Jam in the Atrium
Legendary Brazilian composer and pianist Jovino Santos Neto will bring his creative blend of energetic grooves, deep harmonies, telepathic improvisation, lyrical melodies and great ensemble playing to the Jam in the Atrium series, from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
A Latin Grammy nominee, Jovino can be heard around the world as a piano soloist, with symphony orchestras, jazz big bands, and chamber music groups, and in collaboration with musicians including Hermeto Pascoal, Bill Frisell, Paquito d’Rivera, Airto Moreira, Claudio Roditi, David Sanchez, Joe Locke, Marco Granados and many more.
Noted percussionist Jeff Busch will also play, as will Jam in the Atrium host, bassist Bruce Phares. The performance is free and open to all, though donations are gratefully accepted.
Dia de los Muertos workshops
In anticipation of Vashon Center for the Arts’ (VCA) annual celebration of Dia de los Muertos on Nov. 5, the arts center will present two free Dia de los Muertos arts and crafts workshops from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, and 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Blue Heron Education Center.
Crafts created in the workshop will be on display in VCA’s atrium in a community ofrenda, celebrating the holiday, from Nov. 1-15. (Ofrendas are altars, built to honor lost loved ones.)
In the workshops, Victoria Elizondo-Hopper will guide participants in the creation of crafts including paper marionettes, three-dimensional Frida Kahlo dolls, paper flowers and lanterns and more.
Find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
The Drunken Tenor
A show The Seattle Times has called “a cheerful collision of opera and sketch comedy” will lift off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA).
“The Drunken Tenor’s Spooktacular,” a musical variety show in the old-school vein of the Rat Pack and Carol Burnett, stars Grammy award-winning Metropolitan Opera tenor Robert McPherson.
Performing with a cast of talented singers, McPherson dishes up both hijinks and high art.
Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
The Poet’s Journey
The second show of Vashon Repertory Theatre’s fall season will transport show-goers to the obsessive world of Edgar Alan Poe, at 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct 28, at Snapdragon’s Black Cat Cabaret.
In the one-person show by Bryan Willis, “Edgar Allan Poe, The Poet’s Journey,” Bradford Farwell plays the role of the master poet, critic, and father of the detective novel, in a particularly passionate and desperate moment in his life.
Farwell’s performance recreates an 1849 literary salon hosted by Poe in the last months of his life, as he toured the country in an effort to woo subscribers for a new magazine of his own creation, “The Stylus.”
Find out more and purchase tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Matt Anderson concert
Canadian triple-threat singer/songwriter and musician Matt Anderson will offer up raw blues, rollicking America, thoughtful folk, and ecstatic gospel in a concert held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
In addition to headlining major festivals, clubs and theaters throughout North America, Europe and Australia, Anderson has shared the stage and toured with legendary figures including Marty Stuart, Greg Allman, Randy Bachman and others.
Andersen was the first-ever Canadian to take home top honors in the solo category at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. He’s also won multiple Maple Blues Awards, given to outstanding Canadian performances in the field of blues.
Adam Baldwin, another Canadian singer/songwriter, will be the opening artist for Matt Andersen on Nov 2. Baldwin has been a mainstay of the Atlantic Canada music scene for more than a decade.
Get tickets and find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Thespians serve up “Mousetrap”
Vashon High School’s drama department will present the first show of its 2023-24 season: “The Mousetrap,” by Agatha Christie, for four performances Nov. 4-11. See the show at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, and 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10 and 11.
Brimming with intrigue, sophisticated humor and surprising twists, Agatha Christie’s iconic murder mystery — about a group of strangers trapped during a snowstorm — is the world’s most successful and longest-running play.
Tickets are available at the door for all performances.
Poetry Open Mic
Margaret Rancone, Poet Laureate of Vashon, will hold an open mic poetry reading at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at The Coop, at 5245 115th Ave NW. Sign-up will begin at 5:45 p.m. All are welcome.
