Jan 13 Tuesday
Supported by KNKX. Award-winning, Hall of Fame Jazz Vocalist Greta Matassa has a new group these days and is featured in many of the areas best jazz clubs and concert venues. The new group features all new material and arrangements with a contemporary jazz bent. Although the songs may be new, there are classics such as George Shearing, Bill Evans, Chick Corea and Dave Brubeck. As well as jazz interpretations of Stevie Wonder, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny and Brazilian composers as well.
As always Greta’s concerts also feature tunes from her 11 recordings and many of the classic jazz standards as well.
In the Pacific Northwest, where she built her career, Greta Matassa wins wide acclaim; 8 times, the readers of Earshot, the Seattle jazz magazine, have voted her the best jazz vocalist in the Northwest, including 2021!
She was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014. Jim Wilke, the Seattle jazz maven and host of the syndicated “Jazz After Hours” radio program, praises her versatility. “She has a fearlessness in approaching material,” Wilke says, “that makes her like an instrumentalist in a jam session.”
Her 40 year career has been a whirlwind of exciting opportunities and experiences. Over the last 20 years she has become established as one of the greatest jazz singers of her time. Working with top jazz musicians in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. In 2016 She was featured with bassist John Clayton’s group in a centennial tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.
Tumble out of bed and stumble to the theater for this delicious workplace revenge comedy from living legend Dolly Parton. Pushed to the boiling point by their sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical boss, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even—a plan that spins wildly and hilariously out of control. Hey, a girl can scheme, can’t she?
Set in the Rolodex era, when shag rugs, pet rocks, and disco were the grooviest things around, this must-see, dance-filled musical is based on the hit 1980 film and features the blockbuster title song—plus a new score of 18 original numbers by Dolly Parton herself. Outrageous, big-hearted, and even a little romantic, 9 to 5: The Musical is about teaming up and getting credit, it’s about kicking butt and taking care of business, and it’s about to put a huge smile on your face.
Sponsored by KNKX. The Irish writer Colm Tóibín grew up in a home where, he once said, there was “a great deal of silence.” He has since made a career of telling stories—clear and human—to the world through his many volumes of fiction and non-fiction, drama, and poetry, including works like the bestselling, critically acclaimed Brooklyn and its sequel Long Island.
Jan 14 Wednesday
Got a big dream of playing the Tiny Desk? Send us a video of you playing one song behind a desk of your choosing. If you win, you'll get to play your very own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour with NPR Music. When you enter the 2026 Tiny Desk Contest, you join a nationwide community of music-makers and creators. Get started on your video now! GET ALL THE DETAILS HERE.
Here's what you do:Create a new video that shows you playing one song you've written.Do it the way you'd perform a Tiny Desk concert: at a desk. (Any desk!)Upload your video to YouTube.Fill out the entry form after it opens at 10 a.m. ET on January 13 and before 11:59 p.m. ET on February 9, 2026.
The winner will:Play a Tiny Desk concert at NPR in Washington, D.C.Be featured on NPR’s All Things ConsideredHeadline NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour
Experience the wild wonder of the holiday season as you traverse through the Mystical Forest where stunning creatures gleam brightly! Here, behold the magical forest train, mystical tree fairies and fantastical unicorns. Embark on a Journey on a Bright Desert Highway and see desert flora and fauna before discovering Marvelous Mammals where spectacular Northwest animals are vividly portrayed in lantern form. Family-favorite Interactive Lanterns are spread throughout the WildLanterns spaces. Let your imagination take flight in the Birds of Paradise zone, swan into this area where magnificent peacocks flaunt their flamboyant plumes and birds of a feather perch on enchanted branches. Finally, embark on a journey Under the Jungle Canopy and spot all the mischievous monkeys hiding in the foliage!
Sponsored by KNKX. Bundle up in your favorite sweater, put on a cozy hat, tie on your skates, and celebrate the season at the annual Oly on Ice, a pop-up ice skating rink in Olympia. As the days grow colder and holiday season begins residents and visitors of Olympia will see a large white tent pop up in Isthmus Park. Enter the tent and prepare to have a blast as you join the group of ice skaters making their way around the rink. The annual Oly on Ice event brings together people of all ages and skill levels for a memorable winter experience.
Supported by KNKX. GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Chris Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world for nearly three decades; he’s collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, including Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and others; he’s topped the jazz charts with numerous albums, earned multiple Gold and Platinum records, performed with symphony orchestras and on prestigious stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House.
In short, Chris Botti really needs no introduction. Yet with his Blue Note Records debut, he’s offering one anyway. Vol.1 is in many ways a fresh start for the trumpeter. Having successfully crossed over from jazz renown to pop stardom, Botti’s first album in more than a decade finds him crossing back, with a small group project focused on acoustic jazz and classic standards.
We are protesting project 2025. TacomaRama marching band will join us for the next 4 years. We will meet each month on the Saturday closest to the 18th each month. Always 10am, always Reconciliation park. Feel loved and supported.