How things work at Concerts in the Woods: Our concerts are open to all with no admission charge, but there is an opportunity to make a donation at the door. 100% of the donations collected go directly to the artists who are performing for you. Doors open 30 minutes before showtime. We offer open seating on a first-come, first-served basis, with no tickets or advanced reservations. Complimentary coffee and cookies are served at intermission.
2025 Concert Schedule
Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Shelby Earl feat. Billy Brush
Shelby Earl’s first two albums earned the kind of raves any musician would kill for. Upon hearing her 2011 debut, Burn the Boats, NPR’s Ann Powers called Earl her “new favorite songwriter,” and she wasn’t alone. Accolades followed from Rolling Stone to the Wall Street Journal and a million music publications in between that positioned her somewhere to the left of Neko Case, a few blocks from Sharon Van Etten, catercorner to Angel Olsen. She toured everywhere, playing with the likes of Loudon Wainwright, Rhett Miller, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, who spoke for many people when he said Shelby has “the most heartbreakingly beautiful voice in Seattle.” Shelby will be joined by Coyle resident Billy Brush on piano, who has been a part of Shelby’s live ensemble since 2014. In 2024, Shelby and Billy performed sold-out shows at the Triple Door and Tractor Tavern in Seattle and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Check out live performance video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0g__QvfcPs&list=PLEUQERtI-e-oUJUNOtbytqQZiA1CVJLGE
Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Swing Dance with The Hot Club of Port Townsend
This is going to be a lot of fun! Hot Club of Port Townsend is an ensemble of accomplished and versatile musicians whose repertoire features Django Reinhardt style hot club jazz, harmony vocals (in English and French), and French waltzes. Throw in a dash of Brazilian choro, and you have a delightful afternoon of music with a group of incredibly talented local musicians.
Though the Hot Club of Port Townsend is a recent development, all the musicians in the group are experienced musicians who have been a part of the PNW/West Coast music scene for decades. Jessica Logan, on guitar, is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Her former band Zazou, which features mostly original django style swing tunes, though no longer performing as a group, has a large worldwide following on streaming platforms. Port Townsend based fiddler Bobbi Nikles performs many styles: oldtime, Irish, swing jazz and more. Also a music educator, she founded and directed the acclaimed day camp for young fiddlers, Fiddlekids, in Berkeley, CA. She taught at YEA (Youth Enrichment in the Arts) in Port Townsend and at Centrum’s Festival of American Fiddletunes. Tracy Grisman, bassist for The Hot Club of PT, is also a multi-instrumentalist who often performs with her husband, the legendary David Grisman, and other combos in and around the area. She describes herself as, “a life long learner, teacher, painter, sketcher, musician, community practitioner, and activist.” Tracy is a talented painter, and her work often combines her love of art and music in her paintings.
Concerts in the Woods continues to host top-notch musicians from all over the world, but we hold a special love for our local artists. Please join us for a great afternoon in Coyle.
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Jesse Terry
We are so excited to welcome Jesse Terry back to Concerts in the Woods in 2025!
Jesse’s new album “Arcadia” marks a major high point in the triumphant career of one of the premier singer-songwriters in the contemporary Americana genre. Rooted in rhythmic rock & roll and sharp songwriting, “Arcadia” is the seventh original album from an award-winning musician who’s spent much of the past decade on the move, playing 150 shows annually, including bucket list events such as Bonnaroo and AmericanaFest. Arcadia captures both sides of that musical personality, finding room for amplified anthems one moment and intimate moments the next, showcasing just how wide Terry’s reach can be.
A grand-prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Terry established himself as a top-shelf songwriter and storyteller even before he built his audience as a solo artist. Arcadia captures him at his articulate, energetic peak, stocked with songs that turn personal details from Terry’s own life — including the joys and challenges of fatherhood, as well as nostalgic reflections upon his own childhood — into universal rallying cries for anyone looking to turn the challenges of the past into fuel for a better, brighter present.
Check out “Arcadia” here: https://www.jesseterrymusic.com/listen
Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Farmstrong
FarmStrong lights up the stage with exquisite harmony signing and seasoned instrumentation. The heart of the band draws on inspiration from the last century of country, blues and bluegrass music from the 1920’s through the 50’s, as well as folk, rock, gospel and soul music of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and beyond.
FarmStrong’s talented and experienced musicians, including new Coyle resident Rick Meade also of local bluegrass favorite Me and the Boys, take their audience outside the bluegrass tradition. Their unmistakable sound moves the soul, while remaining firmly rooted in music from the mountains.
With four top-notch recordings to their credit, including their most recent “Farmstrong 4”, the band has a wealth of material to draw from to create another memorable musical afternoon in Coyle.
It’s been too long since we welcomed these guys back to Concerts in the Woods. Please join us for a great show performed by some of our best local musicians.
Website: https://farmstrongmusic.com/
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Larry Murante and Nati Popover
Singer-songwriter Larry Murante has a well-earned reputation as one of the Northwest’s finest contemporary singer/songwriters. And he has the accolades and dozens of regional, national, and international awards to back it up. Murante is well known for his soaring, mellifluous tenor, strong rhythmic guitar style, and engaging stage presence. He performs both originals and cover tunes. His award-winning original songs feature beautifully woven stories about everyday folks. They combine compassionate, socially conscious lyrics with an upbeat, joyful folk-rock style.
Larry’s music is reminiscent of Jackson Brown, Lyle Lovett, and Marc Cohn. His extensive repertoire of originals and classic covers can be tailored to audiences at festivals, wineries, restaurants, pubs, private events, radio interviews, and house concerts.In the past 10 years, Larry Murante has won more than 18 awards in US and international competitions for songwriting and performance, including Grand Prize Winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Other awards include the West Coast Songwriters Song Contest and the Great American Song Contest (see full list). His fourth CD release, Patch of Sky, has garnered critical acclaim and radio airplay in both the US and Europe.
Award winning violinist Nati Popova grew up in Moscow Russia and has performed all over Europe and the US for the past several decades. Natasha studied classical violin at Gnesin’s Music academy in Moscow Russia and organ at Hochshule Luzern in Switzerland. As a violinist, she has performed on the Bangladesh, “Wind Of Change” TV series and a US national tour with accordionist Sergei Teleshev as well as several other music projects in Moscow Russia, Eugene, OR and Dallas, TX. Natasha has amassed many performance awards including winner of the All-Russian contest “New Names” and the Grand Prix of the festival “International Talented” award to name a few. She is currently seeking asylum in the US and misses her brother and sister currently living in Ukraine and her mother and father who reside in Moscow, Russia.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBn0hKYtlyQ
Sunday, June 22, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. Claude Bourbon
The last time Claude Bourbon played concerts in the Woods (in April, 2023), the very first question on the lips of his rapturous audience was “When can he come back and play again?!” coming all the way from Europe to the Olympic Peninsula, we’re excited to have Claude back for this summer solstice-weekend matinee show.
It’s not easy to describe the almost endless mix of merging influences in this amazing string master’s playing… He moves from a classical opening with almost courteous music across the continent to the blues of the Mississippi Delta, from the Balearic Islands to the Balkans, and then back to the United States. A Spanish blues evolve into Gypsy music, travels to Eastern Europe, with a splash of Paco de Lucia, then a touch of Delta tunes and more. Also influences from Richie Blackmore, Joaquin Rodrigo, JJ Cale and even J. S. Bach speaks for themselves. Claude Bourbon has impeccable timing and does things on six strings that are simply amazing. Experience again his stunning acoustic fusion of blues, jazz, folk, classical and Spanish guitar. We’ll look forward to seeing you there!