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On Saturday, June 21, the Interference Series will mark the summer solstice � and the longest day of the year � with a full day of community-centered music and creativity. From a sunrise raga performance in the forest to a raucous Pride marching band to an interactive symphony in the park, the series continues its mission of reshaping how Flagstaff experiences sound and art.

Coinciding with International Make Music Day, Interference’s solstice celebration will unfold in three acts: a dawn Hindustani concert at the base of Mount Elden, a joyful march in the Pride Month parade featuring an all-comers band and a participatory “Flowerpot Music� performance in Wheeler Park. Together, these events embody the spirit that founders Owen Davis and Rob Wallace have nurtured over 10 seasons � creative risk-taking, community inclusion and artistic joy.

Officially founded in 2015 by Owen Davis, the Interference Series was born out of necessity and passion. Davis, fresh from the vibrant experimental music scene in Chicago and a percussionist himself, saw a gap in Flagstaff’s offerings and decided to fill it.

“If it doesn’t exist, create it,� he said.

The first season was entirely DIY, with Davis often covering artist fees out of pocket and working closely with Northern Arizona University’s School of Music and local artists to bring improvised and genre-defying music to life.

By 2016, Wallace -- also a percussionist, educator and longtime friend of Davis' -- joined the team after moving back to Flagstaff. Their partnership has since blossomed into a robust nonprofit operation, with each season introducing local audiences to avant-garde jazz, contemporary classical, sound art, experimental poetry and collaborations that defy traditional performance categories.

“There's no one genre of music that we present," Wallace said. “The unifying link is that it's something you're not gonna hear or see anywhere else.�

Interference’s June 21 solstice celebration is a season finale of sorts, a “season 10 blowout,� as Davis put it.

The day begins at 5:30 a.m. with Sunrise Raga, a Hindustani classical performance tucked into the woods at the base of Mount Elden. Featuring sitarist John Marcus and Wallace on tabla, the event is free and open to the public, with attendees encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and curiosity.

Next, at 10 a.m., the Interference team joins forces with the Flagstaff Community Band for the debut of the Pride Band, a mobile, all-inclusive musical crew set to march in the Flagstaff Pride Parade. The repertoire? A custom, easy-to-learn arrangement of Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club� -- and participants are encouraged to bring whatever they can play, from kazoos to frying pans. “It’s meant to be y’all come play,� Davis said.

Finally, at 4:30 p.m. in Wheeler Park, Davis will lead a performance of composer Elliot Cole’s “Flowerpot Music,� a participatory piece that blends composition and game. Using literal flower pots and mallets, community members of all ages and skill levels will be guided through accessible musical “games.�

“We've had kids 3 to 4 years old, all the way up to people in their 70s,� Wallace said. “It's outside, right at the heart of downtown, and it’s a good example of how what we do is really centered on community and interaction.�

After years of hopping between coffee shops, galleries and university halls, the Interference Series recently found a more permanent home at the Beaver Street Theatre, which they co-lease with the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival. The move, finalized earlier this year, gives the series freedom to shape not just the sound, but the full environment of their performances.

“There’s a term called ‘listening room� within the musician circle,� Davis said. “It’s basically the opposite of a bar � where there’s clinking glasses and people having conversations. At our shows, people come there to listen to the artist and that's it. And so we can curate a listening room there much easier because we can control every aspect of it.�

While none of the solstice events will take place at the theater, the day encapsulates what Interference is all about. “We’re kind of interfering with a normal day,� Davis said. “We're presenting these public facing performances in the middle of town. I think that there is something to that with the relationship to the organization and our mission.�

“June 21, for me personally, has also become this marker -- this checkpoint every year,� he continued. “Another season is coming to a close, it's the longest day of the year and I get to play this really beautiful piece that, when it comes down to it, is meditative and reflective.�

As they prepare for their 11th season, Davis and Wallace remain volunteers, driven not by profit but by passion. “Some people come to shows not knowing what to expect,� Davis said. “But they trust that Rob and I picked it, so it could be cool or interesting. Overall, our mission is to get artists paid and support the creative music community, and so that's been a really cool part of the progression of all of this, too.�

For more information on the Interference Series and upcoming events, visit or follow them on Instagram .