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 strives to introduce young people to artists and various non-classical styles through public concerts and free educational activities, including school performances, workshops, and master classes.

The festival begins with free performances throughout the day Saturday, Oct. 10th:
• 11 a.m., Monroe County History Center, 202 E. 6th St., Bloomington - WFHB's "Saturday's Child" will feature pianists Yoshi "Z2"Tsuji and Rob Rio
• 2 p.m., also at the History Center - multi-instrumentalist Deanna Bogart presents performance/workshop "Inside the Groove: Blues, Boogie-Woogie & Improvisation." Youth and aspiring pianists are invited; pre-registration required, beginning Sept. 1 at the festival's Education page - https://bloomingtonboogies.com/education, limited to 75 people.
• 5 p.m., John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., Bloomington - pianist Dr. Keith McCutchen will present "A Tribute to Three Entities: Blues, Gospel, and Jazz Piano”; pre-registration required, beginning Sept. 1 at the Education page, limited to 60 people.
• 8 p.m., Cardinal Spirits, 922 S. Morton St., Bloomington - accordionist Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes, guitarist Matt Hampsey, and special guest pianist Silvan Zingg.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Bloomington Boogies 2026 Festival Concert takes place at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets are required, and may be purchased in advance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN, by phone at 812-323-3020, or at buskirkchumley.org. General admission in advance for adults is $34; $24 for under age 12, plus handling fees. Food and beverages will be available.

Artists performing and or presenting workshops at festival events 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

More free events continue Monday, Oct. 12th:
• Jason Marsalis will present a free workshop focusing on how one can take music from the 20th century and bring it into the 21st, and the importance of fundamentals for vibes and drums, 4:15 p.m. at IU Jacobs School of Music Simon Music Building SM 340, 200 S. Eagleson Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405; register at the Education page.
• Zoe Imani Shepard will present a free workshop on jazz violin: “Jazz Improvisation 101 for String Players" at 4:30 p.m. at Fairview Elementary School, 500 W 7th St, Bloomington, IN 47404; register at the Education page.
• Tri-North and Jackson Creek Middle Schools and Fairview and Templeton Elementary Schools will all enjoy free concerts by guest artists; school concerts are for students, faculty, staff, and invited guests.

Major Festival Sponsors include In Memory of Tim DeBruicker, 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, and Anonymous.

Festival Underwriters include Bob Kissel's Foundation, Linda Handelsman, 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, Dan Ostas & Bet Savich, Kathy & Mike Romy, Fred & Jennifer Schultz, Larry Stahl, Story Insights, Templeton PTO, Myriah Wallace, 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.

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