The Edmonds Center for the Arts Announces Fifth Season

Grammy-Award winning pop music, Irish harp, ukulele, jazz, country, comedy and more are all part of the fifth season of shows announced by the .

The season begins Oct. 1 with legendary comedian and actress Lily Tomlin.

Returing to ECA are ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro, Riders in the Sky, Seattle International Comedy Competition, The Second City, Reduced Shakespeare Company and Gaelic Storm.

The season continues through May 2012. Individual tickets and full season subscriptions will go on sale July 1 through the ECA box office, (425) 275-9595. Ticket prices vary by show and are posted at the ECD website. 

“We wouldn’t be here without the support of the Edmonds community,” said ECA executive director Joe McIalwain. “We are providing a unique experience by bringing artists to our stage who usually don’t play an intimate space like ours, but that opportunity and our growth wouldn’t happen unless the patrons and the community were behind us.”

Carter Subaru is an ECA season sponsor.

Here is the 2011-2012 season:

Oct. 1: Lily Tomlin: The 71-year-old comedian, who has won Tony, Emmy and Grammy awards, became an American icon during her time on NBC’s Laugh-In. Her movie roles include 9 to 5, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Beverly Hillbillies and I Heart Huckabees.

Oct. 8: Christopher Cross is a Grammy- and Oscar-winning pianist and vocalist best known for “Ride Like the Wind,” “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do).” This year, he released a new CD titled Dr. Faith.

Oct. 14: Orla Fallon, an Irish singer/harpist, is a former member of group Celtic Woman, which has sold more than 6 million CDs worldwide.

Oct. 16: Riders in the Sky is a Grammy Award-winning family friendly Western music and comedy group styled after Gene Autry and Roy Rogers

Oct. 29: Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes are an acclaimed husband-and-wife jazz piano duo. Their first collaborative CD, Double Portrait, was released in 2010.

Nov. 4: MOMIX, founded by Moses Pendelton, is an innovative multimedia experience combining athletic dance, music, inventive props and pure talent

Nov. 16: Seattle International Comedy Competition is a regional touring comedy festival featuring nationally recognized comedians

Nov. 26: Sound of Music Sing-a-Long is an interactive movie event featuring the classic film The Sound of Music. The event is in advance of the downtown Edmonds tree lighting ceremony.

Dec. 1: Cantus (All is Calm) features classical music and theatrics combining to retell a true holiday story from World War I.

Dec. 7: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Holiday Show; the modern-day swing band traditionalists rework yuletide classics into Big Band extravaganzas.

Jan. 13: David Hidalgo and Louie Perez are the songwriting team of the Grammy Award-winning group Los Lobos. Their latest CD is last year’s Tin Can Trust.

Jan. 19: Jake Shimabukuro is a Hawaiian ukelele virtuoso making his third appearance at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. His most recent CD, offered in January, is Peace Love Ukulele.

Jan. 28: International Guitar Night, musical event featuring four acoustic guitarists and their special musical styles

Feb. 18: The Second City is a cutting edge improvisation and satirical sketch comedy mined from current events.

Feb. 24: Kenya Safari Acrobats is a dance and acrobat troupe from Kenya.

March 9: Lorna Luft/Songs My Mother Taught Me, A Tribute to Judy Garland – the daughter of Judy Garland is a celebrated performer, producer and author.

March 24: Reduced Shakespeare Co. - Complete World of Sports – the “bad boys of abridgement” take on the foibles of sports with their new sketch comedy.

April 1: Sweeney Todd in Concert – the demon Barber of Fleet Street comes to life in this concert event featuring favorite songs from the musical.

April 13: Arlo Guthrie is a folk singer/songwriter/philosopher best known for his satirical protest song “Alice’s Restaurant.”

April 27: Alpin Hong is a young, classically trained pianist known for skillful technique and passionate performances.

May 12: Four Bitchin’ Babes (Hormonal Imbalance) are four multi-talented gal pals, each a brilliant writer-musician-comedienne, who specialize in luxurious harmonies and sophisticated standup comedy.

May 18: Gaelic Storm is a Celtic-style music group combining traditional Celtic, Irish and Scottish music with world rhythms.

For more detailed performer information, go the Edmonds Center for the Arts website. Most shows are at 7:30 p.m.