Gesa Power House Theatre presents "Jazz Noir" by the Dmitri Matheny Group on Friday, February 10, 2017 at 7:00PM.

"Jazz Noir" puts a fresh spin on familiar TV and movie themes (film noir, spy thrillers and crime dramas), and includes new works and jazz classics. Highlights of the concert include a Noir Medley of cinematic favorites (Touch of Evil, Laura, Chinatown, Vertigo, Taxi Driver, Blues in the Night) and an original Crime Scenes suite - a dreamlike series of vignettes linked together with voice-over narrative in the hard-boiled detective style of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler.

Directed by Dmitri Matheny ("one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation" —International Review of Music), the Dmitri Matheny Group has developed an engaging repertoire and a strong international following. The group's signature sound pleases both crowds and critics, balancing fresh, original works with familiar jazz classics, hard bop, west coast cool and selections from their 10 critically-acclaimed albums.

Dmitri Matheny has performed with the Temptations, the Four Tops, Bobby Rydell, and Frankie Avalon and the O'Jays, and he appears on more than 70 albums as composer, arranger, producer, annotator, or flugelhorn soloist.

Matheny’s film scoring and soundtrack credits include the PBS documentary Mary, Paradox & Grace (1996), the short film Greenhorn Creek (1997), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art production Voices & Images of California Art (1997), and the RKO Pictures feature film Shade (2003), directed by Damian Nieman and starring Gabriel Byrne, Jamie Foxx, Melanie Griffith, Thandie Newton, Sylvester Stallone and Stewart Townsend.

Walla Walla Valley Honda presents the first show in the 2017 Little Watts Children's Series of Family Entertainment - "Benjamin Franklin" - Friday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. Meet the intrepid inventor, quipping author, productive scientist, and founding father: Mr. Benjamin Franklin. You’ll travel with him, meet his friends, help him in his work and…

Focus on Cancer of Walla Walla will present a fundraiser and auction to benefit Team Julianna at Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday, March for at 6:00 p.m. Activities will include music by Frog Hollow Band, live and silent auctions, and local wine.

Former New York actor/director, and star of The Last Five Years will teach a workshop on Sunday, March 5, from 2 to 6 p.m. on the elements of live performance and creating original theater.

Actor-students will participate in group exercises highlighting aspects of storytelling through performance. They will then use what they have learned to workshop and create dynamic pieces of live theater. Friends and family are invited to attend a final working performance in the last hour of the workshop.

Admission to the workshop is free with proof of purchase of a ticket to see "The Last Five Years" ($20 without). Actors of all ages (minimum age 12) are welcome.

Youth entrepreneurship is what this event is all about - and this year there is a lot on the line: $10,000!

Preliminary workshops and events lead up to the final event held at Gesa Power House Theatre on Tuesday, March 7 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. High school and college participants will pitch their business ideas to a panel of six judges. Students will be given three minutes to present their pitch and five minutes for Q&A by the panel. Upon deliberation, the judges will distribute the cash award (from a potential pool of $10,000) at their discretion in an awards ceremony. The K-8 winner from the February 23 competition will also be awarded their cash prize. Food & beverages will be served.

This series of events has been a four-year creation to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare.

​Inspired by the TV show Shark Tank, students take an idea, create a business plan, consider the financial viability of their business and pitch their idea to a panel of judges. Local Walla Walla business leaders contribute as mentors, coaches and judges.

A&N Productions presents: Shelby Earl Album Release with Planes on Paper on Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Gesa Power House Theatre. This event (21+ only) is sponsored by Walla Walla Cannabis Company.

Shelby Earl’s first two albums earned the kind of raves any musician would kill for. Upon hearing her 2011 debut, Burn the Boats, NPR’s Ann Powers called Earl her “new favorite songwriter,” and she wasn’t alone. Accolades followed from Rolling Stone to the Wall Street Journal and a million music sites in between that positioned her somewhere to the left of Neko Case, a few blocks from Sharon Van Etten, catercorner to Angel Olsen. She toured everywhere, playing with the likes of Loudon Wainwright, Rhett Miller, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, who spoke for many people when he said Earl had “the most heartbreakingly beautiful voice in Seattle.”

Two years later, she followed up with the equally powerful Swift Arrows, and returned to the touring trenches, startling audiences around the world with songs that laid bare an inner landscape full of darkness and loss, as well as the defiant resolution not to be consumed by them. Both records are gorgeous, painstakingly crafted, and, not to put too fine a point on anything, full of heavy emotional weather. (Not for nothing did Powers observe that Earl’s writes “for those of us who have been through a few things.”)

