KPBX Kids' Concerts: Celtic Dance Party St. Patrick’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean the Irish festivities that come with it are done for too. The MSD Irish Dance Academy and musical group Floating Crowbar are performing Celtic dances and western Irish music, plus the dancers are giving live tutorials so you can join along with the fun and learn how to jig. Floating Crowbar is composed of musicians Don Thomsen, James Hunter, guitarist Eugene Jablonsky and fiddler Morgan Andersen, who will use a wide variety of instruments including uilleann pipes (an Irish form of bagpipes), flutes, mandolins and more. This recurring series hosted by KPBX Spokane has been mostly virtual the last few years due to the pandemic, but it’s finally back in-person for this showcase.
Spokane String Quartet For the next concert of its current season, the Spokane String Quartet, composed of four esteemed musicians, all members of the Spokane Symphony, Mateusz Wolski, Amanda Howard-Phillips, Jeannette Wee-Yang and Helen Byrne, showcases music both new and old. The group performs one of just two string quartets by German Romantic era composer Max Bruch, who mainly wrote for orchestras or solo instruments. Complementing Bruch’s rich melodies, the quartet shifts to two familiar contemporary composers: Philip Glass and Caroline Shaw. Glass’ String Quartet No. 5 was written to accompany Bela Lugosi’s 1931 Dracula and has been described as both energetic and tender. Shaw, meanwhile, has been honored with both a Pulitzer (at age 30, she was the youngest music recipient) and Grammy for her work. The quartet takes on Shaw’s Beethoven-inspired “Blueprint.”
Still I Rise The Palouse Choral Society’s Chamber and Children’s Choirs are kicking off Women’s History Month with a night of interconnected musical performances: All of the featured pieces were composed by women. The program contains a blend of historic pieces from composers such as Clara Schumann, Amy Beach and Ethel Smyth, as well as recent compositions from the likes of B.E. Boykin, Tracy Wong and Rosephanye Powell. To close out the night, the Children’s Choir performs a variety of songs, and award-winning author and special guest Diane Worthey hosts a book signing for her newly released children’s book, Rise Up with a Song: The True Story of Ethel Smyth, Suffragette Composer.
Our Planet: Live in Concert The Emmy-winning Netflix conservation-minded nature documentary series Our Planet may initially captivate viewers with its stunning wildlife imagery and gravitas-rich narration by David Attenborough, but what really helps the episodes flourish and flow is the scoring by Oscar-winning composer Steven Price (Gravity). And while it’s great to stream the show from the comfort of your home in a pair of sweatpants, Our Planet Live in Concert offers patrons a chance to take in the majesty of the music in person while also gazing at the dazzling cinematography projected behind the 18-piece orchestra.
Sandpoint Songfest Songwriting is a powerful craft that can evoke emotions ranging from immense joy to gut-wrenching heartbreak, and it can tell intricate stories in ways that transport you directly to the scene. Not only will guests of this two-day music celebration get to learn how nationally recognized and regional musicians write their music, they’ll also have the opportunity to hear that art performed live and in person. The weekend is filled with performances and workshops from featured musicians who explain their songwriting process and tell the stories behind the creation of songs. Tickets are available online for day passes, all weekend or for individual workshops.