Free and local live music in Pasadena this month

You do not need a big ticket to hear great music in Pasadena this month. On Wednesday, October 28, MUSE/IQUE closes its season with a free Open House at Ambassador Auditorium featuring Grammy winner Brandon Victor Dixon, and the night before, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music opens a free rehearsal at Barrett Hall. In between, local rooms keep the calendar full: Breakaway State plays live punk at Old Towne Pub on Friday, October 16, and The Mixx runs salsa and bachata nights on Tuesdays. I am Alejandro Espitia, a Broker Associate and REALTOR with Apex Realty and Investments, and Pasadena is my home turf. Licensed in California since 1996, with 200+ homes sold serving Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Riverside, and fluent in English and Spanish, I check the local listings each week so you can spend your evenings out enjoying the city instead of researching it. Every show below comes from a current public listing, with sources at the bottom of the post.

October 28: MUSE/IQUE's free Open House at the Ambassador

On Wednesday, October 28, at 7:30 pm, MUSE/IQUE presents “American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon, Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness,” the ensemble's annual season-closing Open House at the Ambassador Auditorium, 131 S. St. John Avenue. Artistic and Music Director Rachael Worby leads the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra with Grammy winner Brandon Victor Dixon and soprano Liv Redpath. The concert is free to the public, but an RSVP is required and seating is first come, first served. Reserve your spot on the MUSE/IQUE events and RSVP page.

October 27: a free open rehearsal at the Conservatory

The night before, on Tuesday, October 27, at 7:00 pm, the Pasadena Conservatory of Music hosts “Loss Transformed | Open Rehearsal” at Barrett Hall, 100 North Hill Avenue. It is a free, public open rehearsal of Conservatory faculty performing Brahms's Horn Trio in E-flat major, ahead of the full “Loss Transformed” Musical Interludes concert. Tickets are free but reserved on the Conservatory event page, and the full season lives on the Conservatory events calendar.

October 16: Breakaway State at Old Towne Pub

For live punk, Old Towne Pub, at 23 E. Holly Street / 66 N. Fair Oaks Avenue, hosts Breakaway State on Friday, October 16. The pub books original bands every day of the week, and this show is listed on Songkick as the band's 2026-27 concert in Pasadena. It is a relaxed, local room where you can catch a band and a beer without any fuss. The listing is on Songkick and the Patch events calendar.

Tuesdays: salsa and bachata at The Mixx

If dancing is more your speed, The Mixx at 443 E. Colorado Boulevard runs “Salsa Mixx” salsa and bachata dance and social nights on Tuesdays, with upcoming dates on November 3 and November 10, from 8:00 pm to midnight. It is a fun, friendly way to spend a weekday evening in Old Town, whether you have danced before or are just starting. Dates and times are on the Mixx events calendar.

A note on times: concert listings can shift, and details like start times, RSVP capacity, or seating are occasionally updated by the presenters. Please confirm directly with the venue before you head out, and use the links below for the latest. If you have a favorite Pasadena music event I missed, text me and I will add it to the next edition.

Sources: MUSE/IQUE, American Sound Takes Flight, MUSE/IQUE, ArtsBeatLA, Loss Transformed Open Rehearsal, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Pasadena Conservatory of Music events, Old Towne Pub, Songkick, Breakaway State at Old Towne Pub, Patch, The Mixx events calendar, and Pasadena Now music listings.