Orcas Center

2026 Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (all artists and repertoire subject to change) Intonations Tuesday August 18, 7:00pm 6:00 Pre-Concert Talk: A conversation with Jake Heggie Wednesday August 19, 5:00pm 4:00 Pre-Concert Talk: A conversation with Jake Heggie $40 Adult $10 Ages 6-18 (OICMF concerts are not appropriate for children under 6) There is an additional $2 per-ticket fee CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS (https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200532417) CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE TICKETS (https://oicmf.org/purchase-tickets/) Click here for Friends of Joyce Tickets (https://oicmf.org/friends-of-joyce-tickets-for-young-people-and-families)

Contemporary Dance meets Sundays 10-11:15am and Tuesdays 10-11:15am at the Orcas Center Dance Studio. Drop-in classes are $20, or save with a 5- or 10-class pass for $15 per class. Passes can be purchased through the Parks & Rec website or in person at the office (30 Pea Patch Lane, Eastsound, WA). Register here: https://orcasparkandrec.org/

Contemporary Dance meets Thursdays 5:15-6:45pm at Orcas Oddfellows. Drop-in classes are $20, or save with a 5- or 10-class pass for $15 per class. Passes can be purchased through the Parks & Rec website or in person at the office (30 Pea Patch Lane, Eastsound, WA). Register here: https://orcasparkandrec.org/

2026 Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (all artists and repertoire subject to change) Love Triangle Friday August 21, 7:00pm Saturday August 22, 5:00pm $40 Adult $10 Ages 6-18 (OICMF concerts are not appropriate for children under 6) There is an additional $2 per-ticket fee CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS (https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200532418) CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE TICKETS (https://oicmf.org/purchase-tickets/) Click here for Friends of Joyce Tickets (https://oicmf.org/friends-of-joyce-tickets-for-young-people-and-families)

Orcas Center Presents on The Village Green Stage: Up Up Up! plus Dana Lyons and Kaleidoscope Kid Faire Sunday, August 23, 5 p.m. Tiered ticket prices (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): Free, by donation! Up Up Up! plus Dana Lyons and Kaleidoscope Kid Faire Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community, creativity, and the magic of music under the open sky. All performances are free for the community and take place on Sundays at 5 p.m. The series runs June 28 through Aug. 30. The eclectic lineup will have something for everyone with phenomenal performers for all ages. Up Up Up! headlines, with Dana Lyons also performing on Sunday, Aug. 23. Also on the lineup is a Kid Faire, hosted by Kaleidoscope Preschool and Child Care Center. Up Up Up! is a nonprofit self-contained touring circus show that brings outdoor circus performances to small farms, immigrant communities, tribal community centers, refugee support groups, nursing homes, women’s shelters, and more. Their ensemble of seven performers creates whimsy, beauty, and hilarity accessible to audiences of all ages. Performing its sixth annual one-hour, all-ages, outdoor circus show, the production features aerialists, musicians, acrobats, clowns, and illusionists — complete with a crane truck for shenanigans and a jumble of instruments for live music. Also performing is Dana Lyons, the Bellingham-based “environmental troubadour” who carries on the legacy of artist-activists such as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Best known for his hit comedy song “Cows With Guns,” Lyons is a singer, guitarist, and recording artist who has toured the world for thirty years promoting environmental and social justice causes.

Visual Arts Committee Presents: Featured Artist: Peter Carlson Community Show: Light & Shadow Art Opening: Friday, August 28th; 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: August 28th – September 22nd All are invited to attend the Art Opening on Friday, August 28th from 5:30 to 7 p.m., featuring live entertainment and complimentary refreshments. Artists are urged to attend and contribute hors d’oeuvres. To learn more about exhibiting your art, commission structures, and upcoming shows, please visit the VAC page.

