Cultural Events Calendar

Celebrate the warmth of community and the wonder of the holiday season at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church’s 25th Annual Bells & Brass concert on Sunday, December 21st. This beloved tradition returns with two festive, free performances at 11:30am and 5:30pm in the church’s beautifully adorned sanctuary.

A treasured seasonal event, Bells & Brass features the shimmering sounds of Lake Grove’s Covenant Bells alongside the resounding brilliance of brass players from the Oregon Symphony. Audiences of all ages will be uplifted by carols such as The First Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful, as well as spirited favorites like Ukrainian Bell Carol and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Join us for an hour of beauty, celebration, and shared wonder.

Featuring: Covenant Bells, directed by Aaron Waite
Jeffery Work, trumpet
Dave Bamonte, trumpet
JáTtik Clark, tuba
Joseph Berger, horn
Robert Taylor, trombone
Sergio Carreno, percussion

There will be tutus and Tchaikovsky, magic and mystery – necessary ingredients for all Nutcrackers. However, this one-of-a-kind production will also feature beavers fighting fur trappers, dancing wapato plants, and Oregon Trail children arriving via covered wagon as local Fort Vancouver history is weaved into the plot of a classic ballet.

Audiences will find themselves at a holiday party in the Chief Factor’s dining room of 1840’s Fort Vancouver. Party guests include historically accurate characters at the Fort: a family from Scotland, a couple from Hawaii, and a Naval Lieutenant from England. Dr. John McLoughlin arrives bringing a stranger into their midst- a fur trapper from the village whose tales capture the imagination of young Cecilia Douglas and inspire her outlandish dream . . . Beavers stealing a top hat, a mystical woman conjuring an abalone moon, 3 shipwrecked castaways scrambling to reach solid ground, a majestic salmon fighting a river’s current to swim upstream . . . each scene a fantasy inspired by history!

Columbia Dance has been collaborating with historical experts, local tribes and Fort Vancouver staff since 2019 to provide a whimsical, family-friendly story steeped in a complex history. This production features sets by renowned scenic artist Thyra Hartshorn and costumes by international designer Christine Darch.

Price: $27 adults / $22 youth-seniors; livestream available

A trio of philosophical frogs, one dancing larva, and a waddle of penguins playing musical chairs return for the latest revival of Imago’s crowd-pleasing signature work. Just in time for the holidays! Family audiences, Ages 4 and up.

Having toured everywhere from Los Angeles to Chicago, from New York City to Iowa City, Imago’s crowd-pleasing ZooZoo is back in Portland, the city where it was born. This enchanting show – a truly magical revue featuring persnickety penguins, insomniac hippos, playful polar bears, an acrobatic grub, and more – has been tickling the minds and expanding the imaginations of all ages.

“Delightful … just watch!”
New York Times

“… the most purely gratifying moments of theatre I have seen!”
I Love NY CITY

20% off tickets if purchased before Halloween. Must use Discount Code CATS.

Join hundreds of other singers as we sing the choruses of Handel’s Messiah in the amazing sanctuary of Westminster Presbyterian Church! Led by a conductor, accompanied by an amazing organist, this will be your ultimate holiday event! Bring your own score or borrow one of ours. Doors open at 2:30 pm and singing starts at 3:30 pm.
Park in the church parking lot on NE Hancock, or in the neighborhood. Enter the Sanctuary on NE Hancock or NE Schuyler. A handicap accessible entry is at 15th and NE Schuyler.
Presented by Blueprint Arts, in collaboration with the Twietmeyer family (hosts of the Sing Along Messiah from 1993 to 2019 at Central Lutheran Church).
Admission is free, but donations are appreciated to ensure the continuation of this annual joyful celebration of the holidays!

For more information, visit blueprintarts.org.

A trio of philosophical frogs, one dancing larva, and a waddle of penguins playing musical chairs return for the latest revival of Imago’s crowd-pleasing signature work. Just in time for the holidays! Family audiences, Ages 4 and up.

Having toured everywhere from Los Angeles to Chicago, from New York City to Iowa City, Imago’s crowd-pleasing ZooZoo is back in Portland, the city where it was born. This enchanting show – a truly magical revue featuring persnickety penguins, insomniac hippos, playful polar bears, an acrobatic grub, and more – has been tickling the minds and expanding the imaginations of all ages.

