An Evening with MariNaomi

Join us for the Olympia book launch of MariNaomi’s newest graphic memoir, I Thought You Loved Me, a collage-comics memoir about queer friendship and the unreliability of memory. The evening will consist of a reading (with visuals) by MariNaomi, followed by a moderated conversation with the author and Frank Hussey of Danger Room Comics, and …

Read more

Bloom at Childhood's End Gallery

REVIEW: Bloom at Childhood’s End Gallery

As summer creeps in and as we begin to see hope for an end to the COVID pandemic, Childhood’s End Gallery celebrates rejuvenation with an exhibition called “Bloom.” It features flowers, flowers and more flowers by local artists, plus paintings, etchings, sculptures and a cascading curtain of living flowers by Olympia artist Kathy Gore Fuss.

Matthew Melendez of Great Bend Center for Music

Community Through Harmony: Great Bend Center for Music

Community is the cornerstone of Matthew Melendez’s approach to music and teaching, whether in person or online. He believes music slips past ideology, identity politics and other distancing factors, thereby helping people meet on common ground.

Masterworks Choral Ensemble

Surprises in Store From Masterworks Choral Ensemble

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS This season, Masterworks Choral Ensemble will travel to the frontier, celebrate the sometimes-overlooked talents of female composers and visit some of Broadway’s most colorful characters. And the ensemble’s taking a creative approach to concert themes: The Broadway concert focuses on heroes and villains, while the concert composed by women …

Read more

Molsky's Mountain Drifters

Molsky’s Mountain Drifters at Nova Middle School

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS What happens when you mix a well-established fiddler with the best next-generation, traditional-music players you can find? You get Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, a brand-new bluegrass and roots band with a fresh perspective on old-time music. Comprising banjoist Allison de Groot, fiddler Bruce Molsky and guitarist and vocalist Stash Wyslouch, …

Read more

Caddie Derby

Hit the Trails With Masterworks Choral Ensemble

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS This fall, Masterworks Choral Ensemble takes a break from traditional tunes to head for the Old West. The group’s next concert, Way Out West: Beloved American Ballads, surveys that “Home on the Range” — and yes, that tune is included — with music from the westward expansion or inspired …

Read more

The Heartsparkle Players

A Commitment to Collaboration

by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS Holding collaborative, public performances for decades is a noteworthy feat for any organization, but for The Heartsparkle Players, it’s an accomplishment made possible only through constant rededication to cherished causes of hope and love. The playback-theater troupe will open its 20th season by recommitting to those themes. “The reason …

Read more

Jazz Walk

Even More Spectacle at Jazz Walk

by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS When Arts Walk ends, Jazz Walk begins. The second-annual Olympia Jazz Walk, a fundraiser for the nonprofit JazzClubsNW, is timed to keep the festival atmosphere going late into Saturday night with live jazz throughout downtown Olympia. “The idea is to make the Arts Walk and the great spectacle that …

Read more

Olympia Peace Choir

Community Peace Walk at Heritage Park

by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS From the earliest tribal welcome songs to anti-war and protest anthems, music has given a powerful voice to messages of peace. The Olympia Peace Choir, a community chorus over 100 members strong, will carry that tradition on with its first-ever Peace Walk. Choir members have invited the community to …

Read more

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts

The Washington Center Season Launch

by Kelli Samson for OLY ARTS The Washington Center for the Performing Arts has been closed for the summer while the City of Olympia made updates to the HVAC system. Rest assured, come October 5 the center will open its 32nd season with an energetic performance by Gaelic Storm. While every act slated to grace …

Read more

Skip to content