Orcas Center Presents in the Black Box: ANTIDOTE 4 Saturday, August 29, 8PM – 12AM $10 minimum donation at the door ANTIDOTE 4 After the incredible success of Antidote 3, which brought more than 100 dancers together for an unforgettable night, Antidote 4 returns to the Black Box for one final celebration of the summer. Step into an immersive underground-inspired dance experience where deep bass, hypnotic rhythms, and cutting-edge visuals transform the Black Box into a late-night warehouse atmosphere. Featuring sets from Bluetech and Adam Starr, Antidote 4 blends melodic, progressive, and underground electronic music into a journey designed for both devoted dance music fans and anyone looking to lose themselves on the dance floor. Built on Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect, Antidote is a community gathering where music, movement, and connection take center stage. Whether you danced with us before or you’re discovering Antidote for the first time, this is your chance to be part of the final chapter of the summer series. Come dance. Connect. Celebrate. Leave the ordinary behind. One night. One dance floor. One last Antidote. Don’t miss the season finale. Saturday, August 29 from 8 p.m. to midnight. $10 admission for +18. Cash bar for those +21.

Orcas Center Presents on The Village Green Stage: General Mojo’s plus Robert Sarazin Blake and His High, Wide & Handsome Band Sunday, August 30, 5 p.m. Tiered ticket prices (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): Free, by donation! General Mojo’s plus Robert Sarazin Blake and His High, Wide & Handsome Band Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community, creativity, and the magic of music under the open sky. All performances are free for the community and take place on Sundays at 5 p.m. The series runs June 28 through Aug. 30. The eclectic lineup will have something for everyone with phenomenal performers for all ages. General Mojo’s headlines, with Robert Sarazin Blake and His High, Wide & Handsome Band also performing on Sunday, Aug. 30. Dig the sounds of General Mojo’s, with their staple androgynous ethereal vocals guiding the way through a sonic mosaic of psychedelia, a funky backbone beat, and a live show that brings the heat. Be on the lookout summer ’26 for the release of three new singles, “Sippin’ on Sunshine,” “Hopeless Love,” and “Kinky Love” in collaboration with Natalie Colvin. General  Mojo’s invites  you to join in on their cosmic trip through the astral planes of sound and vibration. For three decades, Robert Sarazin Blake has toured across the US, Canada, Ireland, Germany, and beyond, performing old songs, new songs, and whatever the moment calls for. He has released 13 albums, earning praise from critic Robert Christgau. With The High, Wide & Handsome Band, Blake puts on his party hat, and the band puts a beat behind the stories.

https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540532 Orcas Island Jazz Festival Presents: Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto Friday, September 4th at 7pm – Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-jsnq/) Saturday, September 5th at 7pm – Paradise Jazz Band (https://orcascenter.org/event/26jf-tc/) Sunday, September 6th at 7pm – Martin Lund & The Off-Island All-Stars (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-mlas/) Tiered Ticket Pricing (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): $70, $35, $25 and $10 Student/Senior/Veteran Ticket Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto Formed in 1993, the Latin Grammy-nominated Quinteto has become one of the most important creative music ensembles of the West Coast. Performing Jovino’s original arrangements and compositions, its members excel in near-telepathic musical interactions, modern harmonic journeys, deep lyricism and high energy Brazilian grooves that never fail to excite audiences. Voted several times as Best Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the year by readers of Earshot Jazz Magazine. With Ben Thomas on vibraphone and bandoneon, Tim Carey on acoustic and electric basses, Mark Ivester on drums, and Jeff Busch on percussion, plus Jovino on piano, flute and melodica. Orcas Island Jazz Festival The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), Orcas Island’s premier jazz event, lights up Orcas Center for three days every Labor Day weekend. OIJF is dedicated to celebrating and sharing the music of jazz with the Orcas Island community and visitors, to introducing this quintessential American art form to new young audiences through education and performance, and to raising appreciation for the art of jazz in all audiences. As a program of Orcas Center under the artistic direction of Martin Lund, OIJF consistently showcases superb jazz. Each year at this Festival audiences enjoy some of the most highly regarded jazz artists working today. http://orcascenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OIJF-Grantors.jpg Partial funding for Orcas Island Jazz Festival is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce and administered by Washington Festivals and Events Association in collaboration with the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540532

