Community Calendar

Sponsored by KNKX. Escape to the Reel World at the 51st Seattle International Film Festival. Celebrate independent cinema as a destination with screenings in person May 15–25 at venues across Seattle, and extend your vacation with select encores streaming on the SIFF Channel May 26–June 1.

Today’s SIFF is the culmination of over half a century’s dedication to bringing independent and international cinema to Seattle audiences. In 2024, we celebrated our 50th anniversary with the release of our virtual SIFF Archives, and we dropped this timeline for all you history buffs out there. Innumerable thanks to everyone who’s come to screenings, volunteered their time, and partied with us over the years. Our community of film-lovers is the reason we’ve kept SIFF going, and your dedication to the arts is what’s made that possible.

Opening Night Film and Party, May 15, 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre: The Irish film Four Mothers is written and directed by Darren Thornton (SIFF 2017’s A Date for Mad Mary), a humorous and tender Irish charmer about a gay YA novelist (James McArdle, “Mare of Easttown”) who must look after four aging women left in his care. The After-Party is at 9:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre and outside on 9th Avenue.

Closing Night Film and Party, May 24, 6 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Downtown: Eva Victor (“Billions”) writes, directs, and stars in Sorry, Baby, a nonlinear, seriocomic story about a melancholic English professor’s complicated path toward healing in the aftermath of an all-too-common tragedy. Winner of the Sundance 2025 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Director, writer, and star Eva Victor scheduled to attend. The Closing Night Party begins at 8 p.m. at MOHAI.

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.

Supported by KNKX. Shemekia Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. The multi-GRAMMY nominee is beloved and honored worldwide for the fearlessness, honesty and humor of her revelatory songs, as well as for her winning, engaging personality. The Chicago Tribune says, “Copeland is the greatest female blues vocalist working today. There’s no mistaking the majesty of her instrument, nor the ferocity of her delivery.”

On Copeland’s new album, Blame It On Eve, the songs all hit hard, with jaw-dropping performances that instantly take hold and command repeated listening. “There’s serious business on the new album,” Copeland says, “but there are a lot of smiles here too, a lot of joyous moments. It’s my blues for sure but it’s the brighter side. Issues are always important to me, but so is rocking, dancing and just having fun. And that’s something we all can all agree on.”

Sponsored by KNKX. A plant scientist, microbiologist, and ecologist, Merlin Sheldrake has dedicated his scientific career to the relationship between humans and “more-than-human” organisms. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, has been recognized by BBC, TIME, and more, and has been heralded as dazzling, eye-opening, inspiring, and a ground-breaking account of the extraordinarily strange world of mushrooms.

Ernesto Nazareth and Astor Piazzolla are two of the most celebrated and recognized composers of Choro and Tango, respectively, and also great innovators within their genres.

The Piano Starts Here series highlights the work of some of the most prolific and talented composers and pianists to have ever tackled the instrument. Each of the performances brings together Seattle’s finest pianists to perform the works of the artist selected for that evening on the Royal Room’s Steinway B grand piano. Past PSH performances have highlighted the work of Sonny Clark, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Sun Ra, Annette Peacock, Bill Evans, Mary-Lou Williams, Fats Waller, Herbie Hancock, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Nichols, and countless others.

Curated by Wayne Horvitz and Alex Guilbert. Hosted by Alex Guilbert.

The music of Ernesto Nazareth/Astor Piazzolla
Performers:

Eric Verlinde
Nelda Swiggett
Ann Reynolds
Jovino Santos-Neto
Alex Guilbert(host)

Just in case you aren’t familiar with Béla Fleck there are many who say he’s the premiere banjo player in the world. Others claim that Fleck has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo. His remarkable career has taken him all over the musical map in a wide range of solo projects and collaborations.

An eighteen-time Grammy winner, Fleck has the virtuosic, jazz-to-classical ingenuity of an iconic instrumentalist and composer with bluegrass roots. Also, he writes concertos for full symphony orchestra, exploring the banjo’s African roots. Then, he collaborates with Indian musical royalty Zakir Hussain and Rakesh Churasia with Edgar Meyer.

