Join us on March 10 for American Guitar and Song
Guitarists Elizabeth CD Brown and Storm Tucker are joined by vocalists Amy van Mechelen and Erin Calata in an evening of American music of the past 150 years for guitar and song.
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| Elizabeth CD Brown, guitarist, lutenist |
February 10, 2026, Classical Tuesdays is excited to welcome a saxophone quartet to Slavonian Hall. The program features a variety of American compositions - sax music by Zack Browning, Moondog, Jennifer Higdon, Marc Mellits, Roshanne Etezady, Elliot del Borgo, Caryl Florio, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter.
The Crosswind Quartet is an ensemble committed to showcasing and expanding the possibilities of the saxophone through bold programming and compelling performances. The group debuted in 2024 with a concert of Finnish music presented by the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society.
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| Fred Winkler |
Alto saxophonist Soren Hamm is an award-winning soloist and chamber musician whose performances have aired on Performance Today and Northwest Focus Live. A strong advocate for new music, he has appeared at festivals such as New Music Gathering and the Bowling Green New Music Festival. He teaches at Seattle Pacific University and Pierce College Puyallup.
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| Soren Hamm |
Tenor saxophonist Erik Steighner has performed with ensembles including the Austin Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, and Symphony Tacoma, and appears on recordings from Albany, Naxos, and Reference Recordings. He teaches saxophone at Pacific Lutheran University, the University of Puget Sound, and Tacoma Community College, and is founder of the South Sound Saxophone Ensemble.
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| Erik Steighner |
Baritone saxophonist Evan Smith tours internationally with the R&B group The Dip and is active across Seattle’s experimental and classical music circles. He has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, and Seattle Men’s Chorus. He co-founded the Seattle Saxophone Institute and teaches privately while working as a clinician throughout the region.
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| Evan Smith |
Use the ramp from the alley up to the back door if the inside stairs are too challenging.
Thank you to our primary sponsors: Connelly Law Offices, Slavonian Hall, OTBPA, Tacoma Creates, and Ted Brown Music Co.; and our many generous neighborhood friends!
Our Wine & Song 2025 was a resounding success: a great gathering of friends -old and new! Every seat was filled and a lovely table of refreshments and wines awaited our guests, when we gathered on December 9 for our annual Wine & Song at the festively decorated Connelly Law Offices.
Classical Tuesdays Artistic Director Pamela Ryker welcomed our performing artists - members of Rising Waters Collective co-directors soprano Holly Boaz and mezzo-soprano Lucy Weber, joined by pianist Amy Boers. The program featured works by women composers and poets whose work "carries sparks of persistence, humor, longing, memory, and warmth" (to quote the program notes). We were enthralled - and thrilled!
Wines were generously poured by 3 Old Town Tacoma wine shops: Bordeaux Wine Bar, Uva Furem Winery, and Tacoma Wine Merchants.
The attractive, tasty fingerfoods were provided by Jan Lind and Kathleen Butler, and the lovely holiday cookies were baked and beautifully displayed by Chris Reynolds. Rob Reynolds gathered and strewed about the rooms festive green boughs. Karen Goettling greeted our guests at the reception desk.
Our thanks to Connelly Law Offices for the use of their elegant space. And thank you all for your generous support!
Please join us for our next Classical Tuesdays event "Sax Americana" featuring saxophonists Soren Hamm, Evan Smith, Erik Steighner, and Fred Winkler - on Tuesday February 10, 2026, at 7:00pm at Slavonian Hall, 2306 N 30th Street in Old Town Tacoma.
December 9, 2025 at 7:00pm
held at the Connelly Law Offices
2301 N 30th Street, Old Town Tacoma
$32 Tickets available at link above or at the door (if any seats left)
Join us for a recital of Songs and a Wine Reception
a benefit for our series of free events:
Classical Tuesdays in Old Town Tacoma
A Lovely Light: Songs to Brighten our Dark Days
Featuring works by Northwest composers Olympia-based Dawn Sonntag, Seattle-native Sheila Silver, and Issaquah-native Caitlin Vincent.
Performers: Mezzo soprano Lucy Weber, soprano Holly Boaz, pianist Amy Boers
Holly and Lucy are co-directors of Rising Waters Collective, a chamber opera company grounded in the cultural and ecological fabric of the Puget Sound region. Our mission is to create intimate, immersive works that amplify regional stories, employ local artists, build lasting cross-sector community partnerships, and embrace opera as a living, evolving art form.
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| Mezzo soprano Lucy Weber |
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| Soprano Holly Boaz |
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| Pianist Amy Boers |
November 11, 2025
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| Gen Obata, Kristi & Steve Nebel |
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October 14 at 7:00 pm
A Trip Around the Sun: The Four Seasons
Music of Vivaldi (his Four Seasons), Piazzola (Invierno Porteno), and Tacoma's own composer Korine Fujiwara (BeSpoke, Unspoken)
featuring The Girsky String Quartet with guest violinist Maria Sampen: Natasha Bazhanov, violin; Artur Girsky, violin; Timothy Christie, violin/viola; Rowena Hammill, cello.
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| The Girsky Quartet |
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| Maria Sampen |
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| Timothy Christie |
Slavonian Hall, 2306 N 30th Street, Tacoma
Free! All ages welcome/You may use the ramp from the back alley for easier access
prryker@gmail.com Artistic Director
Always our Thanks! to our generous sponsors
Connelly Law Offices, Old Town Business & Professional Assoc., Tacoma Creates, Slavonian American Benevolent Society, and Ted Brown Music Co., and many individuals
2025/26 Season