https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540534 Orcas Island Jazz Festival Presents: Paradise Jazz Band Friday, September 4th at 7pm – Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-jsnq/) Saturday, September 5th at 7pm – Paradise Jazz Band (https://orcascenter.org/event/26jf-tc/) Sunday, September 6th at 7pm – Martin Lund & The Off-Island All-Stars (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-mlas/) Tiered Ticket Pricing (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): $70, $35, $25 and $10 Student/Senior/Veteran Ticket Paradise Jazz Band Straight from the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana, the Paradise Jazz Band brings the energy, soul, and tradition of authentic Crescent City jazz to Orcas Island. Featuring acclaimed musicians Darold Alexander, Trombone Charlotte, and Ryan Hitchin, this dynamic ensemble delivers an unforgettable performance filled with spirited improvisation, infectious rhythms, and timeless jazz classics. From joyful second-line grooves to soulful ballads and swinging standards, Paradise Jazz Band captures the vibrant sound and celebratory spirit that have made New Orleans the birthplace of jazz. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience world-class musicians bringing the magic of New Orleans to Orcas Island. Darold (D.) was born and raised in New Orleans and grew up in the city’s rich tradition of music, dance, and live performance. A singer, entertainer, and dancer, he brings an unmistakable stage presence that connects audiences to the spirit of New Orleans. Ryan, a California native, brings a fresh perspective through his trumpet playing, blending respect for tradition with his own musical voice. Charlotte, originally from Canada, rounds out the group with expressive trombone work and an energetic approach that lights up every performance. Together, they celebrate the roots of New Orleans jazz while bringing their own personalities to the bandstand. Orcas Island Jazz Festival The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), Orcas Island’s premier jazz event, lights up Orcas Center for three days every Labor Day weekend. OIJF is dedicated to celebrating and sharing the music of jazz with the Orcas Island community and visitors, to introducing this quintessential American art form to new young audiences through education and performance, and to raising appreciation for the art of jazz in all audiences. As a program of Orcas Center under the artistic direction of Martin Lund, OIJF consistently showcases superb jazz. Each year at this Festival audiences enjoy some of the most highly regarded jazz artists working today. http://orcascenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OIJF-Grantors.jpg Partial funding for Orcas Island Jazz Festival is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce and administered by Washington Festivals and Events Association in collaboration with the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540534

https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540535 Orcas Island Jazz Festival Presents: Martin & the Off-Island All-Stars Friday, September 4th at 7pm – Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-jsnq/) Saturday, September 5th at 7pm – Paradise Jazz Band (https://orcascenter.org/event/26jf-tc/) Sunday, September 6th at 7pm – Martin Lund & The Off-Island All-Stars (https://orcascenter.org/event/jf26-mlas/) Tiered Ticket Pricing (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): $70, $35, $25 and $10 Student/Senior/Veteran Ticket Martin & the Off-Island All-Stars Martin Lund, one of the most diverse musicians in the universe, lives and breathes music in many different colors and cultures. He has played with some of the great blues artists of our time and worked in the studios of LA as a composer, arranger, and musician. He is well known for bringing great artists to this island and providing some of the best shows at Orcas Center. This year’s line-up includes Jaz Lund and many more artists to be named soon! We hope that you can come to at least one of the shows or even all of them. Different groups with different songs to sing. Watch the 2022 performance with award-winning vocalist Gail Pettis and  the incomparable “Ollie” Groenewald on trumpet. Orcas Island Jazz Festival The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), Orcas Island’s premier jazz event, lights up Orcas Center for three days every Labor Day weekend. OIJF is dedicated to celebrating and sharing the music of jazz with the Orcas Island community and visitors, to introducing this quintessential American art form to new young audiences through education and performance, and to raising appreciation for the art of jazz in all audiences. As a program of Orcas Center under the artistic direction of Martin Lund, OIJF consistently showcases superb jazz. Each year at this Festival audiences enjoy some of the most highly regarded jazz artists working today. http://orcascenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OIJF-Grantors.jpg Partial funding for Orcas Island Jazz Festival is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce and administered by Washington Festivals and Events Association in collaboration with the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540535

