Tickets are now on sale for the Kent Arts Commission’s 2023-2024 Spotlight Series, which brings exceptional entertainment to the city.
These events are presented by the Kent Arts Commission and Kent Parks, Recreation & Community Services.
The upcoming season will feature seven performances, beginning Oct. 17 and running through March 1, 2024:
Vienna Boys Choir
- Tuesday, October 17
- Kentwood Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $35 general, $32 senior, $20 youth
Boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel at least since 1296, making the Vienna Boys Choir one of the oldest and most famous choirs in the world. Today, 100 boy choristers between the ages of 9 and 14 are divided into four choirs, each spending ten weeks of the school year on tour. Together, they give around 300 concerts each year, attend by almost half a million spectators around the world.
Magical Strings 37th Annual Celtic Yuletide Concert
- Sunday, December 3
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 3:00 p.m.
- Tickets: $28 general, $26 senior, $18 youth
The Boulding Family’s musical celebration of the holiday season is a festive and memorable tradition. Once again, Pam and Philip Boulding are joined by their children, grandchildren, and guests for an afternoon of Yuletide music, Irish step dancing, drumming, and storytelling.
The Queen’s Cartoonists “Holiday Hurrah Yule Love It!”
- Thursday, December 14
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior, $20 youth
Music from cartoons! Pulling from over 100 years of animation, The Queen’s Cartoonists’ performances are perfectly synchronized to the films projected on stage. The band matches the energy of the cartoons, leading the audience through a world of virtuosic musicianship, multi-instrumental mayhem, and comedy. Sponsored by Curran Law Firm
Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles
- Friday, January 26
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $32 general, $30 senior, $20 youth
Audience members fill out request cards prior to the show and a set list is created based upon the songs chosen by that audience. Every show is different, every show is interactive, and every show proves that The Beatles’ music truly is the soundtrack to our lives. Sponsored by Pete and Pat Curran through the Kent Community Foundation
International Guitar Night
- Friday, February 2
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior $20 youth
International Guitar Night is North America’s premier traveling guitar festival, highlighting the virtuosity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. For the tour’s 24th year, the lineup includes, amazing acoustic rock interpreter Luca Stricagnoli (Italy), the nylon string artistry of Thu Le (Vietnam), master composer and performer Marco Pereira (Brazil), and blues slide guitarist and singer Minnie Marks (Australia). Sponsored by Judy Woods and co-sponsored by the Haffner Family
Live From Laurel Canyon “James & Joni: Their Stories, Their Songs”
- Friday, February 23
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $30 general, $28 senior, $20 youth
Live From Laurel Canyon presented their hit show “Songs and Stories of American Folk Rock” during the 2021-2022 Spotlight Series season. Now they are back with this show chronicling the careers of two songwriting icons: James Taylor and Joni Mitchell with narrated stories about their lives and familiar songs. Sponsored by Pete and Pat Curran through the Kent Community Foundation
Trailblazing Women of Country: From Patsy to Loretta to Dolly
- Friday, March 1
- Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $35 general, $32 senior, $20 youth
Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton revolutionized country music and blazed a trail for future generations of female artists. Chart-topping hits and record-breaking sales earned each a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame. This show features Miko Marks, CMT’s 2022 “Next Woman of Country,” and Nashville-based Kristina Train, supported by a 5-member, all-female band. Sponsored by The Pete and Pat Curran Family
Tickets for all Spotlight Series performances are on sale now
Tickets may be purchased online at kentarts.com, by calling 253-856-5051 or in person at the Kent Commons, located at 525 4th Ave. N.
Hours for phone and in-person sales are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Spotlight Series is presented by the Kent Arts Commission and Kent Parks, Recreation and Community Services and partially funded by 4Culture, WESTAF, National Endowment for the Arts, and a variety of business and individual sponsors.
For information call 253-856-5050, or visit kentarts.com.
