The following is a press release written by Craig Brunner for the Bloomington Blues & Boogies.
Bloomington Boogies returns! On October 10-12, 2026, enjoy acclaimed artists at Bloomington Boogies: The Bloomington Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival. Featuring musicians who play boogie-woogie, blues, and related styles in free and ticketed performances, the festival was voted a top 10 festival in Indiana. Bloomington Boogies introduces young people to artists and various non-classical styles through public concerts and free educational activities, including school performances, workshops, and master classes.
All events on Saturday, Oct. 10 and Monday, Oct. 12 are free. There is one ticketed event - the Festival Concert at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Sunday, Oct. 11, followed that evening by another free event: Bloomington Boogies After Hours at Lennie's.
The festival begins with these free events Saturday, Oct. 10th:
• 11 a.m., Monroe County History Center, 202 E. 6th St. - WFHB's "Saturday's Child" - pianists Yoshi "Z2"Tsuji and Rob Rio
• 2 p.m., Monroe Co. History Center - multi-instrumentalist Deanna Bogart performance/workshop: "Inside the Groove: Blues, Boogie-Woogie & Improvisation." Youth and aspiring pianists are invited; required pre-registration opens Sept. 1 at https://bloomingtonboogies.com/education, limited to 75 people.
• 5 p.m., Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. - pianist Dr. Keith McCutchen performance: "A Tribute to Three Entities: Blues, Gospel, and Jazz Piano.” Pre-registration opens Sept. 1 at the Education page, limited to 60 people.
• 8 p.m., Cardinal Spirits, 922 S. Morton St. - accordionist Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, guitarist Matt Hampsey, and special guest pianist Silvan Zingg.
Sunday, Oct. 11:
• 3 p.m. Bloomington Boogies Concert, Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. Tickets available Aug. 11 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., phone 812-323-3020, or buskirkchumley.org. General admission in advance for adults is $34; $24 for under age 12, plus handling fees.
• 8 p.m. FREE Bloomington Boogies After Hours, Lennie's, 514 E. Kirkwood Ave. Informal performances by festival artists. Join the fun and mingle with the stars. NO COVER!
Monday, Oct. 12:
• 4:15 p.m. Jason Marsalis, free workshop for vibes/drums: "How one can take music from the 20th Century and bring it into the 21st, and the importance of fundamentals for both vibes and drums." Sponsored by IU Jacobs School of Music Jazz Department, Simon Music Building SM 340, 200 S. Eagleson Ave.; register at Education page.
• 4:30 p.m. Zoe Imani Shepard, free workshop on jazz violin: “Jazz Improvisation 101 for String Players." Fairview Elementary School, 500 W 7th St.; register at Education page.
• Tri-North and Jackson Creek Middle Schools and Fairview and Templeton Elementary Schools - free concerts by guest artists for students, faculty, staff, and invited guests.
Artists performing and or presenting workshops are coming from far and wide:
• Rob Rio - Boogie-woogie/blues piano from Los Angeles
• Jason Marsalis - Jazz/blues vibraphone/drums from New Orleans
• Deanna Bogart - Blues/boogie-woogie piano/sax from Palm Desert, CA
• "Sunpie" Barnes & Matt Hampsey - Zydeco/blues accordion and guitar from New Orleans
• Dr. Keith McCutchen - Jazz/blues piano from Kentucky
• Yoshi "Z2" Tsuji - Jazz/blues/New Orleans piano, originally from Japan, based in New Orleans
• Special Guest Silvan Zingg - Boogie-woogie/blues/jazz piano, founder of the International Boogie Woogie Festival, Lugano, Switzerland
• Craig Brenner - Blues/boogie-woogie piano, founder of Bloomington Boogies
• Zoe Imani Shepard - Jazz violinist and educator based in Bloomington
• Rhythm Section: Gordon Bonham/guitar, Joe Donnelly/sax, Ron Kadish/bass, and Dan Hostetler/drums
• Concert lineup subject to change
Major Festival Sponsors include Ann Schertz Photography, Mark Wiedenmayer, Jonathan Dyson, Tom Noonan, City of Bloomington Arts Commission and Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association, IU Jacobs School of Music Jazz Studies, In Memory of Tim DeBruicker, and Anonymous. Festival Underwriters include Bob Kissel's Foundation, Linda Handelsman, The Uptown Cafe, Lennie's, and Mother Bear's Pizza.
Additional Supporters include Bloomingfoods Co-op Market, Katie Anderson, Bob Arnove, Tom Barwise, Michele Brentano, Bridges Musical Arts Youth Organization, Cardinal Spirits, Cary Curry, Deep Roots Landscape Design, Cheryl Frank, Ken Grooms & Zain Mackey, Monroe County History Center, Open Stages Grant from Constellation Stage & Screen & The City of Bloomington, Val Haughton & Frank Motley, Dan & Wendy Hogg, Wayne Jackson, Dan & Maggie Kirwan, Richard and René Malone, Ed Marshall, Jane Matranga, Tanya Mitchell-Yeager, Albert Misan, MPI Solar LLC, Mary (Molly) Morgan, Brian O'Neill, Dan Ostas & Bet Savich, Vicki Roberts, Kathy & Mike Romy, Fred & Jennifer Schultz, Larry Stahl, Story Insights, Templeton PTO, Myriah Wallace, Anonymous, and others listed at the festival website.
Media Sponsors include WFHB, Bloom Magazine, and WFYI.
For information, visit https://bloomingtonboogies.com/ or contact Craig Brenner, tel. 812-929-1784, email craigbrennerboogies@gmail.com.
