Art Beat: Masterpieces, mysteries and melodies

L-R: Jen Montelone, Melissa Wadsworth and Chris Cossu welcomed guests and visitors to the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Gallery at Frances Anderson Center during the Oct. 17 Art Walk Edmonds.

ArtistsConnect Edmonds group show, ‘Art in Autumn’

Through November, Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Gallery at the Frances Anderson Center, 700 Main St., Edmonds

ArtistsConnect Edmonds is the featured group exhibit in the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation Gallery at Frances Anderson Center for October and November 2024. The group art show, titled Art in Autumn, features various art mediums and styles, from traditional landscape oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings to abstract pastel pieces and unique fiber and bookmaking art. Select artists will also be present in the gallery during the monthly Art Walk Edmonds events.

Participating ArtistsConnect artists include David Allen, Jessica Adkison, Jackie Lynne Anderson, Cindy Bruce, Chris Cossu, Missy Hancock, Illeyia Hamwi, Elizabeth Henderson, Kiraya Kestin, Patty Mcnamee, Norma Middleton, Marcia Meckelson Miller, Jen Monteleone, Makaylaa Powers, Nikki Starwalker, Veramis Spaziani, Shelly Tiemeyer and Melissa Wadsworth. 

A no-fee member group, ArtistsConnect Edmonds welcomes anyone looking for an enjoyable way to connect with other artists and for artists willing to volunteer to help the organization thrive. In addition to local exhibition opportunities, ArtistConnect puts on annual art shows at the Artworks building in Edmonds. Monthly meetings are held there each fourth Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. No need to sign up, just show up.

ArtistsConnect Edmonds was created under the Edmonds Arts Festival and Foundation umbrella from a need for local artists to have a place to meet and connect with other artists. The members come from all walks of life and create in many different 2D and 3D media.

Members come from Edmonds, Mukilteo, Lynnwood, Kirkland, Bothell, Snohomish, Shoreline, Seattle, Everett, Mill Creek and other local communities. ArtistsConnect Edmonds is an information resource – created from the collective wisdom of the group and from the talented presenters who offer specific expertise. 

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Erica Miner releases third Julia Kogan Opera Mystery, Overture to Murder

Local author Erica Miner released the third novel of the Julia Kogan Opera Mystery series. In Overture to MurderJulia heads to the San Francisco Opera, this time with her significant other, former NYPD detective Larry Somers and their 5-year-old daughter Rebecca.

Julia is under inordinate amounts of pressure as she replaces the ailing concertmaster, Ben, who has suffered severe injuries in a suspicious hit-and-run accident, which Julia suspects might not have been accidental. Then, one prominent company member becomes the victim of a grisly murder, and Julia cannot resist becoming involved in the investigation.

As in her previous sleuthing at the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera, Julia once again discovers that fiery artistic temperaments and danger lurking in the opera house’s dark hallways and back stairways provide a chilling backdrop for murder.

This time, however, it’s not only her own life that is in peril.

Get a copy of this new release at the Edmonds BookshopAmazon or Barnes and Noble

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Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Band and pH Factor Big Band free performance

7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25, Mountlake Terrace High School Theater, 21801 44th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace

The community is welcome to an evening of jazz featuring talented musicians from the Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Bands and the pH Factor Big Band. The free concert at Mountlake Terrace High School will feature the Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Ensemble 1, Jazz Ensemble 2 and Jazz Combos. The pH Factor Big Band will close the evening with a blazing music set. 

The Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Program is a nationally recognized music program. Under the direction of Darin Faul, Jazz Ensemble 1 has been selected to perform in New York at the acclaimed Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival, performed at the annual Starbucks Hot Java Cool Jazz – featuring the best Puget Sound high school jazz bands and won the sweepstakes award at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho.

The pH Factor Big Band has been providing a wide variety of big band instrumentations since 2008. Under the direction of Mat Montgomery, the band strives to entertain the audience and itself by exploring a wide range of music from composers and arrangers, such as Bill Holman, Fred Sturm, Maria Schneider, Astor Piazzolla, Peter Herbolzheimer, Chico O’Farrill, Jim McNeely, Tommy Newsom, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter and Stan Kenton.

Learn more on the MTHS Music Facebook or Instagram pages.

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Ryan Keberle & Catharsis to perform with Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Band

7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1, EWHS Little Theater, 7600 212th St. S.W., Edmonds

Ryan Keberle & Catharsis will take the stage with the Edmonds-Woodway High School (EWHS) Jazz Band in an exciting collaboration at the EWHS Little Theater.

Ryan Keberle, Jazz Times 2020 Trombonist of the Year, leads Catharsis, a band renowned for its innovative fusion of jazz, chamber music, South American folk and indie rock. Described by the LA Times as a “potent blend of cinematic sweep and lush, ear-grabbing melodies,” Catharsis delivers an extraordinary listening experience that captivates jazz aficionados and newcomers alike.

This special evening will also feature a unique educational component: Ryan Keberle & Catharsis will conduct a workshop with the EWHS Jazz Bands earlier in the day. The collaboration will culminate in the evening’s public performance, offering the community a chance to experience world-class jazz and support local music education.

Tickets run from $12 to $20. A portion of the proceeds from the concert will directly benefit the EWHS Music Program. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

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Creative Retirement Institute (CRI) presents a Veterans Day sing-along 

1-3 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, Black Box Theatre of Edmonds College, Mukilteo Hall, 20310 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood

Anchors away as the caissons keep rolling along into the wild blue yonder to the shores of Tripoli. The songs of the American armed forces are as familiar to us all as “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.” Join presenter David Fenner in his salute to our veterans and their songs.

For about 10 years, David Fenner has led a service-song sing-along on (or near) Veterans Day at various retirement communities. This all started with his musical parents (both Army veterans and now dearly departed), who pioneered the idea in 2011.

Fenner will talk briefly about the history of the holiday and the histories of the five service branches.

The program has a nice twist: Not only does it honor the veterans in attendance, but it also gives everyone in the audience an opportunity to publicly remember loved ones who have served. As a group, they will sing the five service songs (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) and intersperse the songs with short roving-mic remembrances for each branch.  

The lyrics to these well-known melodies will be projected on the screen, ending with “America, the Beautiful.” This spirited, inclusive, hour-long program has always been well-received. Don’t miss it.

Register here for this free event. For more information, contact CRI by phone at (425) 640-1830 or by email here.

— By Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele. She can be reached at elmm22@gmail.com.

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