FREE SUMMER CONCERTS @ LAKE WILDERNESS ARBORETUM

Presented by Maple Valley Creative Arts Council and the
Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation

Featuring local; Musicians, Singer/Songwriters and Spoken Word 

All concerts are from 6 to 7 p.m.

PRINT THE FULL SCHEDULE HERE

Bring your family, friends, and even a picnic blanket for an evening of great music under the stars.

We are so excited to officially kick off this year's series with a classy and fun jazz quartet the Swing Street Jazz Ensemble. The band features members of the Boogie Boulevard - Allan Olson, Paul Isop, Zeppy Zittle, and Zander Nevitt. They have a great playlist available @ https://www.swingstreetjazzensemble.com/.

Natalie Mayhew is a songwriter and music teacher from Maple Valley. She obtained her Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington, where she studied classical guitar and music education. Natalie teaches K-5 music at an elementary school in the Lake Washington School district. 

Born into a musical family, Jim Hanna was exposed to a variety of music genres from an early age. Jim picked up guitar around the age of eight and continues expanding his knowledge of the instrument to this day. Drawn to folk-rock in the 70s, his playing centered on acoustic guitar. He started performing casually after graduating from college and moving to Los Angeles when he found an open mic near his home. Meeting like-minded musicians led to forming bands and performing at local venues, which continues to this day.  

Jim writes his own material and has two CDs, “Patches” (2012) and “Scratchin’ in the Dirt” (2019), spanning from ballads to foot-stomping country to rock-and-roll. Learn more about Jim and listen to some of his music at his website: https://jimhannamusic.com/

Rob Kneisler, an expressive songwriter renowned for his detailed fingerstyle guitar playing, has been a vibrant figure in Seattle's acoustic music community since moving from Michigan in the mid-90s. In the past ten years, six of his songs have earned accolades in local songwriting contests. Finally, rewarding his fans, Kneisler has recorded these tracks and more on his debut full-length album, Lift Me Up, which premiered at #35 on the Folk Alliance International Chart.

As Kneisler's songs started racking up awards, he also became well-known for his yearly Bruce Cockburn tribute shows, showcasing a variety of musicians. Fans who pick up on Cockburn's influence in the instrumental tracks on Lift Me Up might find it intriguing that Kneisler owns an exact replica of one of Cockburn's custom guitars, crafted by the renowned luthier Linda Manzer, with the top cut from the same piece of wood.

This unique guitar, combined with the skills gleaned from his time in the maritime trio The Whateverly Brothers and a deep appreciation for the histories of his native Michigan and longtime Northwest home, and Lift Me Up becomes an engaging work all its own. More information is available on Knieslers Facebook page and check out his music on his Apple Music channel.

Ashraf Hakim astounds audiences with his broad musical range and soulful sounds from ancient Arabic quarter-tone variations, sweeping orchestral concertos, and improvisations that transcend the soul bridging peace from East to West. Ashraf was 1st Chair and soloist for the Cairo Opera House, Arabic Symphony Orchestra, and Egyptian National Cultural Theater.

He has played in over 30 countries on six continents for Kings, Queens, Sheiks, Ambassadors, Presidents, and Prime Ministers. Ashraf is the only musician featured on the Pyramids and Sphynx of Egypt. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington.

Meet Kaiya Buffelen, a 15-year-old with a lifelong passion for music. She found her singing voice at just 6 years old and began taking voice and piano lessons by the age of 8. Soon after, she picked up the guitar at 9, the violin at 10, and started songwriting and producing with Logic Pro by 11.

Since she was 9, Kaiya has been gracing venues all over western Washington, performing both in bands and as a solo artist. At just 12, she snagged first place in the Maple Valley Idol singing contest, and by 13, she had already released her debut single, "The Rain," in April 2020.

Besides her music career, Kaiya plays a big role in her brother's popular YouTube channel, EvanMCGaming, which is nearing 1 million subscribers. The channel is all about detailed Minecraft documentaries. Kaiya helps with research, picks out music, reviews scripts, and is even learning how to edit videos.

Ed Corrigan is a Puget Sound area playwright, poet, producer, and director. His plays have been performed at theaters throughout the Puget Sound area including The Creative Arts Center, the Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Valley Center Stage, Freehold Theatre, ACT Theater (staged reading). Ed is an alumnus of ACT, Freehold Theatre, Parley and Salvo Studio Seattle.

He reads his poetry at the monthly Creative Arts Center Open Mic. He serves as Performing Arts Director of the Maple Valley Creative Arts Council.

Maple Valley Big Band has been performing for over 20 years and is made of an all-volunteer staff of professional and amateur musicians, ranging in age from teens to late eighties. The styles of music performed consists of swing, rock, country, jazz and blues. Both instrumentals and vocal tunes are performed.

 They have performed at various retirement communities, car shows and formal concerts. Website: https://maplevalleybigband.weebly.com/