“Delightful … just watch!”
New York Times

“… the most purely gratifying moments of theatre I have seen!”
I Love NY CITY

20% off tickets if purchased before Halloween. Must use Discount Code CATS.

There will be tutus and Tchaikovsky, magic and mystery – necessary ingredients for all Nutcrackers. However, this one-of-a-kind production will also feature beavers fighting fur trappers, dancing wapato plants, and Oregon Trail children arriving via covered wagon as local Fort Vancouver history is weaved into the plot of a classic ballet.

Audiences will find themselves at a holiday party in the Chief Factor’s dining room of 1840’s Fort Vancouver. Party guests include historically accurate characters at the Fort: a family from Scotland, a couple from Hawaii, and a Naval Lieutenant from England. Dr. John McLoughlin arrives bringing a stranger into their midst- a fur trapper from the village whose tales capture the imagination of young Cecilia Douglas and inspire her outlandish dream . . . Beavers stealing a top hat, a mystical woman conjuring an abalone moon, 3 shipwrecked castaways scrambling to reach solid ground, a majestic salmon fighting a river’s current to swim upstream . . . each scene a fantasy inspired by history!

Columbia Dance has been collaborating with historical experts, local tribes and Fort Vancouver staff since 2019 to provide a whimsical, family-friendly story steeped in a complex history. This production features sets by renowned scenic artist Thyra Hartshorn and costumes by international designer Christine Darch.

Price: $27 adults / $22 youth-seniors; livestream available

The musicians of Musica Universalis, together with the very American Briana Ratterman and the very British Jonathan Cullen, invite you to celebrate the season with music, stories, poetry, freshly baked Christmas cake, and all sorts of shenanigans.

Part play, part concert, part baking party, The Snow Globe is a unique way to bring the community together and share the holiday spirit with you.

Directed by Štěpán S. Šimek, whose recent work includes Piercing the Veil.

Thursdays:
General Admission: $30
Students/Seniors: $20
Rush Tickets: $15

Friday-Sunday:
General Admission: $35
Students/Seniors: $25
Rush Tickets: $15

Celebrate the warmth of community and the wonder of the holiday season at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church’s 25th Annual Bells & Brass concert on Sunday, December 21st. This beloved tradition returns with two festive, free performances at 11:30am and 5:30pm in the church’s beautifully adorned sanctuary.

A treasured seasonal event, Bells & Brass features the shimmering sounds of Lake Grove’s Covenant Bells alongside the resounding brilliance of brass players from the Oregon Symphony. Audiences of all ages will be uplifted by carols such as The First Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful, as well as spirited favorites like Ukrainian Bell Carol and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Join us for an hour of beauty, celebration, and shared wonder.

Featuring: Covenant Bells, directed by Aaron Waite
Jeffery Work, trumpet
Dave Bamonte, trumpet
JáTtik Clark, tuba
Joseph Berger, horn
Robert Taylor, trombone
Sergio Carreno, percussion

Northwest Vocal Arts celebrates the holiday season with two concerts on Saturday, December 20 at 2pm and Sunday, December 21 at 7pm, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, located at 5830 NE Alameda St. in Portland.

Titled Voices of Winter – New Light, the concerts will feature the professional NWVA Olympia Chamber Choir and Evergreen Youth Choir performing works by a wonderful variety of composers, from the acclaimed English composer Benjamin Britten to award-winning R&B singer-songwriter India Aire.

Highlights of the concert include Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, a fascinating cycle of medieval texts chosen for their varied moods, from joyful to solemn, featuring harp accompaniment and set to music that uses both traditional plainchant and modern harmonic language.
Other highlights include the Nigerian traditional Oba Ti De (Here Comes the King), arranged by Jeffrey Ames and I am the Light by India Aire, a lyrical and spiritual affirmation of inner peace and identity. The choir will also perform audience favorites Glow by Eric Whitacre, Three Nativity Carols by Stephen Paulus with harp and oboe, and much more.

General admission is $35 ($15 for students).