The Arts Center At Duck Creek Kicks Off 2026 Music Series

The Arts Center at Duck Creek (https://www.duckcreekarts.org) is set to kick off their 2026 Music Series with the Luke Bergman Trio in concert on Friday, June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. The Luke Bergman Trio is comprised of Luke Bergman on Pedal Steel Guitar, Martin Nevin on Bass and Jason Burger on Drums.

Luke Bergman is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and recording artist based in Seattle, WA. His voice, bass and guitar work have been utilized in groups he writes for like Heatwarmer as well as working as a sideperson with Bill Frisell, Cuong Vu, Andrew Bird and others.

“A focus of mine is taking music that is not typically associated with my instrument and arranging it on the instrument in a way that I feel works and is not a gimmick. Country music is typically what’s associated with pedal steel guitar, but I think it has a lot of applications in Jazz and other types of music… This trio is a good vessel to try and figure that out,” says Luke Bergman.

“Bergman, Burger, and Nevin each bring well-traveled, mature artistic sensitivities to the album. Originally hailing from Washington state, Bergman has developed an immaculate musicality on various instruments -most notably while playing bass with the likes of Bill Frisell, Cuong Vu, and Ted Poor. Here, his weapon of choice is the pedal steel, which allows him to serve the set of mostly covers from a different vantage point. In fact, the quality of the pedal steel’s slower, swelling voice, is central to the full effect of the album coming across as inherently aged and gentle, if not mildly ambiguous. Nevin’s bass, in similar fashion, anchors the trio with remarkable delicacy, always active but considerate and purposed to the task at hand. Burger, coming from the bands of Andrew Bird, Big Thief, and Kenny Werner, is likewise skilled in choosing precisely the right gestures and moments where his contribution can best support the whole of the group effort. Together, these artists sound like three wise men who prefer to observe more often than describe their subject.” -Max Kutner (All About Jazz)

More to come for the 2026 Music Series this season, subject to change, includes:

“This year’s program at Duck Creek is exciting, and new, and in some ways a bit of a departure from our normal offerings. We’re trying to do something special, and to that end we’ve commissioned some larger works, larger in terms of the size of the groups, and in the ambition we will hear from the stage. We started running across really strong works from younger composers this year, who were working in jazz adjacent territory, and we reached out to them. We’re proud of our tradition of bringing great up-and-coming performers to our stage,” shares curator and art and music series founder Peter Watrous.

Kayvon Gordon Sextet

Thursday, July 23, 6 – 8 p.m.

Devon Gates: LARGE ENSEMBLE

Thursday, July 30, 6 – 8 p.m. (Rain date Friday, July 31)

TIM WATSON TRIO

Thursday, August 6, 6 – 8 p.m.

MINNIE JORDAN SEXTET: Original Suite Debut

Thursday, August 27, 6 – 8 p.m. (Rain date August 30)

CARACAS TRIO with Special Guest Yilmer Vivas

Saturday, September 3, 6 – 8 p.m.