Oct 09 Friday
Sponsored by KNKX. This festival is more than just a concert series. It is a dynamic, living conversation where sound, story, and visual art intersect. During the Festival, BIMA's Frank Buxton Auditorium transforms into a creative studio, a place where jazz musicians, storytellers, and visual artists come together to explore and celebrate the many facets of jazz. At every show, each artist brings their own unique voice, honoring jazz’s deep roots and its ever-evolving future.
Whether you attend a single event or immerse yourself in the full month-long experience, you’ll discover a vibrant tapestry of music, culture, and storytelling that showcases jazz’s timeless appeal and its power to inspire across generations and communities.
The 2026 line up:🎶Camila Ferrari| Oct 2🎶METTA Quintet | Oct 8🎶Afrocop| Oct 9🎶Jun Iida | Oct 16🎶Greta Matassa Group | Oct 17🎶Jazz with Jim: Great Musicians We All Need to Know | Oct 22🎶Pearl Django | Oct 24Family Day: Jazz Edition | Oct 25
Learn more: https://www.biartmuseum.org/events/within-earshot-jazz-festival/
About Earshot JazzEarshot Jazz dedicates itself year-round to cultivating a vibrant, diverse jazz community—championing artistic innovation, honoring the rich history and integrity of the genre, and fostering meaningful connections between musicians and audiences through the annual Earshot Jazz Festival.
Friday, October 9 at 7 PMSunday, October 11 at 2 PM · Pantages Theater
Wagner · Part II of the Ring CycleDie WalküreWagner's thrilling tale continues.Our historic Ring Cycle rides into its second chapter. Wotan, Brünnhilde, and the Walküren storm the Pantages stage with a powerhouse cast. Fully staged, with an international cast and an orchestra of thirty-nine. die walküre is the second chapter of tacoma opera’s complete ring cycle, the only ring underway in the northwest.
In 1902 New York, anything seemed possible. RAGTIME is a uniquely compelling exploration of America at the turn of the 20th century, weaving together three unforgettable stories: a daring Harlem pianist, a determined Jewish immigrant, and an affluent society woman. Each navigates a changing world, united by courage, compassion, and belief in the promise of the future.
With its Tony Award-winning score blending ragtime, blues, jazz, and show tunes, RAGTIME has been hailed by TIME Magazine as “a triumph for the stage,” and by the International Herald Tribune as “the best musical in twenty years.”
In a production marking our nation’s 250th birthday, this beloved epic musical bursts onto the Village stage, painting a vivid portrait of the people who built this country with hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Winner of the 1938 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece has stood as a timeless pillar of the American stage. Poetic, poignant, and profoundly human, this groundbreaking play invites us to slow down, look closer, and cherish the fleeting beauty of life.
Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok’s Sanctuary City asks the question: In a nation built on the promise of opportunity, how do we determine who benefits? Where once belonging was measured by front‑porch waves and neighborhood gatherings, today it hinges on paperwork and the threat of separation – or possibly far worse.
This event features the second edition release of Paul de Barros’s Jackson Street Jazz After Hours. Published by local press, University of Washington Press, this edition includes new information, not included in the first edition along with new archival photos, a map of key sites, and an expanded discography. Both Paul de Barros and members from University of Washington Press will be on hand to celebrate the launch. Arte Noire, a local Black arts organization, will be selling copies of the book onsite.
Following a talk by the author, Earshot Jazz Festival Resident Artist Sidney Hauser debuts compositions by her stunning “Big Little Band” and selections by Jackson Street artists. Big Little Band is Randy Halberstadt (piano), Kelsey Mines (bass), Adam Kessler (drums), Walter Cano and Mike Mines (trumpet), Beserat Tafesse and Audrey Stangland (trombones), and Sidney Hauser, Alex Dugdale, and Michael Brockman (saxophones).
Don’t miss Sidney Hauser’s other concerts throughout the festival including her band Other Kinds at Southgate Roller Rink on October 16th, and the Sidney Hauser Quartet at Town Hall Forum on October 22nd. Catch Orrin Evans with Ted Poor at The Chapel on October 10th.
Presented in partnership with University of Washington Press and ARTE NOIR
Romanian-born, NYC-based pianist Lucian Ban and violinist Mat Maneri draw from their acclaimed new release Transylvanian Dance (2024, ECM Records) and from NPR Album Of The Year Transylvanian Folk Songs (2020, Sunnyside Records) to reimagine Béla Bartók field recordings of folk songs in a multimedia Transylvanian Dance concert featuring rare archival footage. Presented in partnership with American Romanian Cultural Society (ARCS)
What happens when the deep roots of Scottish tradition meet the energy of a world-class rock band? You get Skerryvore. Three-time winners of Scotland’s Live Act of the Year, this eight-piece band weaves bagpipes, fiddle, accordion, and whistles together with driving guitar, bass, and drums to create a sound that is both ancient and electric. Their 2023 album Tempus debuted at #1 on the Official Scottish Album and UK Folk Album charts and cracked the top 40 of the overall UK charts — with three singles featured on the BBC Radio 2 playlist. Beloved by audiences from Anchorage to Edinburgh, Skerryvore don’t just play a show. They ignite one. Don’t miss this.
Get ready to vibe live with Lamar Lofton and Leifo & dem – an epic night you don’t wanna miss!Hideout Presents ... "Lamar Lofton Presents" ... Leifo & demLeif Totusek (guitar) and Ngoma Numu (drums)Get ready for a night to remember at The Hideout with Lamar Lofton bringing you the freshest vibes! Dive into the sounds of Leifo & dem as they take the stage live. This is an in-person event you won't wanna miss—good music, good energy, and good times all around. Grab your crew and come through for some unforgettable beats and chill vibes!
Oct 10 Saturday
Ottmar Liebert’s global success can be attributed to a myriad of things - his creative vision, his determination, and a strong sense of melody. Born in Cologne, Germany, he began playing guitar at 11. Before the age of 19, Liebert had intended to stay in Germany and pursue a career as a designer and photographer. However, while journeying extensively through Asia and playing with other travelers and local musicians, he realised that he could not escape a life of music. After pursuing his dreams of playing rock music in Boston, he settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe was a fresh start for Liebert in many ways and in addition to returning to the acoustic guitar, he remained open to letting the place define the music he made. It was this openness to the local landscape that defined what was to become his musical style, a mix of Spanish, Mexican and World elements, strong melodies tinged with a shade of melancholy, balanced with upbeat rhythms.
Liebert founded the first incarnation of his band, Luna Negra, in 1989. His debut album began as a self-produced release called Marita: Shadows and Storms, copies of which local Native American artist, Frank Howell, distributed in his art galleries. After the record made its way to radio stations, it began generating a buzz among programmers and received unprecedented response among listeners. Higher Octave Music picked it up and released a fully remastered version, Nouveau Flamenco. Recorded for less than $3,000 on an old analog machine in a shack beside a gravel pit, this CD became an international sensation, establishing Liebert's unique border-style flamenco, and becoming the best-selling instrumental acoustic guitar album of all time.
