What to Do This Fall: Music Events
By Seattle Mag August 25, 2015
This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
OPERA
THE PEARL FISHERS
More than 10 years before penning his masterpiece Carmen, 19th-century French composer Georges Bizet wrote this Sri Lankan love story that puts the unsavory “bros before hos” maxim to the test. Two pearl fishers vow that their friendship is more important than winning the beautiful priestess they both adore…until it isn’t. 10/17–10/31. Times and prices vary. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St.; 206.389.7676; seattleopera.org
GLOBAL MUSIC
L. SUBRAMANIAM with FAREED AYAZ & ABU MUHAMMAD
The world-renowned Indian violinist (who composed the film score for Mississippi Masala) is joined by two Pakistani brothers who are masters of qawwali, a Sufi Muslim music tradition. Lose yourself in cascading notes of the harmonic minor scale. 9/10. 7:30 p.m. $36.50–$46.50. The Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave.; 877.784.4849; stgpresents.org
DAKHABRAKHA
It’s never too late to become a fan of Ukrainian folk-punk music, especially as conceived by this Kiev-based underground theater group, which combines traditional Ukrainian strains with notes of Russian, Indian, Arabic, Australian and African flavors. They call it “ethno chaos,” we call it captivating. 9/26. 8 p.m. $35. Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St.; 877.784.4849; stgpresents.org
YOUSSOU N’DOUR
The Village Voice has called him “the world’s greatest pop vocalist,” while fRoots, magazine deemed him “African artist of the century.” Obviously, this Senegalese singer/composer inspires gushing—and if you’ve heard him sing, it’s easy to see why. His powerful tenor soars over styles ranging from Senegalese roots music to rock to pop, attaining a sound that seems truly genre busting. 11/8. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Meany Hall, 4140 George Washington Lane NE; 206.543.4880; artsuw.org
JAZZ
Industrial Revelation with Farnell Newton
Seattle’s phenomenal garage-jazz band (Evan Flory-Barnes, Ahamefule Oluo, Josh Rawlings and D’Vonne Lewis) joins forces with Portland trumpeter Farnell Newton for a show that will awaken your ears and blow your mind. 9/5. 9 p.m. $15. The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S; 206.906.9920; theroyalroomseattle.com
Hiromi: The Trio Project
With a vibe that combines anime with Helena Bonham Carter, and with fingers that fly across the piano at insane speeds, this young Japanese jazz-rock virtuoso is as skilled as she is entertaining to watch. 9/17–9/20. 7:30 p.m. $30.50. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave.; 206.441.9729; jazzalley.com
Earshot Jazz Festival
This year’s citywide jazz-aganza boasts more than 50 concerts, including the Wayne Shorter Quartet (10/11), starring the Grammy-grabbing saxophonist; Colombian jazz harpist (yes!) Edmar Castañeda (10/16), who plays the instrument in ways you’ve never seen; Afro-Cuban ensemble Pedrito Martinez Group (10/22); and legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela (11/17–11/18). 10/9–11/18. Times, prices and venues vary. earshot.org
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Seattle Symphony
Founded in 1903, the Seattle Symphony is proving to be one of the city’s most innovative music groups, thanks to forward-thinking programming that makes room for beloved masterworks, pop-inflected crowd-pleasers, new compositions and some really trippy music. This season starts with maestro Ludovic Morlot conducting Beethoven’s unduly neglected Symphony No. 4 (9/24 & 9/26). In October, check out [Untitled] (10/23), the late-night series wherein audience members sit on pillows on the floor of the lobby, this time featuring world premiere music by avant-garde UW composers Richard Karpen, Joël-François Durand, Juan Pampin and Huck Hodge. Sonic Evolution (10/29), which in the past has brought in Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Sir Mix-A-Lot, presents Bill Frisell (performing a new composition by Wayne Horvitz, see page 169), young electronica-influenced soul singer Shaprece, and The Migration Series, a jazz concerto inspired by African-American painter and longtime UW professor Jacob Lawrence, performed by the symphony with the Roosevelt High School jazz band. And, for the first time on the Seattle Symphony stage, Morlot conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 (11/19 & 11/22), a rip-roaringly emotional and ecstatic piece. seattlesymphony.org
Explore more 2015 Fall Arts events here.
Follow Us
Studio Sessions: Jo Cosme
The Seattle-based multimedia artist and 2026 Neddy Award winner challenges the postcard version of Puerto Rico and centers the persistence of its people.
Jo Cosme knows how seductive a postcard can be. The Seattle-based Boricua (Puerto Rican) multimedia artist works across photography, installation, video, sound, and interactive elements to examine and pull apart how Puerto Rico is seen, sold, and misunderstood from the outside. Trained in photojournalism, with a BFA in photography from Puerto Rico School of Fine…
Seattle’s Drag Brunch Has History
The city’s Sunday shows started long before the mimosas got bottomless.
There was a time not too long ago, when drag performances—now a mainstay of Seattle’s queer scene—were kept under wraps. And when brunches, complete with singing and dancing queens dressed in dazzling drag as you sipped mimosas, weren’t a Sunday staple. During the 1940s and ‘50s, an era largely shaped by restrictive laws and bias…
Studio Sessions: Sangram Majumdar
Working at the confluence of history, culture, and various painting traditions, UW associate professor Sangram Majumdar is one of this year’s Neddy Artist Award winners.
Discover the art of UW professor Sangram Majumdar, a 2026 Neddy Artist Award winner. Learn about his inspiration and upcoming Seattle exhibition at Cornish.
Rearview Mirror: A Georgian Dinner, Sidewalk Sips, and One-of-a-Kind Clothing
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
A new life for old clothes To celebrate one year in its current studio, the FXRY—a clothing repair service available via in-person appointments, home pickup, or mail-in drop off—is dropping its first collection. A small batch of reworked pieces, Second Mark will feature 13 vintage barn jackets, cropped, chain-stitched, and renewed into a completely unique, one-of-one…