Concert series coming to Manor House

Pleasant Beach Village will present the first in a series of concerts in the historic Manor House, featuring a slate of artists ranging from local favorites to well-known talents never before featured on this side of the water.

The series, which launches this month for a Fall/Winter run of 10 concerts, will inaugurate an annual showcase announcing the storied Manor House as a new venue for world-class musical performance in the Pacific Northwest.

“The Manor House is an iconic venue for weddings, banquets and meetings,” general manager Joe Raymond said. “And it’s our hope that the music series will establish the site as something of a cultural hub as well. There’s certainly an audience for it.”

The village already hosts a popular, free live music series “every Friday, without fail” (to quote the ubiquitous posters) which will continue. This new ticketed series at the Manor House heralds a more intimate and elevated experience, featuring award-winning artists familiar to Seattle audiences at places like Benaroya Hall, iconic rock-n-roll shows at the Paramount Theater, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley and even the world-famous Carnegie Hall.

“Crucially,” Raymond hastens to add, “there will also be a full bar.”

Commencing on Oct. 30 with the irresistible jazz stylings of Michael Owcharuk’s 4tet, highlights of the series include an evening with the virtuoso cellist Nathan Chan of Seattle Symphony, the playful eclecticism of Grammy-nominated Brazilian jazz pianist Jovino Santos Neto, the critically acclaimed pop-rock stylings of Jesse Butterworth, and a special holiday concert from the alumni of the legendary Total Experience Gospel Choir, Seattle’s internationally renowned soul ensemble.

The Pleasant Beach Village Music Series, as it is officially known, is the brainchild of Raymond and the village’s music director Andrew Joslyn, both old islanders and childhood friends. The pair developed the concept over recent months as a way to bring world-class musical entertainment to the island on a consistent and predictable basis, with an emphasis on the experience of the artists.

“The (COVID-19) pandemic has been hard for everyone,” said Joslyn, himself an accomplished musician, composer and producer who has worked with the likes of Macklemore, Kesha, Leslie Odom Jr. and Judy Collins. “And it has been particularly devastating to live performance. There has never been a better time to nurture and sustain our creative economy, and I’m thrilled to partner with Pleasant Beach Village to establish a venue where artists are valued, respected and equitably compensated for their time and talent.”

In addition to his work at the Village, Joslyn is a trustee of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Recording Academy (The Grammys), curator the Seattle Symphony Essential Series and recently appointed by the mayor of Seattle to the Seattle Music Commission.

For his part, Raymond played the clarinet for part of sixth grade, to very little fanfare. Even so, he is optimistic about the long-term prospects of the series.

“Bainbridge Island has a sophisticated arts audience that’s underserved at the moment, and we really wanted to meet that need.”

The concerts will take place on consecutive Saturdays, with a few exceptions to accommodate other events or holidays. Tickets are on sale and the entire calendar can be viewed online at pleasantbeachvillage.com/fall-concertseries/.