https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540851Orcas Center Presents on Center Stage: Henry ‘Oz: The German Magician Comedy Magic Show Friday, September 18 at 7 p.m. Tiered ticket prices (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/): $70, $40, or $25, ($10 student/senior/veteran tickets available) Henry ‘Oz: The German Magician After a string of full houses across the San Juan Islands, professional magician Henry ‘Oz brings his comedy magic show to Orcas Center’s Main Stage on Friday, Sept. 18. It is his first appearance on the island’s largest theater. Known across the islands as “The German Magician,” ‘Oz has spent the past few years performing everywhere islanders gather: theaters, weddings, private parties, corporate and community events, from Roche Harbor to Lopez to Eastsound. His three theater productions, at Sea View Theatre, Odd Fellows Hall and most recently Lopez Center, where more than 180 guests filled the room, all ended in standing ovations. More than 1,000 guests have seen him perform on the San Juan Islands alone, and his shows hold a 4.97 average across 40-plus five-star reviews. “Magic is not about fooling people, it is about moving them,” said ‘Oz. “This island gave me a home and an audience. One evening on the Orcas Center stage, all of us laughing together and believing the impossible for a moment, that is my thank-you.” The 60-minute show blends sleight of hand, storytelling and comedy, with audience participation woven through the entire evening. True to his tagline, “German precision. American stage. Real wonder.”, ‘Oz pairs European craft with American stage humor. The performance is suitable for all ages, and a meet and greet follows the show. ‘Oz picked up his first deck of cards at 17, not to fool people, he says, but to connect with them. More than 25 years later, that is still the point. He came to America in 2021 looking for freedom, found it on Orcas Island, and never looked back. His shows are built around a single moment: the split second when the mind says impossible and the heart says maybe. The show begins at 7:00pm on Friday, Sept. 18 at Orcas Center, 917 Mt. Baker Road, Eastsound. Tickets are $70, $40, or $25,  with $10 student/senior/veteran tickets also available at orcascenter.org. Recent show footage is available at henryoz.com. [ Volunteer for Henry ‘Oz: The German Magician ] (https://orcascenter.ludus.com/volunteer/opportunity/11704) https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200540851

Visual Arts Committee Presents: Featured Artist: Marcia Spees Community Show: Of The Water Art Opening: Friday, September 25th; 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: September 25th – October 21st All are invited to attend the Art Opening on Friday, September 25th from 5:30 to 7 p.m., featuring live entertainment and complimentary refreshments. Artists are urged to attend and contribute hors d’oeuvres. To learn more about exhibiting your art, commission structures, and upcoming shows, please visit the VAC page.