But take a minute to consider what it means to have been through a few things. It suggests reaching the other side. Eight years after burning her (figurative) boats to pursue life as a professional musician, quitting her job, and forging a career, Shelby Earl found that her inspiration was leading away from the darkness and anger she so fruitfully explored on those first two LPs and toward the light that would yield her third, and most accomplished record to date.

That light shines through every facet of the album, from the songwriting, whose thematic concerns turn away from savage self-exploration and toward coruscating character studies, ballads, and swooning pop gems. The new songs retain her gift for a dark lyrical turn, but locate the telltale images in the context of other people.

Once producer Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Brandi Carlisle, Eric Bachmann) came on board, and the whole team entered the studio, the process took flight. It wasn’t a question of “going pop,” incorporating more danceable beats, or mobilizing the vogue for vintage keyboard soul—though both of those aesthetics lurk at the edge of the frame throughout. No, it was something much simpler: The Man Who Made Himself a Name is the sound of an artist who, having lived and chronicled some catastrophically hard times, found herself on the other side feeling happier, healthier, healed—and making music that sounded like it.

There is a vocal synergy that exists between Navid Eliot and Jen Borst, the two core members of the Washington-based folk group Planes on Paper. They each have clear, unique voices, but when combined, a special kind of musical beauty emerges.

"In a modern age where indie folk groups with male/female harmonies are as common as a Starbucks on every corner, Planes on Paper offer an organic alternative, refreshing in its artistry." - The Revue

Reserved Seating Tickets: $15
VIP Tables (includes on stage seating and wine for 4 people): $80

This event is restricted to 21 and older (ID required).

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of "The Tempest" on Wednesday, April 22 at 6:00 p.m.

"The Tempest" is brought to life on the RSC stage in collaboration with Intel and in association with The Imaginarium Studios, featuring some of today's most advanced technology in a bold re-imagining of Shakespeare's magical play, and starring Simon Russell Beale. The production was filmed live in Stratford-Upon-Avon and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

On a distant island a man waits.

Robbed of his position, power and wealth, his enemies have left him in isolation. But this is no ordinary man, and this no ordinary island. Prospero is a magician, able to control the very elements and bend nature to his will. When a sail appears on the horizon, he reaches out across the ocean to the ship that carries the men who wronged him. Creating a vast magical storm he wrecks the ship and washes his enemies up on the shore. When they wake they find themselves lost on a fantastical island where nothing is as it seems.

Simon Russell Beale returns to the RSC after 20 years to play Prospero in a production directed by Artistic Director Gregory Doran.

Stay tuned for additional details regarding the annual fundraiser to benefit Danza Classica Ballet.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents the Walla Walla premiere of "SEED: The Untold Story" on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. The film's co-director and co-producer Jon Betz, a Walla Walla native, will attend the screening and participate in a talkback session afterwards.

Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. "SEED: The Untold Story" follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds. The film features Vandana Shiva, Dr. Jane Goodall, Andrew Kimbrell, Winona Laduke and Raj Patel.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents The Young Irelanders on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

The Young Irelanders is comprised of eight sensational performers who have Irish traditional music, song and dance running through their veins. Although still in their 20’s and 30’s, these performers have achieved more than most people would aspire to in a lifetime. Between them they have performed for many heads of state, Presidents of Ireland, US Presidents, the Queen of England, the President of China, Prince Albert of Monaco, Empress Michiko of Japan, performed at Radio City Music Hall, the Great Hall of the People in China, Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, the US Capitol Building, Fox Theatre in Detroit and the Pantages Theatre in L.A . The artists have also toured as lead performers with Riverdance and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, been soloists on PBS Special’s, shared the stage with Bono, and have recorded with Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones) and been chosen by Sting to perform for his exclusive private parties.

The Young Irelanders was formed not only to merge the significant creative ideas and talents of a select group of young Irish performers who are unique among their peers but also in the hope that given their combined youthfulness and ability, their existence in the music business would act as a catalyst in attracting more young people to the world of traditional Irish music at home in Ireland and through out the world.

The sound the band creates is best described as eclectic, where traditional Irish music, Celtic music, folk music, world music, jazz music, country music and popular music all come together to give rise to a very unique and multi-faceted sound. The Young Irelanders also sets out to reflect an Ireland of today where many of Ireland’s finest exponents of Irish traditional music are second generation Irish or reside out side of Ireland. Two such musicians and members of the group, Colin Farrell and Damien Mullane, were brought up in Britain to Irish emigrant parents and both have gone on to become amongst the most revered Irish traditional musicians in the world while they have also been drawn to these strong Irish roots and have spent many years living in Ireland.