Edmar Castañeda was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category “Best Latin Jazz Album” with his album Family. Castañeda’s performance can be heard in Disney’s 2021 film, Encanto, which features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Castañeda acts on the soundtrack and serves as a music consultant on Encanto.

Born in Mexico City, four-time Grammy winner Antonio Sanchez began playing the drums at age five. Then, he performed professionally in his early teens in Mexico’s rock, jazz and Latin scenes.

Sponsored by KNKX. The 54th Annual Northwest Folklife Festival will include programming that includes music, dance, spoken word, visual arts, films, participatory dances, and workshops spanning over 20 stages for an anticipated audience of over 200,000. This year's Cultural Focus is Ikigai. Derived from the Japanese words "Iki" (life) and "Gai" (worth living), Ikigai invites us to embrace an intuitive journey, one that encourages us to navigate life’s complexities and, eventually, challenging us to find and embrace our true purpose, considering both intimate and social dimensions of life. It's about showing up authentically, trusting the process, and allowing your purpose to come into view, often when you least expect it. KNKX presents a music showcase on Monday, May 26 from 4:15-6:15 p.m. on the Mural Stage featuring performances by Pak and the Lolos and our good friends, Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints. Stop by our booth that day next to the Mural Stage from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. More information here.

The first-ever Seattle Black Nerd Festival presented by LANGSTON arrives just in time for Memorial Day weekend! For two days, we’re transforming the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute into a cosmic portal of joy, growth, connection, and unapologetic nerding out over our favorite books, comics, games, films, anime, and more.

The theme for the inaugural year is Cosmic Grapevines, inspired by all of us shaping change as Cosmic Grapevine Sowers–the cultivators of empathy, adaptability, and free Black radical imagination. Costumes and inspired attire are encouraged!

Presented by KNKX. DUENDE LIBRE celebrates the connections between jazz and music from Cuba, Brazil, and the Mediterranean. Their stewardship is a natural continuation of decades of dedicated apprenticeship with master musicians from around the world. DUENDE LIBRE's empathic on-stage chemistry, formed through years of performing, touring, and recording together, sets the band apart along with their eclectic sonic palette.

The trio will celebrate the release of a new album featuring original compositions by pianist and bandleader Alex Chadsey on June 7 at The Triple Door in Seattle along with special guests. The new album (their fourth) finds the trio further expanding their sonic palette while exploring universal human themes of vulnerability, loss, and hope.

Presented by KNKX. Curtis Stigers burst onto the recording scene in 1991 with his eponymously-titled debut album, which sold 1.5 million copies and spawned several self-penned, pop/soul hit singles, including “You’re All That Matters To Me”, “Never Saw A Miracle” and the worldwide top-ten hit, “I Wonder Why.” The next year the singer/songwriter/saxophonist recorded Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” for “The Bodyguard” soundtrack, which has sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Stigers recorded two more pop-oriented albums in the 1990s and made guest appearances on several albums, including two by his early musical mentor, the legendary jazz pianist Gene Harris. In 2001 Stigers pivoted artistically and signed with Concord Jazz. Over the next 18 years he recorded nine genre-busting albums, combining his jazz sensibilities with his love for emotional, well-written modern songs from a wide variety of sources including rock, blues, soul, country and folk. During this period Stigers co-wrote and sang “This Life”, the Emmy Award-nominated theme song to the wildly popular TV show “Sons Of Anarchy”, and also made cameo appearances in the Seth MacFarlane movies “Ted” and “Ted 2”. All the while, Stigers was cultivating a successful and enduring touring career, playing concerts around the world, performing songs from his jazz albums as well as newly reconstructed “jazz” versions of his hit songs from his early pop albums.

