What's On

Bloomington Comedy Festival Round 1 It's that time again, friends! 11 Weeks, 40 Comedians, 39 Frowny Emoticons, ONE Champion. With almost all sold out shows, the best audiences of the year, and the ability to decide the winner, The Bloomington Comedy Festival returns for its 14th year. Join us Wednesdays AND Thursdays ALL SUMMER LONG as we crown The Funniest Person in Bloomington! Dates: Thu 25, Fri 26, Sat 27, Sun 28 Booking and More Information

Josh Gondelman Josh Gondelman is a writer and comedian who incubated in Boston before moving to New York City, where he currently lives and works as the head writer and an executive producer for Desus & Mero on Showtime. Previously, he spent five years at Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, first as a web producer and then as a staff writer where he earned four Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and three WGA Awards. In 2016, Josh made his late night standup debut on Conan (TBS), and he has also performed on Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC) and The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS). Dates: Fri 19 Booking and More Information

Park Stickney, jazz harp Legendary jazz harpist, Park Stickney, presents a program on the electric harp that takes the harp to a whole new realm. Park’s programs evolve “in the moment” on stage and range from classical standards to amazing improvisations. His energy, vitality and humor on stage make him one of the most sought-after jazz harpists of his time. Guest artist and Bloomington favorite Jeremy Allen, jazz bassist, will join Park in several numbers.

About Park Stickney
While attempting to live simultaneously on a farm in Valeyres-sous-Ursins Switzerland, and in Brooklyn, New York, harpist Park Stickney is constantly in motion, giving concerts worldwide, from Adelaide to Zaragoza, solo, or with various collaborations, including the GFI Trio with Björn Meyer and Araxi Karnussian (harp/bass/sax), Héliu with Guo Gan and Frédéric Folmer (harp/bass/erhu) and the world music quartet Modus. Stickney was the subject of a 2018 film by “Plans Fixes” a series which aims to document the French-speaking part of Switzerland through the eyes of regional personalities. He’s appeared on the French television program “La Boîte à Musique,” performed on the QE2, recorded with the “Crash Test Dummies” and Jonathan Coulton, played with young oud students in the West Bank, given concerts in a mine in South- Tyrol, in a thermal bath in Switzerland, in a New York McDonalds, in Sri Lanka, in Hong Kong, in Moscow, Madras, Moldavia… He’s played Broadway pits in NY, toured with the Fantasticks in Japan, played a soldout solo show at the Sennheiser Shanghai Concert Hall, and appears regularly on page 97 of Patricia Cornwell’s novel “From Potter’s Field.” Park teaches at the Royal Academy of Music, London and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon, and has given masterclasses and workshops at nearly every harp festival that exists. In 2021 he completed a PhD (Giant Steps for Harp: New Approaches to the Pedals), at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London. He is also an enthusiastic and spectacularly absent Swiss volunteer fireman.

About Jeremy Allen
Jeremy Allen, a Grammy-nominated bassist, has performed in the United States and abroad with such jazz luminaries as Fred Hersch, Mike Stern, David Liebman, Kenny Wheeler, Bob Brookmeyer, and George Garzone. DownBeat magazine describes his playing as “worthy of Jaco Pastorius.” He has recorded on Origin Records, Cadence Records, Patois Records, Artists House Music, and his own label, Watercourse Records. Well-known in Bloomington, Jeremy recently served as the Interim Dean of the Jacobs School of Music and has taught jazz studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music since 2006.

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This event is part of the 12th USA International Harp Competition, taking place June 29-July 9, 2022. The USAIHC is the most esteemed solo harp competition in the world presenting 70+ free solo performances and two ticketed events. More information on the 12th Competition can be found on our website: www.usaihc.org.

Park Stickney is sponsored by the Christel DeHaan Family Foundation and Perry Maull.

Special thanks to the Exclusive Sponsors of the 12th USA International Harp Competition – Lyon & Healy Harps, Inc. and the IU Jacobs School of Music. Dates: Tue 30 Booking and More Information

Sam Jay's Bloomington Debut! Originally from Boston, stand-up comic Sam Jay is the writer and star of “Bust Down” on Peacock, the WGA Nominated writer and host of “Pause with Sam Jay” on HBO Max, and an Emmy Nominated Writer for “Saturday Night Live” that frequently appeared in sketches.

In 2020, Sam dropped her Netflix Special “3 In The Morning” and was selected for Netflix’s Best of Standup 2020.

In 2018, she made her Netflix Debut on “The Comedy Lineup” and released her Debut Album “Donna’s Daughter.” She wrote for the “2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards” and had a recurring role on TV Land’s “Nobodies”.

In 2017, Sam was a standout of the “Just For Laughs: New Faces.” She was the host of “Ricking Morty,” the Rick and Morty post-show on Adult Swim and was a cast member of MTV’s “SafeWord.”

Sam made her late-night television debut on ABC’s Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel and her half-hour stand-up special premiered on Comedy Central. In 2015, she was named to the Comedy Central “Comics To Watch List,” and has since performed at the Vodafone Dublin Comedy Festival, Bumbershoot Festival, 208 Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Portland’s Bridgetown Festival, The Laugh Your Asheville Off Comedy Festival, Boston’s Women In Comedy Festival, and the list goes on.

Her credits also include a part in the award-winning film “Pinsky”, Starz’ “Take My Wife”, Comedy Central’s “White Flight”, “The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail,” as well as Viceland’s “Party Legends” & “Flophouse.” Dates: Wed 24 Booking and More Information

The Sugarhill Gang In 1979, the Sugarhill Gang crashed through the walls of the urban cities and into the mainstream of society with the first worldwide rap hit, "Rapper's Delight." Two of the original members of this historic group, Wonder Mike (Michael Wright) and Master Gee (Guy O’Brien) had teamed up with Henry Jackson (pka Big Bank Hank) to become the now famous Sugarhill Gang.

Sugarhill Gang is believed by many to be the first professional Hip Hop group, because they introduced to the masses (both in the United States and overseas) this unprecedented genre of music. “Rapper's Delight” eventually sold over 8 million copies, and went on to be the biggest selling rap single of all time. Even today, it continues to appeal to audiences of all ages.

Shortly thereafter, the Sugarhill Gang released such hits as “Apache,” “8th Wonder” and “Living in the Fast Lane.” Wonder Mike and Master Gee teamed up with Henry Williams (aka Hendogg) and DJ T. Dynasty who both have performed with the group for 20 years and counting creating new music, while still pleasing the crowds with their greatest hits.

In the Summer of 2009, they released their first song in 25 years with international DJ phenom Bob Sinclair called “LaLa Song,” which quickly became an uber hit overseas, securing Song of the Year for many European countries, including Italy. The hit single is currently being released in the United States.

Wonder Mike, Master Gee, Hendogg and DJ Dynasty continue their tradition of creating a party atmosphere that makes everyone dance the night away as they perform for sold out crowds throughout the world. Dates: Thu 04, Fri 05, Sat 06, Sun 07, Tue 09, Wed 10, Thu 11, Fri 12, Sat 13, Sun 14, Tue 16, Wed 17, Thu 18, Fri 19, Sat 20, Sun 21, Tue 23, Wed 24, Thu 25, Fri 26, Sat 27, Sun 28 Booking and More Information

Unreserved Test Event Dates: Tue 02, Wed 03, Fri 05, Tue 09, Wed 10, Fri 12, Tue 16, Wed 17, Fri 19, Tue 23, Wed 24, Fri 26, Tue 30, Wed 31 Booking and More Information