The Arts are Alive and Well in Salem

I was recently shopping in ACE Hardware, yes one of my favorite stores, when I bumped into a long time Salem educator and theatre arts advocate who I have come to know over the last few years and admire greatly. After the usual greetings we ended up talking quite a bit about the arts opportunities in Salem, so much so that I was still thinking about all of the great things Salem has long after I had made my purchase and left the store.
Our conversation began around the loss of Salem Repertory Theatre and the effect that it will have on the Salem arts community. There is a lot of speculation as to why the decision to fold was made, and really none of that matters, SRT added a lot to the fabric of Salem and will be missed.
That being said, there are still a lot of wonderful things happening in Salem and its surrounding communities. I look at the wonderful holiday programs that have been brought by the Salem Pops Orchestra, Willamette Master Chorus and the Salem Youth Symphony along with the sing-along Christmas carols with Festival Chorale Oregon as examples of some of the great things that have happened this month alone. We need to support these and other great organizations if we don’t want to be closing the doors again. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Salem Chamber Orchestra Opens Season

The Salem Chamber Orchestra is kicking off their 25th anniversary season on September 19 at 7:30 pm at the Historic Elsinore Theatre. The concert will be repeated as a Sunday matinee on September 20 at 3pm at the Oregon Garden in Silverton. Featuring world-renowned clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, this concert will offer a variety of opportunities for concert goers and students alike.
Having teamed with the Grace Goudy Distinguished Artist Series, Mr. Stoltzman will be offering a master class on Thursday evening from 7pm-9pm in Hudson Hall at Willamette University. He will then open the Goudy Distinguished Artist Series on Friday with a recital performance, followed by the gala opening of the Salem Chamber Orchestra Season on Saturday and Sunday.
Accompanying Stoltzman in his recital performace will be Pulitzer Prize winning composer Yehudi Wyner. Wyner will have two pieces making their west coast premiere as part of the Salem Chamber Orchestra performances. The orchestra will be under the direction of Wyner’s wife, Susan Davenny Wyner. Also performed will be Brahms Variations on a theme of Joseph Hayden and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, K622. A wonderful piece of work highlighting this often overlooked wind instrument. I was awed when I heard it performed by the Seattle Symphony two years ago. If you have time available I would highly recommend this performance.
For ticket information contact Salem Chamber Orchestra at info@salemchamberorchestra.org. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

August offers more family fun

Here we are at the dog days of summer. I can’t believe that I have already been reading back to school ads for a few weeks when most of us, me included, are trying to eek out as much summer as we can without spending a lot of money. While our weekends are pretty much covered with the wide variety of fairs and festivals, there are still a number of low cost or no cost activities for those looking for something to do during the week.
Visual art aficionados should check out the 3rd annual Mayor’s Artist Series at the Salem Conference Center. The exhibit will be up for a year in the common spaces of the conference center and feature a variety of regional artists. The Salem Art Association also offers three galleries at the Bush Barn Art Center not to mention the Hallie Ford Museum of Art just off the campus of Willamette University (Tuesday’s are free).
If it is music you are looking for in an outside venue check out your neighborhood association website to see what is happening in your neighborhood parks. Many offer concert series during the summer months. If you are up for a short drive, River Rhythms at Monteith Park in Albany offers an eclectic mix of music for no charge. The Oregon Garden also has a wonderful concert series with ticket information available at www.oregongarden.org. You don’t have to go far to find a way to enjoy a fabulous Oregon summer. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Art Fair Time is Here Again

I can’t believe a year has already gone by since the last Art Fair & Festival. It all starts with one of my favorite events of the year, the Children’s Parade. There is nothing but joy as the children, all dressed up for the parade, are joined by clowns and a marching band of sorts for the journey from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church through Bush Park. Once they have passed through the festivities of the weekend begin.

Not only does the Festival serve as the major fundraiser for the Salem Art Association, it is also provides an opportunity for many of the other non-profit arts groups in the community to unveil their upcoming seasons and share more about themselves to fairgoers, as well as raising money for their organizations with the various food booths. In addition, the fifth annual ArtSmart community arts calendar will be available at a number of these booths. I hope you will stop by and pick one up.

