Orcas Island Jazz Festival opens the fall season at Orcas Center

August 26, 2023 1:30 am
Mariachi Herencia de Mexico comes to Orcas Center this fall.
Mariachi Herencia de Mexico comes to Orcas Center this fall.

The Orcas Island Jazz Festival, Orcas Island’s premier jazz event, opens the Fall Season at Orcas Center. Head on down to the Village Green Thursday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m. for a free concert from Entremundos Big Band with the Queen and Duke of Samba. Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m., Martin Lund and the Off-Island All-Stars take the Orcas Center Stage, followed by GRAMMY® nominated vocal supergroup, säje on Saturday, Sept. 2, and the incomparable guitarists GRAMMY® nominated Dr. Martin Taylor and Biréli Lagrène on Sunday, Sept. 3.

But that’s not all! Orcas Center’s Main Stage will host a wide variety of events before the year is through. Here is just a sampling of what is in store this fall:

• Sept. 16 – Barron Ryan: Classic Meets Cool infuses funk, pop, and country-inspired themes into classical music like you’ve never heard before.

• Sept. 30 – The Orcas Dance Collective and Junior Collective join Brazilian dance sensation Bahia in Motion in Abrindo Caminhos (Opening Pathways).

• Oct. 12 – Nina Gerber with Chris Webster join together for an exquisite evening of original tunes, tasteful covers, soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and gorgeous folk at The Grange.

• Oct. 26 – Mariachi Herencia de Mexico, the energetic, virtuosic Latin GRAMMY®-nominated group is certain to get you dancing in your seats!

• Nov. 11 – Polyrhythmics bring their impossibly tight grooves with bold brass and hypnotic percussion with showcased elements of R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat.

• Nove. 18 – J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) round out the current musical offerings with their spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals and seasoned showmanship..American roots music at its finest!

There are even more community favorites being planned right now, including Whale of a Show (Nov. 4 and 5), The Olga Symphony (Nov. 25 and 25), and Orcas Choral Society performing The Messiah (Dec. 1-3), not to mention community art exhibits and the highly anticipated production of The Nutcracker from the Orcas Dance Collective opening in December.

Many shows are already available for sale on www.OrcasCenter.org. Ticket pricing ranges from $15-$59. For questions or assistance, contact the Orcas Center box office at info@OrcasCenter.org or 360-376-2281 ext 100.