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.”

One night. Three comedians. Countless laughs. Join us for a whirlwind of hilarity featuring three distinct comedic styles that will take you from everyday absurdities to unexpected revelations. Whether you love observational humor, storytelling, or lightning-quick wit, this show delivers. Recommended for ages 18+.

When a near-death experience derails her flight through Southeast Alaska, Rose awakens to find herself in the care of the kind man who pulled her to safety. But who is this mysterious stranger? And how is it possible that she survived? As they journey by boat through the darkness and fog, Rose untangles the mysteries of her past, questions the world around her, and comes to an inescapable crossroads. Driven by Tlingit song, dance, and ancestral wisdom, this heartfelt drama honors Indigenous voices and stories that echo across time. Some journeys don’t end at the summit—they reach all the way to the stars.

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.

Milestone celebrations like a 50th Anniversary deserve a little sonic souvenir swag, which longtime loyal fans and newcomers to the Spyro Gyra experience alike can enjoy on Jubilee. With the exception of the vibrant, high-octane (and perfectly titled) new track “50/50” – a riff on the title of the band’s 1997 release 20/20, which marked 20 years and 20 albums – the new collection features 15 songs that capture the band’s ever-expanding palette in its first decade of recording (1978-87). “This set is not only a wonderful way of tying up our first 50 years,” bandleader Jay Beckenstein says, “but also an exciting opportunity for fans, especially those who came on board from later generations, to immerse in our first decade, which represent the founding of our overall sound. I consider the 40 years that followed a refinement of that core aesthetic. This time is when we developed our style and the language we play. It’s when the identity of Spyro Gyra was born. The band has always remained true to the foundation of those initial ten years.”

Spyro Gyra has long been known to its peers in the contemporary jazz world as a “well-oiled road machine” due to its relentless schedule of 51 years of performing. To date, they have logged more than 10,000 shows on six continents and released 36 albums, garnering platinum and gold records along the way. Spyro Gyra rose from humble beginnings in Buffalo, New York in 1974 to their current international prominence in the jazz world. Every year, they continue to exhibit how to remain among a relative handful of artists who will be able to say that they have worked constantly in their 51 year -career into the year 2025. Their energy and joy in concert match their unmatched musicality.

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

Sponsored by KNKX. The 52nd annual Seattle International Film Festival will take place May 7–17, 2026 at SIFF Cinemas and venues throughout the city. The unique feeling of being truly immersed in the world of independent film, sharing the theater with a vibrant community unlike anywhere else.

Discover the SIFF Effect for yourself at the 52nd annual Seattle International Film Festival. You’ll be able to experiment with a lineup of films from over 80 countries, with the power to activate the full spectrum of emotions and sensations. The result is total engagement with film on every level. It’s all happening in person, May 7-17 in the heart of Seattle.

The Seattle International Film Festival will open for an electrifying 52nd year with Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters as the catalyst of the Festival's annual offering of cinema experiences from around the world. The film will be shown at the Paramount Theatre at 7 p.m., followed by the Opening Night afterparty at Cannonball Arts (1930 3rd Ave), a one-of-a-kind space for artistic experimentation. Guests are invited to explore the gallery exhibits, a signature photo activation, food, drinks, and a live set from DJ Eliogold, the artist behind the festival's official trailer music.

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.

LeMay – America’s Car Museum proudly presents The Birth of the American Supercar, a groundbreaking exhibition guest curated by renowned automotive innovator Steve Saleen. This one-of-a-kind display invites guests on an exhilarating journey through the evolution of American supercars. From early speed pioneers to cutting-edge modern marvels, visitors will experience a stunning lineup of vehicles that have redefined engineering, speed, and style, built by a wide range of American automotive manufacturers like Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Saleen himself, and even some more obscure ones like Vector, Cunningham, and Hennessey. From roaring V8s to sleek carbon-fiber bodies, discover how American automakers pushed boundaries, challenged European rivals, and redefined what a supercar could be. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see some of the most thrilling and historically significant American-made performance vehicles ever built—all under one roof.