I don’t remember when I actually started going to the Art Fair, but I always look forward to seeing the wonderful artwork and strolling through the park with friends. This truly is a wonderful gathering of the community that I look forward to each year. For more information about vendors and music lineup visit www.salemart.org. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

World Beat Visits Africa

As we look at the summer travel season, many people are talking about taking “staycations” this year, but the Salem Multicultural Institute is hoping you will join them as they travel to Africa on June 27th and 28th. Sample the foods, enjoy the music and dances, learn some of their crafts. Now before you get worried that you don’t have time to get your shots, passport and visas in order to take part in this wonderful adventure, let me tell you that you only have to travel as far at Riverfront Park in downtown Salem to take part in this year’s World Beat Festival.

While other cultures will also be shared as part of the two-day festival, the focus of this year’s event is the continent of Africa. With the richness of their heritage, the influence of the African people can be found at the core of much of the modern music and dance we experience as part of our own culture, and often times think of as quintessentially American.

The Salem Multicultural Institute offers us a great opportunity, at the end of June each year, to learn a little bit more about our neighbors near and far. So, pack your bags and load the family in the car and enjoy a fabulous trip to Africa all in our own backyard. For more information about the World Beat Festival, visit www.worldbeatfestival.org. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

What is ArtSmart Anyway?

It has come to my attention that many of you might not know what ArtSmart is. It all started in 1998 when Dorothy Garrett, who was the president of the board of the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem, gathered a number of other non-profit arts board presidents together to talk about what was going on in their organizations. Over the years, the group has grown and its roll in Salem’s Arts World has changed and grown as well.

Throughout its history ArtSmart’s commitment has been to work cooperatively to promote and enhance the arts and cultural opportunities in Salem and its surrounding communities. As the first ArtSmart community arts calendar was published, the grassroots group incorporated. Continuing to work cooperatively to promote the arts, member groups introduced a guide for teachers in the 2006-2007 school year.

ArtSmart is funded through memberships and project grants. As the finishing touches are being put on the fifth annual community arts calendar (to be unveiled at Art Fair in July) the organization continues to work to raise awareness about the wonderful entertainment opportunities in Salem and the surrounding areas. For more information about how you can become a member of ArtSmart, email info@artsmartsalem.org . Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Looking for a Great Staycation?

Most of the area arts groups are wrapping up their seasons and getting ready for their summer hiatus. That can only mean one thing; summer festival season is upon us. Starting with the World Beat Festival at the end of June, there is a festival in the area just about every weekend through August, not to mention, September’s favorite festival…Oktoberfest. While these events and festivals provide affordable family fun during the summer month, they mean so much more for the community.
The majority of these events are organized by area non-profit organizations as a way to raise money to continue their programs and benefit the community through the services they offer or dollars they provide through grants throughout the year.
As you are looking for “staycations” for the family this summer, consider visiting our area parks and downtowns for wonderful events such as World Beat Festival, Hoopla, The Bite of Salem, Summer in the City, Riverfest and many others. Consider making a contribution at the gate to support the causes behind these opportunities for fun. A few dollars at the gate can mean the world to the groups organizing these events. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Oregon Symphony Association in Salem Brings Joshua Bell to Town

The Oregon Symphony Association in Salem sure knows how to end a season on a high note. An incredible and varied season of guest musicians will come to an end on May 19^th when the Oregon Symphony takes the stage at Smith Auditorium with Joshua Bell. Known as much for his movie star good looks as his virtuosity with the violin, Joshua Bell has made an indelible mark on the music world.

Bell has gained an entirely new and younger audience as classical music increases in popularity as a result of mp3 players. Once known as a child prodigy, Joshua Bell’s star continues to rise and the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem must be delighted that he will be performing in Salem. I have experienced Joshua Bell in concert in two previous appearances with the Oregon Symphony in Portland and each time I was awed by his remarkable way to speak to the audience through his violin.

