Community Calendar

Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.

His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.

Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”

Mozart Requiem and Golijov Oceana
with Auburn Symphony Orchestra

We join Auburn Symphony Orchestra and conductor Wesley Schulz to perform two masterworks: Mozart’s Requiem and Osvaldo Golijov’s hypnotic Oceana. Oceana sets the poetry of Pablo Neruda to music that melds J.S. Bach with South American Rhythms. With chorus, chamber orchestra, guitars, harp, and a Brazilian jazz vocalist, Golijov invokes the ocean with stunning effect. Mozart’s Requiem is a timeless journey from darkness toward light and resolution.

Together, these works will take you on a profound exploration of the unknown.

MOZART REQUIEM SOLOISTS
Tess Altiveros, soprano
Sarah Larsen, mezzo
Katherine Goforth, tenor
Zachary Lenox, bass

GOLIJOV OCEANA SOLOISTS
Alicia Olatuja, jazz vocalist
Michael Partington and Michael Nicolella, guitars

In person: Saturday, May 2, 2026 ‐ 7:30pm
Seattle First Baptist Church - Harvard & Seneca, Seattle
pre-concert conversation at 7pm

Additional performance will take place Sunday, May 3, 2026 at the Federal Way Performing Arts Center; tickets available through Auburn Symphony Orchestra.

Ohhh those summer nights! From its earliest performance in a Chicago nightclub through its record-breaking Broadway run and hit feature film, Grease has remained one of the world’s most popular musicals. Featuring the many hit songs that became the soundtrack of a generation, like “Greased Lightnin’,” “Alone at the Drive-in Movie,” and “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” this 1950s pop culture satire is filled to the brim with grit, glam, and youthful exuberance.

In roles made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive their sizzling summer fling as the Burger Palace Boys and Pink Ladies of Rydell High’s senior class navigate the peer pressures and social politics of high school in the 1950s. Directed and choreographed by Lisa Shriver (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), this production of Grease promises nonstop, nostalgic, hydromatic fun. So throw on a poodle skirt, dust off that leather jacket, and rediscover the show that’s been winning hearts for generations!

Disney’s Newsies JR. is a 60-minute version of the 2012 Broadway musical, based on the 1992 film. Inspired by the rousing true story of newsboys in turn-of-the-century New York City, Newsies JR. features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein.

When powerful newspaper publishers raise prices at the newsboys’ expense, the charismatic Jack Kelly rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions. Together, the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what’s right.

Including the now-classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies JR. is a timeless story full of spirit and heart. – Music Theatre International 

Midway through his 400 year existence, Orlando — an Elizabethan nobleman who feels equally at home crafting poetry or out on the hunt — wakes one day to find herself transformed into a woman. Through Virginia Woolf’s hilarious romp of a biography which shatters the barrier between fiction and non-fiction, adapter Jesse Belle-Jones explores the fluidity of time, gender, love, and nature where the only thing constant is change.
Directed and choreographed by Alyza DelPan-Monley, and featuring Alexa Perplexa, Anya Knees, Ash Midnight, Lavender Lascivious, Lío Moonflower, Marnie Wingett, Merlot Loren, Ramona Rhapsody, Sailor St. Claire, and Verity Germaine.

California Transit Authority (CTA) is the powerhouse brainchild of legendary drummer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Danny Seraphine, co-founder of the iconic band Chicago. As the original backbone of Chicago’s rhythm section, Danny spent 23 years shaping the band’s signature sound—anchoring its rise to stardom and helping lead its celebrated comeback in the ’80s. After parting ways with Chicago in 1990, Danny returned to the spotlight in 2007 to answer a call from fans hungry for the explosive, horn-driven sound that once captivated Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra will be presenting its 2026 Music Festival this year from April 5 to May 8. There will be many great artists performing throughout Tacoma and Puyallup and most of the performances and workshops will be free to attend. See the complete lineup here.

KNKX hosts two performances on Friday, April 24 in our Tacoma studios on Broadway:

4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. - The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra with visiting French Artists
6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. - Brazilian jazz with pianist Cassio Vianna

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Washington State Historical Society invites you to explore the history of building the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.

Discover the bold ideas and architectural ingenuity that shaped the museum’s distinctive look. From early sketches to final blueprints, see how the building’s design reflects both innovation and reverence for Washington’s past. Go behind the scenes of the museum’s construction. Through photographs and artifacts from the building process, witness how a dream took shape—brick by brick, beam by beam.

Staff Picks: 30 Objects for 30 Years

In a special feature area, museum staff share their favorite objects from the collection—each one a personal reflection on the power of history to inspire, surprise, and connect us.

Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music unveils the profound legacy of Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul artists who shaped the soundscape of American culture and used their music as instruments of resistance, identity, and representation.

Gospel, Blues, Jazz, and Soul embody the profound influence of African American music on culture and history. From the spiritual foundations and transformative movements of Gospel hymns to the revolutionary improvisations of Jazz, the Blues’ Southern roots rising from the Mississippi Delta, and Soul’s powerful amplification of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, these genres have defined the unique sound and undying spirit of a nation that continues to echo through contemporary Black music today.

This is a permanent exhibition. Since time immemorial, Tribal nations have existed in this place we call Washington. This Is Native Land invites visitors to understand Washington State through the lived experiences and voices of its Native people.

Tribal nations are sovereign nations. Today, Native history, culture, and community thrive in our state. Through everyday acts of sovereignty – big and small – Indigenous peoples demonstrate they are still here, they have persevered, and they will always be here.

This Is Native Land is guided by three teachings:
We are of the land and waters
With knowledge comes responsibility
Sovereignty protects people, lands, and waters

These teachings are shared through multimedia, artwork, and interactive objects designed for guest engagement. They represent a contemporary continuation of Tribal stories and traditions.

Over 100 Native contributors from more than 60 Tribes shaped the exhibition’s stories and content. We thank the Native Advisory Committee and all community participants for their contributions.