posts about live music, performance of music, concerts, etc.
By Jonah Barrett The 41st season of Olympia’s Music in the Park series has been cancelled this year due to public health concerns concerning COVID-19. The series has been an Olympia tradition, occurring at both Sylvester Park and the Port of Olympia every year through July and August. With the deluge of postponed or cancelled …
By Molly Walsh As Washingtonians enter another week of a “new normal” under Governor Jay Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order, social distancing measures have gradually woven into a routine way of life for many households across the state. As schools, workplaces and even wedding ceremonies have transitioned to a virtual setting, music and performing …
By Aigner Loren Wilson Now is a time of community. Of outreach and support. Thousands in Thurston County have lost hours, jobs, gigs and money due to COVID-19. In our bones is the feeling of wanting to connect with our larger community, to offer support — or receive some. We are all doing our past …
By Lucy Volker Kicking off its fifth year as Seattle’s up-and-coming classical music company, Emerald City Music often graces the pages of OLY ARTS with showcases featuring world-renowned artists who specialize in reimagining the boundaries of classical music. This year is no exception; come February 15, the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet will perform its collection “Songs …
By Molly Walsh Crossing old-time folk with percussive dance, Oakland, California-based duo Evie Ladin and Keith Terry bring a fresh take to the longstanding old-time-music tradition. Echoing the rich sounds of Appalachia, Ladin and Terry marry notes from a clawhammer banjo, bass and guitar with dance and storytelling. A daughter of a folk-dance teacher, Ladin …
By Molly Walsh A hometown act, Yodelady, has been kindling the traditional music scene in Olympia and surrounding areas since forming in 2010. The members of this triple threat trio have deep roots in the Pacific Northwest old-time music community, and their sets boast three-part harmonies that send audience members to their feet for a …
By Ned Hayes In 1991, MC Hammer was huge. I was a published music critic; yet I wouldn’t write about Hammer’s platinum hit “U Can’t Touch This.” Instead, I was obsessed with a young, touring folk musician. In an era when hip hop was going corporate and rap and rock bands were increasingly signing their …
By Aigner Loren Wilson This February, the Arbutus Folk School will host their volunteer-run Oly Old Time Festival that aims to bring together fans, players and appreciators of old-time fiddle music. Events at the festival celebrating old-time music in Olympia last for several days and feature musical performances, workshops and dances all around the theme …
By Karen Lunde When the calendar flips to December, it’s nigh impossible to walk into a store or turn on the TV without hearing endless refrains of Jingle Bell Rock and Frosty the Snowman. Love them or loathe them, holiday songs are ubiquitous this time of year. But The Olympia Peace Choir’s concert at Huntamer …
By Karen Lunde The Washington Center and Minnaert Center stages will ring with the sounds of orchestras and choirs this weekend as Olympia’s student musicians take the stage. One will deliver a beloved holiday tradition, and the other a program centered around the universal theme of hope. On Friday, December 6, the Student Orchestras of …