vivid explorations of language, conflict, belonging, and belief, Ó Tuama is the beloved host of Poetry Unbound and the author of celebrated works across poetry, memoir, and theology. This special event featured readings and a wide-ranging conversation between Ó Tuama and Minnesota Book Award–winning poet and the Loft’s Senior Director of Craft, G.E. Patterson.
With a mission to create “joyful choral communities for people living with dementia and their care partners,” Giving Voice Initiative leads a worldwide movement to bring dementia-friendly choruses to every community. Hope Arts Center hosts a Giving Voice community choir, which culminated in two public concerts at House of Hope on December 6.
Participants from around Minnesota came together to experience writing as a way to heal: sessions included “Writing to Remember, “Music as a Prompt,” and “Writing to Connect.”
Ms. Fleming was featured on House of Hope’s Sunday Series, speaking about her book Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness. Guest panelists included Dr. Michael Georgieff of the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Kathryn Cullen, Head of the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Division at the University of Minnesota, and Eyleen Braaten, Executive Director of Giving Voice, a national movement bringing joy, connection, and purpose to people living with dementia and their care partners. Moderated by Cathy Wurzer of MPR.
As part of Ms. Fleming’s residency, she held a masterclass with resident artists from Minnesota Opera.
House of Hope and Hope Arts Center, in collaboration with Schubert Club, welcomed Renée Fleming for a 3-day residency in September. Ms. Fleming presented a recital “Voice of Nature: the Anthropocene” at the Ordway Concert Hall.
Friends, neighbors, and House of Hope members gathered for a free presentation of Flow, the 2024 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature. Exploring themes of survival, friendship, and climate, Flow is told through music, stunning visuals, and sounds of animals and nature.
Hope Arts Center was delighted to introduce a new friendship with ComMUSICation, a Twin Cities nonprofit dedicated to providing free music education and performance opportunities to youth. In July, House of Hope hosted ComMUSICation’s Summer Gospel Choir Camp.