I think the thing that impresses me the most about Bell is his ability to make classical music accessible to everyone. Whether a fan of classical music or not, Bell has a way of reaching you with his music. For more information about this concert or the Oregon Symphony Association in Salem visit www.orsymphonysalem.org, for tickets visit www.ticketswest.com. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Salem Cinema is Broadway Bound

I grew up in Northeast Salem’s Hollywood District and have many fond memories of those years and growing up in a time when kids from all over the neighborhood would come together to play at each other’s houses. I have very distinct memories of hopping into my mom’s Valiant and going to pick up the dry-cleaning, among other errands. One of the things I remember about these trips was the old Eagle’s lodge that stood on the corner of Broadway and Market Streets and asking my mom about it on just about every trip through that intersection.

Over time the neighborhoods of the Hollywood District have changed, and the Grant and Highland Neighborhoods have worked hard to overcome a stigma of drug houses and gang violence. Many of the buildings that surrounded the corner of Broadway and Market Streets have been vacated, and the Eagles Lodge was torn down, but what has appeared in its place is wonderful community resurgence and at the heart of it all is the new home of Salem Cinema; a fabulous Art Deco style theatre that has captured the essence of the heyday of film and promises a future of great independent film viewing for the Salem audience.

While I thought I would be sad when theatre owner Loretta Miles made the move from under the Pringle Parkade to this new venue, but her attention to every detail, including incorporating sconces from the old Bligh’s Capitol Theatre into her décor has made the adjustment easy. I wish her much success in her new location, I know I will be there to watch many films and I am glad to see the arts playing such a vital role in the revitalization of this neighborhood. For more information about the Salem Cinema and what’s currently being screened, visit www.salemcinema.com. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Celebration of Women's Voices Celebrates Woman Composer

Salem-Keizer has wonderful individual school chorale programs which feature choirs of mixed voice as well as men’s and women’s choruses. Imagine the awesome sound when young women from throughout the area join together in voice as the Willamette Girlchoir. The sixth annual Celebration of Women’s Voices, a concert of the Willamette Girlchoir, will also celebrate a local woman composer. In a world dominated by men, and marked by the likes of John Rutter and Georg Frederic Handel, Portlander Joan Szymko is becoming known in the world of choral music.

On Sunday, April 19 at 3pm, Willamette Girlchoir will be under the direction of Szymko and joined by her choir, Cantoras, and the Linfield Women’s Ensemble as they perform six masses written by this wonderful Oregon composer. The concert will be held in the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church on the corner of Church and State Streets in downtown Salem.

With tickets at $8 for adults and $6 or students and seniors, this is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For tickets or more information about Willamette Girlchoir, call (503) 370-6383. . Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.

Oregon Celebrates in Style

The state of Oregon is all gussied up and it is time to celebrate! Our grand state is celebrating her 150^th birthday on February 14^th and we all share in her colorful history. Oregonians have long been known for their leading edge thinking while never forgetting to take time to help those around them in need. With the exception of one weekend out of the year, Beavers and Ducks co-exist peacefully, but this rivalry arrived long after the establishment of what is now Willamette University.

Our majestic state capitol, which recently suffered a minor fire, was rebuilt after a previous fire had destroyed the first capitol building in Salem, having been relocated from Oregon City. The wings were added later. The mural in the senate chamber depicts news of statehood coming to Salem with a young Aashel Bush in the painting receiving the news in March of 1859. It took a month for word to reach Salem from the then capitol city, Oregon City. Corvallis also served as the state capitol for a period of time.

Mission Mill Museum houses the parsonage and Jason Lee House on their grounds, interpreting the mission and woolen heritage that was so much a part of our early history. These stories and more are part of their Facing Statehood exhibit which celebrates our state’s history from the 25 pre-statehood years through to modern times asking visitors to contribute their own Oregon story as part of this living history. This exhibit, which opens on Valentine’s Day and will run through spring 2010, is one of many sesquicentennial celebrations taking part across the state. So often we all drive by the museum as we go about our busy lives, but now is the perfect time to reacquaint ourselves with this wonderful treasure we have right in our own backyard

For more information about Facing Statehood and other activities taking place at Mission Mill visit www.missionmill.org. Visit www.artsmartsalem.org for a listing of events for the current month and remember, “There’s Something to do in Salem”.