In place of in-person summer activities on the grounds, Seattle Center and its resident organizations offer multiple virtual options this month. Streaming summer camps, masterclasses, music, classical performances and much more present fun, engaging and educational experiences for youth, families, aspiring artists and the public at large. Seattle Center Arts at Home captures many of these opportunities at www.seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/arts-at-home.
Here are some virtual events happening during July:
Classical KING FM: Listeners can enjoy outstanding classical music on KING FM anytime, and there are numerous videos of local performances, along with the daily playlist, online. Tune in 9:30 p.m.-9:50 p.m., July 4 for Virtual Fireworks. Stay tuned for Second Inversion with Maggie Molloy at 10 p.m. every Saturday in July. Seattle Opera performances continue this month at 10 a.m., Saturday mornings, including Madame Butterfly on July 11; Così fan tutte, July 18 and Rigoletto on July 25. Explore more at KING.org.
KEXP: KEXP hosts REFILL on its YouTube Channel starting at 4 p.m., Sunday, July 19. The live streamed benefit concert, in partnership with LANGSTON, raises money for the Seattle Artist Relief Fund (SARF), a Black-led community response providing direct financial support to artists affected by Covid-19. Learn more and donate at: kexp.org/read/2020/6/30/announcing-refill-2020-benefit-concert. Visitors to the KEXP website will also find anti-racist and social justice resources, podcasts, COVID-19 resources, artist interviews and much more at kexp.org.
Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP): MoPOP offers pop culture content that gives life, distracts from the tumult and lifts spirits. July features deep exploration into a musical episode of Buffy, Star Trek discovery, recommended 1990s hip-hop albums, oral histories of pop industry leaders, competitions, videos, listicles, discussion threads, virtual concerts, tours and much more. Find it all at: www.mopop.org/about-mopop/the-mopop-blog.
Pacific Northwest Ballet: PNB.org/pnbathome offers a variety of enticing ways to engage with Pacific Northwest Ballet including PNB is Listening, a collaboration between PNB artists and staff that provides opportunities to hear from Black and LGBTQ voices in its community; career retrospective videos and a chance to move and create with PNB Teaching Artist Ann Marie Caldwell and Accompanist Adam Kessler.
Pacific Science Center: Curious kids can still attend PacSci Summer Camps, virtually and in-person, with over 100 unique experiences from which to choose – all in a safe learning environment. Registration remains open for July and August activities. Learn more at www.pacificsciencecenter.org/summer-camps. In addition to organized camps, kids can discover, explore and go deep on the science of play at Summer of Games.
Anyone interested in the science behind music and radio can tune into Science in the City, 7 p.m., July 7, for a virtual talk: In the Studio: The Science Behind Radio. Former NASA Lead Engineer Chris Voorhees discusses insights and lessons learned over two decades of Mars missions in Mars Surface Exploration: Past, Present, Future, 7 p.m., July 21.
Seattle Children’s Theatre: The SCT stages are sadly dark, but the all new, digital-based Virtual Summer Drama School seeks to provoke curiosity, spark laughter and ignite learning with a selection of weekly classes for July and August. Learn more and register at www.sct.org/drama_school/summer-at-sct.
Seattle Opera: www.SeattleOpera.org/inside-look offers artist recitals in a series called Songs of Summer, with mezzo soprano Jamie Barton streaming through July 2 and baritone John Moore streaming through July 9. The Drunken Tenor streams through July. Soprano Tess Altiveros premieres on July 2, tenor Ben Bliss on July 9 and soprano Shelly Traverse on July 14.
Seattle Rep: Seattle Rep has added racial justice resources to its offering of interviews, podcasts, workshops, online classes, articles, stories and insights into what holds meaning, inspiration and importance for the organization. July offers Masterclass Mondays (pre-registration required) and other engagement events. Take it all in at: www.seattlerep.org/about-us/inside-seattle-rep.
Seattle Shakespeare Company: The region’s premier Shakespearean ensemble features Wander: A Seattle Shakespeare Interactive Adventure, July 9-Aug. 9, where participants complete Shakespeare-related missions for fun and prizes. Camp Bill Production Intensive returns for teens virtually in August. Registration deadline is July 17. Learn more at www.seattleshakespeare.org.
SIFF: SIFF has compiled an impressive collection of new independent arthouse films, encores of successful presentations and an ever-rotating selection of cinema to enjoy in your home. Current features include Black Lenses and Voices, amplifying the voices and perspectives of Black storytellers in our community and around the world; The Last Tree, about a British boy of Nigerian heritage who moves to inner London to live with his mum; the South Korean made House of Hummingbird, which follows 14-year-old Eun-hee as she wanders Seoul and navigates a turbulent school year; The Audition, about a violin teacher on the verge of a nervous breakdown and more. Delve deeper and purchase tickets at: www.siff.net/virtual-siff-cinema.
Seattle Center encourages the public to explore these virtual experiences as a reminder of the Center’s role in inspiring spirit and building community. We look forward to resuming summertime activities on the grounds in 2021. In the meantime, engage with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and at www.seattlecenter.com/artsathome – or call 206 684-7200.
About Seattle Center:
Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our region. More than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations that reside on the grounds, together with a broad range of public and community programs, create thousands of events on the 74-acre campus and attract over 12 million visitors each year. At Seattle Center, part of Uptown Arts & Cultural District, our purpose is to create exceptional events, experiences and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. Activities at the Center generate $1.864 billion in business activity and $631 million in labor income.
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