Community Calendar

Step into a world of wonder with biologist-turned-photographer Anand Varma as he unlocks the mysteries of nature through cutting-edge photography techniques. Anand captures the invisible behaviors of the natural world, beyond our naked eye. From the life cycle of a honeybee to the lightning-fast hummingbird, his images and videos reveal the hidden worlds that exist just beyond our perception.

Sponsored by KNKX. BIMA is proud to partner once again with Seattle’s Earshot Jazz to as part of the most prestigious jazz festival in the Pacific Northwest. Earshot 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.

The BIMA Annual Within/Earshot Jazz Festival is more than a concert series—it’s a dynamic, living conversation where sound, story, and visual art intersect. For the entire month of October, the 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.

Each artist brings their own unique voice to the festival, honoring jazz’s deep roots and its ever-evolving future. Some lean into poetic, modern grooves that push boundaries and invite reflection; others revive the exuberance of speakeasy-era swing, capturing the spirit of a bygone era. The pulse of Brazilian folk traditions adds rich textures and rhythms, while fresh voices from the Northwest highlight jazz’s ongoing innovation and cultural resonance.

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.

Stage of Fools Written by Joy McCullough Directed by Amy Poisson

A scrappy feminist theater company is about to go under when they receive an offer they can't refuse: has-been 80s action movie star Jake Stone will endow them with more money than they've ever dreamed of, if they'll produce King Lear, with him in the titular role. Never mind that he's an entitled, egotistical blowhard. These women can survive anything for the sake of the theater they love...right?

Evening and matinee performances.

Sponsored by KNKX. Francesco Crosara, the Italian-born jazz pianist composer based in the Northwest, will perform at the Roxy Theater with a high-powered quartet featuring saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev, bassist Osama Afifi and drummer Martk Ivester. Crosara will present original music selections from the critically acclaimed 2024 album CIRCULAR MOTION (Origin/OA2 Records), which was nominated for a Golden Ear Award by Earshot Jazz Magazine. Along with his compositions, expect introspective, energetic, and nuanced arrangements of select jazz standards.

Crosara stands among the European-bred jazz greats, performing over the years with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, Richie Cole, Bobby Shew, Ira Sullivan, Don Menza, Von Freeman, John Heard, Gabe Baltazar, Mayuto Correa, Bruce Forman, Barbara Morrison, Earl Palmer, Lilian Terry, and more. His recordings have featured a multicultural and international array of musicians. He has performed at festivals and venues across the USA, Japan, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy.

Crosara’s original music melds an impressive mix of jazz improvisation, a romantic vein from his classical Conservatory training in Rome, bouncy lyrical expression along with strong Latin influences. His main jazz piano and stylistic influences are Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, and Joe Zawinul.

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.”

Join us for the Puget Sound Wind Ensemble conducted by Gerard Morris.

Join us once a month for Hillman City Sway! Presented in partnership with Black & Tan Hall and Blues Underground. Featuring a swanky evening of local live music, DJ's and dance instructors.

4th Thursday of every month

Doors at 7pm

Mixer and dance lessons 8-9pm

Band plays 9-11pm

All ages welcome until 10 PM! Bar w/ID. Food by Chef Tay.

$15 advanced online tickets, $20 plus service charge at the door

Supported by KNKX. Arturo Sandoval is one of the most dynamic and vivacious live performers of our time. He has been awarded 10 Grammy Awards from 19 nominations; he has also received 6 Billboard Awards and an Emmy Award, the latter for his work on the HBO movie based on his life, For Love or Country, which starred Andy Garcia as Arturo. His two latest Grammy award-winning albums, Dear Diz (Everyday I Think of You) and Tango Como Yo Te Siento are now available worldwide.

In 2022 Arturo released Rhythm & Soul to rave reviews! What the pandemic of 2020 revealed to those who follow Arturo on social media was just how much this man, who at age 72 has seen and done it all, continues to love music and court it with all the eagerness of a love-struck teenager. During the imposed quarantine, when the music business all but stopped, Arturo would share 1-3 new compositions or improvisations to his Facebook and Instagram pages almost daily, revealing an insatiable need to keep creating and communicating. This album is but a mere sampling of his creative output from that time, a collection of new songs written during the shutdown and interpreted by his incredible band once they were able to get back in the studio together.

Sponsored by KNKX. October is Tacoma Arts Month, featuring a wide variety of arts and culture events, programs, and exhibits for all ages all around Tacoma, some of which are free. There is something for everyone to enjoy: music, dance, and theater performances; hands-on experiences; cultural events; visual art exhibits; literary readings; workshops; and film screenings.

All you have to do is choose what you want to enjoy. Take this opportunity to experience something new as we celebrate Tacoma’s cultural community!

Echoes of the Floating World features a striking collection of 18th, 19th and early 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints from the Tacoma Art Museum and others, displayed alongside works by contemporary Northwest artists. This exhibition honors the rich legacy of ukiyo-e while exploring its cultural impact on today’s artistic expressions.

Hours-

Monday CLOSED
Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 10 am – 5 pm
Thursday 10 am – 8 pm
Friday 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 10 am – 5 pm