2019-2020 Season

Kahulanui

SEPTEMBER 20 AT 8:00 PM
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There is a new wave coming from Hawaii, a blend of traditional music and the Big Band Swing brought to the Aloha State by U.S. servicemen during World War II. Its leading exponent is Kahulanui, a nine-piece band: four horns plus guitar, bass, ukulele, drums and steel, whose energy and dynamic arrangements have caused a sensation throughout the Islands and the Mainland. Their debut CD, Hula Ku’I, was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award in the Regional Roots category. Kahulanui is bringing their unique style to delighted audiences across America.

Rita Coolidge

OCTOBER 11 AT 8:00 PM
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After ten years during which she bore witness to some of her life’s greatest joys and deepest sorrows, Rita Coolidge is back with Safe in the Arms of Time, her 18th solo album and a reaffirmation of her indomitable spirit and unquenchable creative thirst.

Safe in the Arms of Time is colored by Rita’s pivotal role in the Los Angeles singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s, where she made her bones as a top backup singer—that’s Rita on the refrains of Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With” and Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight”—before embarking on a platinum-selling solo career.
In her career comprising five decades and millions of record sales, Rita captivated audiences with her signature hits “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “All Time High” and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.”

The Hot Sardines

NOVEMBER 23 AT 8:00 PM
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Fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, The Hot Sardines are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world.

In the talented hands of the New York-based ensemble, music first made famous decades ago comes alive through their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, and vocals from a chanteuse who transports listeners to a different era with the mere lilt of her voice. On French Fries & Champagne, The Hot Sardines’ new album for Universal Music Classics, the jazz collective broadens its already impressive palette, combining covers and originals as they effortlessly channel New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets and New Orleans jazz halls.

Tim Fain & Simone Dinnerstein

JANUARY 18, 2020 AT 8:00 PM
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Virtuoso musicians, violinist Tim Fain and pianist Simone Dinnerstein thrilled concertgoers at Bitterroot Performing Arts Council just a couple of seasons ago. Now the talented pair returns, in an electrifying program called Patterns in Time, which explores the many ways that composers use nonlinear time.  With circling repetitions and obsessive phrases and chord progressions, this music draws from both old and new sources. With Dinnerstein’s “personality, verve, and thoughtfulness” and Fain’s “sheer youthful exuberance and dazzling technical skill” (Washington Post), the perception of time will cease as audiences are absorbed in their sound world.

Steep Canyon Rangers

FEBRUARY 21, 2020 AT 8:00 PM
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With Out in the Open, Steep Canyon Rangers affirm their place as one of the most versatile bands in contemporary American music. The Grammy Award-winning sextet has spent nearly two decades bending and shaping the bluegrass aesthetic, wedding it to elements of pop, country, and folk rock to create something original. Out in the Open is the Rangers’ bravest excursion thus far, transcending bluegrass while also getting closest to the genre’s true form thanks to 3x Grammy Award-winning producer Joe Henry’s traditional approach toward recording.