VISUAL ART

Oct 31–Mar 13
Paradox of Place: Contemporary Korean Art
Despite the presence of the Asian Art Museum, Seattle hasn’t hosted a major exhibit focused on contemporary Korean art in a decade. That changes when former National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea curator Choi Eunju presents photographs, videos, and mixed-media installations that showcase the cultural clash of modern and traditional Korean society. Asian Art Museum, $9

CLASSICAL & MORE

Thur, Oct 29
Sonic Evolution: Under the Influence of Jazz
Seattle Symphony’s annual Sonic Evolution concerts, which combine the symphony’s talents with local rock and pop musicians, proved to be such consistent high points of the last five seasons that the orchestra has doubled down for 2015–16. The first edition, Under the Influence of Jazz, brings in jazz guitar wizard Bill Frisell, electro-R&B singer Shaprece, and the Roosevelt High jazz band for a night of diverse musical horizons. Benaroya Hall, $63–$295

PERFORMANCE

Oct 30–Nov 14
A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light
As part of ACT Theatre’s 50th anniversary festivities, choreographer KT Niehoff revives the chaotic glam rock cabaret of her 2010 show A Glimmer of Hope or Skin or Light. Audience members are encouraged to move freely throughout the Bullitt Cabaret space to follow the performers in this raw, experimental (and sometimes nude) modern dance spectacle. ACT Theatre, $35–$40

THEATER

Thru Nov 21
Festen
A birthday party for a 60-year-old patriarch turns turbulent when his son openly accuses his father of sexually molesting him and his sister when they were kids. An adaptation of the Danish Dogme 95 film The Celebration, New Century Theatre Company’s production of Festen offers discomforting theatrical family drama at its most tense. 12th Avenue Arts, $30–$35

BOOKS & TALKS

Thur, Oct 29
Ta-Nehisi Coates
With the release of his second book, Between the World and Me, Coates firmly establishes himself as the premier writer addressing what it means to be black in modern America. He attacks the subject with a visceral and challenging honesty that makes readers confront the painful realities of race relations instead of just society’s widely held and shallow perceptions. McCaw Hall, Sold Out

Sat, Oct 31
Short Run Comix and Arts Festival 2015
Before any Halloween night festivities, spend the day with more than 200 frightfully talented self-published/small press authors and comics creators (many Northwest based) at this year’s Short Run Comix and Arts Festival. It’s a wonderful spot to discover books that you’re not going to find on Amazon or even at most local bookstores. Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, Free

CONCERTS

Thur, Oct 29
Heartless Bastards
Powerhouse frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom leads Heartless Bastard back to town in support of the group’s fifth album Restless Ones. The new record takes the band’s garage rock sound in a slightly new direction thanks to its more polished production, but the music’s twangy core with melancholy tones remain the same. Neumos, $18

Fri, Oct 30
Natalie Prass
Bittersweet beauty permeates Natalie Prass’s 2015 self-titled debut LP. The singer-songwriter brilliantly balances light, tender timbres with darker  emotions. Expect plenty of these tunes when Prass stops at Neumos, and don’t be surprised if she busts out a few from her upcoming EP Side by Side which includes covers of Anita Baker, Simon and Garfunkel, and Grimes. Neumos, $15

HALLOWEEN

Fri & Sat, Oct 30 & 31
Psycho with the Seattle Symphony
Is there a single more chilling sound in cinema history than the sharp, hair-raising screech of strings that accompanies the shower stabbing in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho? Celebrate Halloween in frightfully fun fashion as the Seattle Symphony plays along with the horror classic. Benaroya Hall, $31–$112

Sat, Oct 31
The Bushwick Book Club Seattle: Original Music Inspired by Stephen King’s Carrie
Get in the scary spirit of Steven King’s classic horror novel Carrie as Buchwick’s Book Club Seattle brings the book to life with a Halloween costume party prom. Local songwriters will perform tunes inspired by Carrie with the backing of the band Richie Aldente. Please avoid dumping buckets of blood on your fellow partying patrons. Hale’s Palladium, $15–$20

For more Halloween happenings, check out our Seattle Halloween Event Guide.