The Carpenter’s House — A New Multidisciplinary Events Space

The Carpenter’s House was envisaged by Justin La Gra, who wanted to manifest a warm, intimate, and inclusive community space for creativity and art made for real people with real materials. Murphy and Ruiz joined the project, with their own specialized skills, resulting in a creative venue, involving a functioning carpentry studio, an art gallery, a live music venue, a community gathering space, and a developing broadcast and media studio. They say that it began as one person’s original idea that grew stronger with a collaborative vision, which was shaped by the community around them.

International Guitar Night

International Guitar Night brings us four artists: An award-winning Vietnamese classical guitarist, a modern fingerstyle guitar prodigy from Russia, a Brazilian guitarist who fuses the fire of the Flamenco guitar and the percussive rhythms of Latin America and one of the leading ukulele players in the world! Experience a night of string mastery as four …

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Black Box Jazz: Francesco Crosara

Francesco Crosara is a Seattle-based, Italian-born jazz pianist & composer who is making a significant impact on the jazz scene with a passion for creating and sharing innovative and soulful music.

The Musical Chemistry of Garrett & Gunn

On Saturday, October 24, the acoustic duo of Reggie Garrett & Christine Gunn will perform for the fourth time at New Traditions, this time celebrating the release of The Road Taken, their first collaborative CD.
“We’re always so moved and engaged by both of them,” said New Traditions co-owner Jody Mackey, who expects the event to sell out.
The two share a similar musical sensibility, according to Garrett. “Christine is one of those musicians for whom the thing that’s important is the song,” he said. “There’s not a lot of ego involved. She listens, plays what the song calls for.”

Oly Arts Summer 2025 Print Edition

The Summer print edition of OLY ARTS N0. 33 is published! Here is a list of where in the Olympia area you can pick up your FREE copy, and a link to the PDF file so you can read it online. Enjoy!

LoveOly SummerFest Brings Summer Fun

The purpose of LoveOly, in its third year, is to bring people together and promote downtown. “I love it that we bring the community together right when kids are fresh from the school year,” said Desiree Freeman, executive director of the Downtown Olympia Alliance, which organizes LoveOly. The family-friendly event comes to life June 20 to 22.

‘Lizzie’ rocks at South Puget Sound Community College

SPSCC Theater Collective’s rock musical “Lizzie” about Lizzie Bordon, accused of the ax murder of her mother, assumes Lizzie’s guilt, according to its director. It also doesn’t shy away from suggesting that Lizzie’s relationship with her father included sexual abuse, a theme explored in the song “This Isn’t Love,” one of the 26 songs that tell Lizzie’s story.

Trans Trad Music Festival

by Lynette Charters Serembe Trans Trad Music Festival is co-directed by Alex Sturbaum (they/them) and Hayden Stern (he/his). Stern said with the election and the craziness of what is going on regarding the executive orders being enforced restricting transgender people, as artists, they were wondering what they could do as an act of resistance. Celebration …

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An Inside Look at Masterworks Choral Ensemble’s Women Rock Concert

by Rachel Benton Joy and excitement fill the air as Olympia’s own Masterworks Choral Ensemble (MCE) begins to prepare for their season finale Women Rock concert. Women Rock is a pops concert that highlights the works of female songwriters, some of whom wrote songs that were made famous by male performers, giving the audience a …

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