The 32nd annual Seattle Improvised Music Festival takes place on Feb. 2, 3, and 4 at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel, presented by Nonsequitur with support of a Neighborhood & Community Arts grant from City of Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. Doors open at 7:30, music starts at 8 PM.

Nearly all of this year’s artists are playing SIMF for the first time. As in last year’s festival, three esteemed visiting artists — pianist Lisa Cay Miller (Vancouver), flutist Nicole Mitchell (Chicago), multi-instrumentalist Douglas R. Ewart (Minneapolis) — and an array of Northwest improvisers will meet over the course of the weekend in multiple duo, trio, and quartet configurations curated by this year’s festival organizers Greg Campbell, Kate Olson, and Steve Peters. However, instead of three long sets per night, there will be three 20-minute sets plus an additional 30-minute set featuring one of the visiting artists playing solo and/or with other musicians of their own choosing.

Other new features include a workshop for improvising dancers and musicians on Saturday afternoon and a potluck/community discussion afterwards. Check back here for other new developments.

Set lists (start/end times approximate):

Thursday, Feb. 2
6:00 – Improvised music merch mart. Local artists and labels releasing improvisational musics in any physical media formats are invited to set up a table to sell/trade your wares. No fees, you keep all $ from sales. If you only have a few items, you can share a table with others. (Set up starts at 5 PM; we have ten 6′ folding tables, contact us to reserve one.)

8:10-8:30 – James Falzone (clarinet) & Bonnie Whiting (percussion)

8:35-8:55 – Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Robin Holcomb (piano), Nicole Mitchell (flute; Chicago via SoCal)

9:00-9:20 – Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Brian Chin (trumpet), Michaud Savage (classical guitar), Bonnie Whiting (percussion)

9:30-10:00 – Lisa Cay Miller (piano; Vancouver BC) solo + duo with James Falzone (clarinet)

Friday, Feb. 3
7:00 – Improvised music merch mart. Local artists and labels releasing improvisational musics in any physical media formats are invited to set up a table to sell/trade your wares. No fees, you keep all $ from sales. If you only have a few items, you can share a table with others. (Set up starts at 5 PM; we have ten 6′ folding tables, contact us to reserve one.)

8:10-8:30 – Jeff Johnson (bass) & Evan Woodle (drums)

8:35-8:55 – Douglas Ewart (woodwinds; Minneapolis), Robin Holcomb (piano), Catherine Lee (oboe; Portland)

9:00-9:20 – Steve Barsotti (home-mades/field recordings), Brian Chin (trumpet), Arrington de Dionyso (woodwinds; Olympia), Mike Gamble (electric guitar; Portland)

9:30-10:00 – Nicole Mitchell (flute; Chicago via SoCal) solo + duo with Michaud Savage (classical guitar)

Saturday, Feb. 4
1:00-4:00 PM – Improvising Together: A Listening and Playing Workshop for Dancers and Musicians led by dancer Sheri Cohen and musician David Knott. We’ll use listening practices and interactive scores to illuminate the material shared between musicians and dancers and make our improvisations clearer and richer. ENROLLMENT IS FREE but limited to 12 musicians and 12 dancers. Please register by January 28.

5:00-7:00 – Potluck + Future Visioning Session Please join us for an early pre-concert dinner and lively public discussion about the future of the Seattle Improvised Music Festival. This is an opportunity for members of the Seattle improvisation community – artists and listeners alike – to offer input on how we might proceed going forward. Identifying problems is great, but we especially encourage you to propose solutions. Anyone is welcome, just bring some food or drinks and brilliant ideas to share.

7:00 – Improvised music merch mart. Local artists and labels releasing improvisational musics in any physical media formats are invited to set up a table to sell/trade your wares. No fees, you keep all $ from sales. If you only have a few items, you can share a table with others. (Set up starts at 5 PM; we have ten 6′ folding tables, contact us to reserve one.)

8:10-8:30 – Mike Gamble (electric guitar; Portland) & Evan Woodle (drums)

8:35-8:55 – Steve Barsotti (home-mades/field recordings), James Falzone (clarinet), Arrington de Dionyso (woodwinds)

9:00-9:20 – Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Catherine Lee (oboe; Portland), Lisa Cay Miller (piano; Vancouver BC), Bonnie Whiting (percussion)

9:30-10:00 – Douglas Ewart (woodwinds; Minneapolis) w/ Steve Barsotti (home-mades/field recordings), Heather Bentley (viola/violin), Lori Goldston (cello)