Then 2020 and the Pandemic arrived, and with it a whole new artistic reality. Sidelined at home in Idaho with his wife and four very cute dogs, Stigers, in an attempt to continue to make music and stay in touch with his fans, created a weekly internet livestream show called “Songs From My Kitchen”. The show featured Stigers playing songs in his kitchen, surrounded by his dogs, who didn’t hesitate to whine or wrestle or bark during a performance, especially if the mailman showed up. The freedom of playing solo with only his voice and his guitar allowed Curtis to rediscover some of his older material, songs from his albums and songs previously unrecorded, all in an unplugged, impromptu setting. Additionally, he covered songs by other artists and writers he admired, just for the musical joy of it. It was also a chance for him to hone his acoustic guitar playing, a skill he’d previously used primarily as a tool for songwriting, not performing. “Being stuck at home allowed me the chance to challenge myself and to grow as an artist. I even taught myself how to edit video so I could make homemade clips for the show. It was one of the most creative periods of my life, that strange, isolated year and a half.”

The new Curtis Stigers album “Songs From My Kitchen, Volume 1” is a look back at that time and those more than fifty livestream shows, and also a look ahead to the current and future Curtis Stigers, singer/songwriter and connoiseur of great songs. This is his 14th studio album, and it’s a stripped-down, acoustic affair, with intimate performances of songs Stigers has written, rediscovered, or covered. “Some of the original songs are relatively new and some are many years old and only now getting a chance to be heard and sung. I like to think I curated this album as much as I created it.”

Sponsored by KNKX. Mainstage concerts in McCurdy Pavilion, MC'd by KNKX's Abe Beeson - plus stop by our table under the Centrum tent on Saturday, July 26 and pick up some cool KNKX swag.

FRIDAY MAINSTAGE CONCERT
McCurdy Pavilion
Friday, July 25 7:30 p.m.

Matt Wilson’s ‘Good Trouble’: Igniting a New Jazz Revolution
Anisha Rush, Jeff Lederer, Ben Allison, and Dawn Clement
Introducing Camila Meza

Celebrating the Artistry of Buster Williams:
This is not just a performance, it’s a statement, a celebration of his artistry, and a testament to his enduring influence. George Colligan

SATURDAY AFTERNOON MAINSTAGE CONCERT
McCurdy Pavilion
Saturday, July 26 1:30 p.m.

Bebop Brilliance: Baritone and Trumpet in Harmony
Gary Smulyan, baritone sax
Jay Thomas, trumpet
George Cables, piano
Michael Glynn, bass
Quincy Davis, drums
Chuck Easton, guitar

Saturday Soliloquy
Featuring Helen Sung

Christine Jensen and the Centrum All Star Big Band Featuring Ingrid Jensen
Where innovation meets the heart of music

SATURDAY EVENING MAINSTAGE CONCERT
McCurdy Pavilion
Saturday, July 26 7:30 p.m.

Organ Odyssey, A Rhythmic Revival: Pat Bianchi Organ Trio
Pat Bianchi, organ
Steve Kovalcheck, guitar
Jim White, drums

Perfect Pairings: Tunes, Twos, and Grooves, a Set of Duos:
Dawn Clement, Johnaye Kendrick, Shane Endsley, Steve Kovalecheck, Sara Gazarek, and more…

Säje Takes the Stäge
Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage

Plus Jazz in the Clubs at Fort Worden venues - Wednesday, July 23 from 8 to 10:30 p.m.

GoGo Penguin, the Manchester trio who inspirationally blend jazz, classical and electronic influences, return with a powerful new album, Necessary Fictions, which finds pianist, Chris Illingworth; bassist, Nick Blacka; and drummer, Jon Scott digging deep internally to reach “what we think are our integral, authentic qualities at this moment in time”. It’s a powerful driver for some of their boldest music to date, incorporating modular synths, Moog Grandmother, and electric bass into their sound more than ever before as they glide spectacularly from acoustic instrumentation into electronica with drums to the fore. Honest and powerful, Necessary Fictions is the band at their very best.