The Round is a monthly event held at the Fremont Abbey in Seattle, WA. Founded by Nathan Marion in 2005, The Round has occurred for 187 consecutive months (as of December 2020) and is largely volunteer-powered.
This intimate, listener-oriented event brings together 3 different songwriters (often with some backing musicians) who take turns performing their own songs before collaborating live onstage to close the show. A slam poet also performs between each “round” of songs, and a live painter or other visual artist creates a piece to the side of the stage throughout the show.
Artists who perform at the Round include a refreshing mix of local, up-and-coming developing artists paired with more established singers or poets. It’s the type of event where you “see them here first!”
We have collaborated with many other groups to produce various Rounds, including The Round at Bumbershoot, The Triple Door, and Golden Gardens, and also produced themed Rounds such as The Youth Round, The College Round, etc.
Check out the Free Round Podcast here to download exclusive recordings from musicians and poets who have performed at The Round, such as J. Tillman (Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes), Noah & Abby Gundersen, Mary Lambert (of Macklemore’s “Same Love”), Damien Jurado, John Van Deusen (The Lonely Forest), Lemolo, Hey Marseilles, Sean Nelson, Drew Grow, Star Anna, Cataldo, and poets Jon Sands, Buddy Wakefield, Elaina Ellis, and more.
Since its creation in 2005, The Round has expanded to other cities including Spokane WA, Portland OR, Tacoma WA, Anacortes WA, Whidbey Island WA, Austin TX, Lebanon PA, Vashon Island WA, and more. Each city independently curates the event with support from Nathan Marion, the Executive Director of Abbey Arts and founder of The Round, in Seattle. If you are interested in launching The Round in your city, please contact us arts (at) fremontabbey.org.
For upcoming event dates and tickets, please visit our Upcoming Events Page.
For free downloads of exclusive songs, search for “The Round Seattle” on iTunes or click here for our FREE Podcast.