The 2015-2016 season for the University of Iowa’s Hancher is underway, and tickets are now available to the general public for the full lineup. Tickets can be purchased online (hancher.uiowa.edu), by phone (319-335-1160 or 800-HANCHER), or by visiting the Hancher Box Office in the Old Capitol Town Center in downtown Iowa City.

And the next Hancher event doesn’t require a ticket at all. In collaboration with Summer of the Arts, Hancher will present a free outdoor concert on the UI Pentacrest on Friday, Aug. 28, as part of the Iowa Soul Festival. The evening kicks off with the Iowa City Carnival Parade and Pandelirium, the UI steel drum band, at 5:30 p.m.; Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen bring New Orleans to Iowa City at 6:45 p.m.; and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings will present the band’s fiery brand of soul at 8:30 p.m.

The Hancher season will end in February to allow the Hancher staff time to move into and fully commission the new auditorium for its opening in the fall of 2016.

The new Hancher season is supported by the Hancher Partners and gifts to the Hancher Circle through the University of Iowa Foundation.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.

2015-16 Hancher season

Aug. 22: Drawing Closer, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Hancher Auditorium

Aug. 28: Iowa Soul Festival (Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Iowa City Carnival Parade and Pandelirium), 5:30 p.m., UI Pentacrest

Sept. 17-18: Lucky Plush Productions, The Queue, 7:30 p.m., Space Place Theater

Sept. 25: Las Cafeteras, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Club Hancher at The Mill

Oct. 17: Brentano String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Recital Hall

Oct. 30: Lynne Arriale, Carla, Cook, and Grace Kelly, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Club Hancher at The Mill

Nov. 4: Chris Thile, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre

Dec. 5: Taylor Mac, The 1850s: Whitman vs. Foster, 7:30 p.m., Mabie Theatre

Dec. 11: Ellis Marsalis Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre

Jan. 30: Vocalosity, 7:30 p.m., Englert Theatre

Feb. 12: Bobby McFerrin, 7:30 p.m., Riverside Casino Event Center