https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200542100Orcas Center Presents: Yungchen Lhamo in Concert with Rafe Pearlman Saturday, October 3 @ 7pm Center Stage Tiered Ticketing: (https://orcascenter.org/ticket-prices/) $25, $35, and $70 ($10 student/senior/veteran tickets available) Yungchen Lhamo in Concert with Rafe Pearlman World-acclaimed award-winning Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo, this year’s recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Artist Award presented by the City of Kingston Arts Commission and the Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs, will make her first-ever visit to Orcas Island in September/October, including performing in concert at Orcas Center on Saturday October 2026, with Rafe Pearlman as opening artist. Yungchen will sing some songs a cappella, others accompanied by guitarist John Alevizakis, producer of her most recent, and seventh, album, ‘One Drop of Kindness’ – and some with audience participation! Rafe will be accompanied by musician Bluetech and guitarist Chris Haugen. Rafe Pearlman says: “This is a special event not to be missed! I first heard the incredible voice of Yungchen Llamo when Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival came to Seattle many years ago. I had never heard anyone like her before (or since). It was like hearing a Tibetan Goddess incarnate on earth. When I heard recently she was touring the PNW I reached out to see if we could do something together in Seattle and Orcas.  It’s a true delight to help welcome her to town. Come join us for this magical night and help support this unique artist as she makes a rare tour to our area.” Yungchen Lhamo Yungchen has performed in over 80 countries on all five continents. Her first album Tibetan Prayer won the Australian Recording Industry Award for Best World Music Album. Yungchen was then signed to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label on which she released three more albums: Tibet Tibet, Coming Home, and Ama, which featured songs with Annie Lennox and Joy Askew. Tayatha, a collaborative work with Russian classical pianist Anton Batagov, was released by Cantaloupe Music, her sixth album Awakening by Six Degrees Records, and her seventh, One Drop of Kindness, by Real World Records on CD and pink vinyl. In addition to her ARIA Award in Australia and a UNESCO Music Prize, in Italy Yungchen was gifted the city of Silanus’s esteemed ‘Funtana Elighe’ award and was recognized by the province of Genoa as a ‘Messenger of Peace’ and given the title of ‘Ambassador of Culture’. In France, she received the Golden Voice Award from the Dijon Bourjogue Festival, and in the UK, Yungchen’s One Drop of Kindness album won the Asia & Pacific category in the Songlines Music Awards. Rafe Pearlman Rafe Pearlman began his singing career in the Alaskan wilderness, and the wildness of that origin has never left his voice. His exploratory vocal practice has taken him to stages across the globe—India, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Thailand, Mexico, and throughout the United States—including a performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He appeared on America’s Got Talent, which led to a touring collaboration with the Earth Harp Collective, the world’s largest stringed instrument. In Malaga, Spain, he performed accompanied by a full orchestra at MOSMA, the international festival of film composers, alongside Hollywood composer Tyler Bates. Rafe’s voice is featured on soundtracks for Netflix, Direct-TV,  NBC and Thunder Road Films, and on Sony’s top video games. Rafe will be a new voice on the upcoming season of Motherland: Fort Salem, creating vocal spells for the cast of characters. Rafe recently was awarded an artist residency at the Orcas Center Theater to create a new evening length show inspired by his childhood in Alaska featuring his music and visual art, entitled “KANU”. Rafe is a performer, composer, speaker, and creative vocal coach. His musical intention is to inspire a vision of a world in harmony and unity, celebrating diversity, sustainability, and equality for all beings.  He has been a long time resident of the Salish Sea area and feels a deep personal and artistic ties to this place as home. https://orcascenter.ludus.com/200542100 “Yungchen joined our Real World Records label in 1996. The label was founded in 1989 to provide gifted musicians from around the world with access to state-of-the-art recording facilities, with the aim of bringing the music of the world to the world. We were lucky to work with Yungchen’s wonderful voice and music, which encapsulate the spirit, understanding and compassion of Tibetan culture.” – Peter Gabriel “Yungchen sings like an unearthly creature. Her voice has the power to stop time and makes everything else in the world fall away. Her voice transports you.” – Natalie Merchant “Lhamo is a singer. A very acclaimed singer. Her name was given her by a Buddhist lama. It means ‘Goddess of Song’. Anyone who witnessed a brief performance of hers during the V-Day celebration in uptown Kingston will recognize the accuracy of her name. Or you could ask music critics. The New Yorker’s has called her singing “brilliant”. Newsweek called her “angel-voiced”. The New York Times admired her “pristine, gliding vocal lines”. – Jeremiah Horrigan

Visual Arts Committee Presents: Featured Artists: Carla Stanley Class Community Show: 6 x 6 x $60 Art Opening: Friday, October 23rd; 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: October 23rd – November 18th All are invited to attend the Art Opening on Friday, October 23rd from 5:30 to 7 p.m., featuring live entertainment and complimentary refreshments. Artists are urged to attend and contribute hors d’oeuvres. To learn more about exhibiting your art, commission structures, and upcoming shows, please visit the VAC page.

Visual Arts Committee Presents: Featured Artist: Debra Babcock Community Show: Mixed Media Art Opening: Friday, November 20th; 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: November 20th – December 22nd All are invited to attend the Art Opening on Friday, October 23rd from 5:30 to 7 p.m., featuring live entertainment and complimentary refreshments. Artists are urged to attend and contribute hors d’oeuvres. To learn more about exhibiting your art, commission structures, and upcoming shows, please visit the VAC page.