Extended museum hours

The Vashon Heritage Museum, at 10105 Bank Road, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays this summer. The next Family Day is Saturday, May 17, when the museum will debut the Betty Olson Education Collection, full of things for kids to use — such as an old butter churn, a manual coffee grinder and carding paddles. Entrance is free.

Tannahill Weavers

The Tannahill Weavers, one of Scotland’s premier traditional bands, will play at show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at Open Space for Arts & Community.

Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland, and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and its local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the band has made an international name for itself at the forefront of the Celtic music revival. Blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the energy of a modern folk band, The Tannahill Weavers were among the first to integrate the Highland bagpipes into ensemble playing — a bold move that helped shape the sound of Scottish folk music today. From reflective ballads to foot-stomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Celtic spirits.

Doors to the show open at 7 p.m. Get tickets and find out more at openspacevashon.com.

The Sound of Music

Vashon Center for the Arts’ youth musical theater program will present “The Sound of Music” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at VCA.

The 2 p.m. Saturday matinee is billed as “sensory friendly,” and especially great for seniors and little ones.

One of the most beloved musicals of all time, “The Sound of Music” features a trove of cherished songs. The Broadway musical and Hollywood film starring Julie Andrews won the hearts of audiences worldwide, earning five Tony Awards and five Oscars.

Find out more and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Jam in the Atrium

Up next in the free Jam in the Atrium series, award-winners musicians and close friends Xavier Lecourturier, a drummer and composer, and Martin Budde, a guitarist and composer, will play from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

The pair are co-founders, along with pianist Dylan Hayes, of the Seattle/New York-based contemporary jazz group Meridian Odyssey, whose first release, “Second Wave,” was voted as one of the top 15 Seattle records of 2020 by The Seattle Times. The group’s second album, “Earthshine,” was awarded the 2022 Golden Ear Award for Northwest Recording of the Year by Earshot Jazz.

Lecouturier has taken the Northwest jazz scene by storm as one of the most in-demand drummers and bandleaders in the region. A member of the younger set of upcoming Northwest jazz luminaries, his younger age belies his deeply founded musical vocabulary, said island bassist Bruce Phares, who will also play in the Jam.

Budde’s musicianship has brought him accolades from the Northwest jazz community as well, where he has established himself as a dynamic improviser, performing regularly in a variety of groups as well as his works with Meridian Odyssey.

Early Music Concert

A concert by the Salish Sea Early Music Festival, “Concerti from the Court of Frederick the Great” will be performed at 12 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, at 15420 Vashon Hwy SW.

The concert was first scheduled to take place on May 26 and has now been moved to May 13.

Musicians will included David Schrader, a harpsichordist from Chicago; Salish Sea Early Music Festival founder Jeffrey Cohan on baroque flute; Seattle-based baroque violinist Elizabeth Phelps; Los Angeles-based baroque violinist Courtney Kuroda; San Francisco-based Christine Moran, on baroque viola; and Montreal-based Susie Napper, on baroque cello.

The concert will include both harpsichord and flute concerti by CPE Bach, a concerto by Frederick himself and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suite in B Minor for flute and orchestra.

Admission is a pay-as-you-wish, with a suggested donation of $20 to $30. Youth ages 18 and younger are admitted free.

Next gen filmmakers

“Critical What?!,” the theatrical premiere of a compilation of documentaries by youth filmmakers, will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 13, at Vashon Theatre.

The collection includes work by nine filmmakers, ages 10-15, who have taken deep dives into some of society’s toughest issues, tacking topics ranging from homelessness, the metaverse, private versus public education, book banning, and gender fairness. Their thought-providing work has been shown at prestigious film festivals and praised by educators for their impactful storytelling.

“Critical What?” is part of an Island GreenTech-sponsored series of films on Tuesday evenings at Vashon Theatre. Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion with youth filmmakers and time for the audience to ask questions about the films.

The filmmakers include youth from Tacoma, Seattle, Shoreline, Renton and Covington. The film was produced by Patricia Boiko, who is affiliated with the Vashon Quakers.

Find out more and get tickets at tinyurl.com/mdbc4m29.

Whim W’Him

Celebrate “Spring ‘25” — a presentation of new creations by the award-winning Seattle-based contemporary dance company, Whim W’Him — in a show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Works in the program will come from choreographer Mark Caserta, 2023 Princess Grace Award winner; Lauren Edson, artistic director and co-founder of LED; and Whim W’Him’s founder Olivier Wevers.

Twice a year, VCA offers dance programs by Whim W’Him, showcasing innovative collaborations with regional and global dance artists. As a principal dancer with both the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, Wevers brings imaginative storytelling and expressive movement to all of the dance company’s programs.

Get tickets — including free tickets to those 18 and younger — at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Stephanie Chou

Stephanie Chou, a composer, saxophonist, singer, and storyteller based in New York City, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Having performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Joe’s Pub (at The Public Theatre), Chou blends Chinese musical influences with Western jazz and pop to create a vibrant musical world that forges cross-cultural connections.

