Art Beat: April Art Walk, Poetry Night, student art show, orchestra, Driftwood tickets and an exhibit

New art is springing up all month long, and at the Third Thursday Art Walk

A sampling of what you’ll find this month: Jake Hanson at Musicology Co, Randall Hodges at Randall J Hodges Photography, Indonesian Art at Alexander’s World Treasures, and The Small Works Art Show at Gallery North.

5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 18

A fresh crop of art is blossoming around town this month for Art Walk Edmonds; 23 businesses have new art up for April, and many will open their doors from 5-8 p.m. April 18 p.m. for the Third Thursday Art Walk.

Rock and roll at Musicology Co with photographer Jake Hanson; check out Indonesian art at Alexander’s World Treasures and brilliant photography at Randall J Hodges Photography — both new stops this month. Group art shows at Cole Gallery, Gallery North, Graphite, and Young Art Gallery are not to be missed, and art from our sister city in Hekinan, Japan, is up at the EAFF Gallery in Frances Anderson Center.

Art lovers of all ages, this is your chance to connect with the creators: come out, meet the artists, and let their work inspire you. Explore the show descriptions and walking map online to curate your perfect bouquet of art shows.

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Edmonds Bookshop’s annual Poetry Night

David Horowitz

6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, Edmonds Bookshop, 111 5th Avenue South, Edmonds

Edmonds Bookshop will celebrate National Poetry Month with its annual Poetry Night during Art Walk Edmonds. The evening features local area poets and will be hosted by David D. Horowitz (Rose Alley Press), a poet and friend of Edmonds Bookshop.

Those participating are Rick Clark, Holly J. Hughes, Christopher J. Jarmick and Joannie Stangeland, and all have poems in “Purr and Yowl: An Anthology of Poetry About Cats,” edited by Horowitz. They will be available after the reading to sign books and visit with attendees. Check out Edmonds Bookshop’s website event page for more information about the poets.

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Art Start Northwest Student Art Show

5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 18, Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St., Edmonds

Art Start Northwest’s first Student Art Show aims to showcase student art and highlight the impact of the Art Start Northwest School Outreach Program. There will be up to 300 student art pieces from our five partner schools collectively. This show will take place on the same night as Edmonds Art Walk, connecting more widely with the community.

A silent auction of donated artworks from Graphite Artists will be displayed to raise valuable funds. This event is free and open to the public. The show will be open Thursday, April 18, 5-8 p.m., Friday, April 19, 1-5 p.m., and Saturday, April 20, 12-4 p.m.

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Cascade Symphony Orchestra’s season finale concert, “Italian Symphony,” to feature renowned cellist Eric Han as soloist

Cellist Eric Han

7:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Avenue North

Award-winning cellist Eric Han, a member of the Seattle Symphony, will be the featured soloist with the Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for its Italian Symphony concert.

The event will be the orchestra’s final concert of the 2023-24 season — its 62nd in Edmonds. KING-FM radio personality Dave Beck will give a pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m., previewing the musical highlights for the evening.

Han has received numerous music honors in the United States and Canada, including the Tom Thomas Scholarship, the Toronto Symphony Scholarship, a Schimidbauer International String competition award and the 2012 Sylva Gelber Award.

Han made his concerto debut with the Toronto Symphony when he was just 14. That experience led him to many engagements, including the Toronto Sinfonietta, Toronto Chamber Players and Symphony by the Sea in Boston. He has performed with many of the world’s leading musicians, including Joseph Silverstein, Roberto Diaz, Ani and Ida Kavafian, Cho-Liang Lin, Lynn Harrell and Gray Hoffman.

“Eric Han’s name may be familiar to (Cascade Symphony patrons),” said CSO Music Director Michael Miropolsky. “He made a dazzling debut with our orchestra in 2016, performing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, and a couple of years later returned with Brahms’ Double Concerto. (For this concert), he will perform the delightful Cello Concerto by Camille Saint-Saёns.”

The Suite from La Boutique Fantasque will be the first piece of the concert. Miropolsky noted that it is “by one of the leading Italian composers of the 20th century, Ottorino Respighi.”

“Respighi took lessons from Rimsky-Korsakov, who had an immense influence on shaping the future of (the then) young Italian composer. This brilliantly orchestrated suite follows the charming love story between two dancer dolls in a magic toy shop,” Miropolsky said.

The Cascade Symphony will conclude the concert and the current season by performing Italian Symphony by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.

“On his trip to Italy, Mendelssohn was overwhelmed with the country’s beautiful festivities and inspired by its joyous people, resulting in the creation of his most famous symphonic composition,” Miropolsky noted.

Tickets are $30 for adults, $26 for seniors (60-plus), and $10 for youth (12 and younger). Tickets can be purchased online through the ECA website and by telephone (425-275-9595). Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra is available online.

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Get tickets to Driftwood’s “The Savannah Sipping Society”

May 3-19, Wade James Theatre, 950 Main Street, Edmonds

In this delightful, laugh-a-minute comedy, four unique Southern women, all needing to escape the sameness of their day-to-day routines, are drawn together by fate — and an impromptu happy hour — and decide it’s high time to reclaim the enthusiasm for life they’ve lost through the years.

Over the course of six months, filled with laughter, hilarious misadventures, and the occasional liquid refreshment, these middle-aged women successfully bond and find the confidence to jumpstart their new lives.

Together, they discover lasting friendships and a renewed determination to live in the moment — and most importantly, realize it’s never too late to make new old friends.

Some dates are already close to sold out, so don’t wait to book your tickets! Tickets are $28 General Adult (19-59) and $25 for Jr/Sr/Military.

Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., and Saturday matinee performances have been added on May 11 and 18.

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The Museum of Special Art’s “Nature In Bloom Exhibition” to celebrate April Autism Awareness Month

Through July 2, Edmonds Waterfront Center, 220 Railroad Avenue, Edmonds

In commemoration of Autism Awareness, the Museum of Special Art (MOSA) proudly presents the Nature in Bloom Exhibition. This exhibit will display an in-depth perspective of the multi-sensory work of autism artists in photography and paintings. It will feature the immense creativity and talents of these artists.

These unique pieces will give you insight through the lens of autism in works captured in the spur-of-a-moment of images we often miss or seldom reflect upon in Nature.

MOSA is a nonprofit organization that provides access to the visual arts and educational opportunities for children and adults with disabilities. Learn more on the MOSA website.

— By Elizabeth Murray

(Photo by Brittany Gross)

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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