THEATER REVIEW by Alec Clayton for OLY ARTS I carried delicious anticipation and a measure of trepidation to the opening of American Idiot at Lakewood Playhouse – anticipation because it is such a highly praised musical, and trepidation because what little I had heard of Green Day’s music seemed ear splitting with garbled lyrics. I …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS There aren’t many popular musical institutions more respected or longer lasting than Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They’d already been around for over 20 years before they found an international audience through their contributions to Paul Simon’s genre-mixing masterpiece Graceland, and they’ve continued to amass gold and platinum albums since. Their …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Two accomplished musicians, their acoustic guitars, and some front-porch tales—that’s what audiences can expect during An Evening with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen on The Washington Center Main Stage, Saturday, Jan. 27. Lovett and Keen, both singer-songwriters with impressive discographies spanning decades, will provide an evening of down-home songs …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTs As the winter months descend on the world, the cold and darkness is met with a combination of reverie and revelry. Nights get quieter, and the solitude is countered with companionship and sacred celebration. A singular holiday celebration is the annual singing of Handel’s Messiah, an oratorio from the …
by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS The Masterworks Choral Ensemble will brighten the Washington Center Main Stage on Saturday, December 2, with its annual holiday concert. This year’s performance, entitled Season of Light: A Christmas Celebration, will include familiar carols (some with new arrangements), medleys and four audience sing-alongs. The choir will even keep up …
by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS The holidays kick off with a roar at the 2017 Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO) holiday show, sponsored by Tumwater Eye Center, Academy Mortgage Corporation, and PCS Structure Solutions. The SOGO HoHo event acts as a variety show with holiday cheer to delight all attendees. The performing SOGO …
(Update: Kenny G show is now sold out) by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS Kenny G will ring in a joyful holiday season at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts on November 29. The jazz saxophonist, a Washington native, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in Seattle. His 1994 Miracles: The …
by Molly Gilmore for OLY ARTS Choir director, composer, and teacher Terry Shaw has won a Governor’s Arts Award, to be presented Nov. 14. Shaw was named a Young Arts Leader, an award that recognizes his contributions to the arts and impact on the community. Shaw, who teaches wrestling and choral music at Timberline High …
by Adam McKinney for OLY ARTS Man Forever represents something of a music nerd’s platonic ideal. Led by John Colpitts (aka Kid Millions), the vocalist, drummer, and creative backbone of New York noise-rock titans heavyweights Oneida, Man Forever takes artistic ambition and makes a game of how far it can be stretched with complex syncopation …
by Rosemary Ponnekanti for OLY ARTS Improvisation isn’t usually a thing for classical orchestras, so this year’s season for the Olympia Chamber Orchestra shows just how nimble that ensemble can be. After last year’s conductor search ended in disappointment, the orchestra is once again trying out two candidates, with some of the season’s music — …