She has won rave reviews for her performances.

Lia Prusha, of San Jose Jazz, wrote that Chou’s “music produces a tingle down the spine as our ears fill with the sounds of genius that will live on far into the future,” and Lydia Singer, of Broadway World, said, “Chou’s performance never wavers and is a delight throughout.”

Get tickets and find out more at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Palestine film series

Vashon Film Institute, in association with a new local group, Vashon for Palestine, is presenting a series of documentary films about Palestine at Vashon Theatre.

The next film in the series, “From Ground Zero” will screen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18. The film “Israelism” will conclude the series with a screening at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25.

“From Ground Zero” is a series of short films from 22 Palestinian filmmakers, portraying their lives in Gaza amidst war since Oct. 7, 2023.

“Israelism” is an examination of the portrayal of the Israel-Palestine history and conflict within the Jewish community in the United States. This film is co-sponsored by the Vashon Israel/Palestine, Palestine/Israel Study Group. Following the film screening, there will be a discussion and Q & A, led by islander Yve Susskind.

Find out more about the films and purchase tickets at vashonfilminstitute.com/vfipresents.

The Biggest Little Farm

Join the Vashon Park District for a free screening of “The Biggest Little Farm” at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, at the Vashon Theatre. This acclaimed documentary follows a couple’s inspiring journey to build a regenerative farm from the ground up. Before the film, members of Vashon Island Growers Association will give a short talk about local farming.

Legendary guitarist returns

Scottish guitar player Tony McManus returns to the Vashon Havurah at 7:30 p.m., Saturday May 17.

Hailed by John Renbourn as “the best Celtic guitarist in the world,” and listed as one of the 50 transcendent guitarists of all time by Guitar Player Magazine, McManus plays dexterous and dazzling music drawing on traditions from the entire Celtic world as well as jazz and eastern European music.

Long applauded for his uncanny ability to transpose the delicate, complex ornamentation characteristic of traditional bagpipe or fiddle tunes — even the phrasing of a Gaelic song — onto his own six strings, McManus is increasingly acknowledged also as a pioneering figure in bridging the realms of Celtic music and other guitar genres.

Doors open at 7 p.m. A donation of $25 cash or check is suggested, and reservations are encouraged by calling or emailing Jan Strolle at janstrolle@comcast.net or 206-228-0730. The Havurah is located at 15401 Westside Hwy SW, Vashon. All proceeds go to the musician.

Falstaff in Vegas

Vashon Center for the Arts will play host in May to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff, an homage to Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, with a twist: The performance will be set in Las Vegas. The action begins at the “Windsor Hotel and Casino” and its surroundings in the 1970s, with poolside cocktails enjoyed by the gossipy Merry Wives and a good old-fashioned Vegas wedding.

The comic opera is sung in Italian with English supertitles and runs about 2 hours, 45 minutes with one intermission and one pause. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 23, and 2:30 p.m., Sunday, May 25.

Joshua Conyers will return as Falstaff — one of his signature roles — after electrifying the stage and terrifying the audience as Scarpia in Vashon Opera’s Tosca. The Grammy-nominated baritone has been singled out by Opera News for his “deliciously honeyed baritone that would seduce anyone,” by The New York Times as having “a sonorous baritone” that “wheedled and seduced,” and by The Washington Post for having a “show stealing” performance.

Marie Masters Webb, a Vashon favorite, returns as the clever and scheming Alice Ford after wowing audiences in the title role of Ariadne auf Naxos, Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Lady Billows in Albert Herring. She’s been hailed by The New York Times as “immensely likable” with a “warm, fresh soprano.”

Meanwhile, Emily Pulley makes her company debut as Mistress Quickly. Pulley is now in the fourth decade of her singing career, appearing with opera companies and orchestras across the country and around the world, and has also worked steadily as a stage director since making her professional debut with La bohème for Opera Ithaca in 2019. She has sung nearly 200 performances at the Met, where her roles have ranged from Marguerite in Faust to Gerhilde in Die Walküre to Valencienne in The Merry Widow.

Brendan Tuohy and José Rubio will return for the roles of Fenton and Ford, and Vashon Opera Artistic Director Allison Pohl will appear onstage for the first time since assuming her leadership position in one of her all-time favorite roles, Nannetta. Other returning artists include Nerys Jones, Michael Drumheller, and Nick Stevens in the roles of Meg Page, Pistola, and Bardolfo. Simon Petersson will make his company debut as Doctor Caius.

For tickets and information, visit vashonopera.org.

The Tannahill Weavers, one of Scotland’s premier traditional bands, will play a show on May 8 at Open Space for Arts & Community. (Courtesy photo)

Xavier LeCourturier, a highly respected drummer and composer on the Northwest jazz scene, will be joined by guitarist and composer Martin Budde and island bassist Bruce Phares in the next installment of Jam in the Atrium, on May 11. (Courtesy photo)

Legendary Scottish guitar player Tony McManus will play a concert at Vashon Havurah on May 17. (Courtesy photo)