Between them, members of The Young Irelanders, despite their youthfulness, have performed with The Chieftains, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, the Dubliners, Martin Hayes, Máirtín O Connor, Lúnasa, Michael Mc Goldrick and many more of the leading names in the Irish music business. Three of the 8 performers also hold Masters Degrees in Music. Female dancer Siobhán Manson was the principal dancer with Riverdance for 10 years and male dancer, Cathal Keaney, won the World Dancing Championships two consecutive years in a row.

If you want to see and hear what Ireland’s traditions of music, song & dance look and sound like like in the hands of some of the most talented young performers in the world then don’’t miss the opportunity to get to see this sensational act. The future of Ireland’ s culture is undoubtedly in safe hands with The Young Irelanders.

Echo Chamber is a collective theater piece written and produced by Whitman students under the direction of Ludmila de Brito. The production takes as inspiration recent political events in Brazil and the United States and considers our own biases in order to voice and discuss the diverse identities and paradigms that together form our community. Echo Chamber engages through music, dance and dialogue in order to address the dangerous polarization present in our concentric communities and across our nation.

There will be two performances at Gesa Power House Theatre, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Free admission.

Echo Chamber is a collective theater piece written and produced by Whitman students under the direction of Ludmila de Brito. The production takes as inspiration recent political events in Brazil and the United States and considers our own biases in order to voice and discuss the diverse identities and paradigms that together form our community. Echo Chamber engages through music, dance and dialogue in order to address the dangerous polarization present in our concentric communities and across our nation.

There will be two performances at Gesa Power House Theatre, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Free admission.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Ballet production of "The Sleeping Beauty" on Wednesday, April 12 at 6:00 p.m.

Celebrate 70 years of The Royal Ballet’s landmark production and enter an enchanted world of princesses, fairy godmothers and magical spells. A perennial delight and a much-loved classic, The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty combines the best of classical ballet, with all its charms and virtuosity, splendid music and talented dancers.

First choreographed to Tchaikovsky's great musical score by Marius Petipa in Russia in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty has wonderful ensembles, solos including the Rose Adage as Princess Aurora meets her suitors, and of course the concluding celebratory dances for the happy union of prince and princess. The Royal Ballet's landmark staging was revived for the Company's 75th anniversary celebrations in 2006.

The designs by Oliver Messell, one of the greatest stage designers of the 20th century, were restored and updated for this production by Peter Farmer. The rich evocations of the baroque opulence of a royal court, the panoramic journey of the prince to the overgrown castle and the colorful characters in this famous fairy tale make this Sleeping Beauty a spectacle like no other.

This screening runs about 3 hours including two intermissions plus a 15-minute introduction. General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) will be available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents "John Muir: Watch, Pray, Fight" a play written and performed by Mark Raddatz on Saturday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m.

In order to capture the essence of the legendary mountaineer, naturalist, and founder of the Sierra Club, Mark Raddatz composed the script entirely from Muir’s own words. This is not a biographical essay or paraphrase of an animal story. This is Muir as he would have appeared and spoken to an audience in his own time.

“I went to the University of the Pacific’s library for the bulk of my research,” Raddatz says. “They have all the Muir’s journals and other papers. Despite his having spoken before innumerable gatherings in the last 30 years of his life, I was assured that there were no actual printed speeches.”

After strenuous research in the newspaper of the period and Muir’s own papers, Raddatz found three. Traveling to Stockton, California, where the University of the Pacific’s Holt-Atherton Collections are housed, involved crossing and re-crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains that Muir did so much to preserve. Raddatz took advantage of this to explore and camp where Muir did a century before.

“I spent every summer of my boyhood in the Sierras and Yosemite," says Raddatz. "It was good to renew the contact and a great place to read Muir.”

Of this project, Raddatz says, “During my lifetime, I’ve noticed popular culture has tended to tame John Muir, to rub the rough spots smooth and portray him as a warm and fuzzy eccentric; someone to take to our hearts, but not take too seriously. This was no Disney character chatting with the birds and squirrels; what Muir had to say back then is startlingly meaningful even now.”

Without explanation or exposition, Raddatz launches into the sort of talk Muir might have made during the fight for Yosemite and the national park idea. For just over an hour, the audience is treated to the poetry, wit, insight and passion that made John Muir the most effective voice for preservation in his own time and a remarkably pertinent voice in ours. His portrayal is thoughtful, thorough and humorous – and makes a very entertaining evening.

Mission Church presents "Death Defeated" - an Easter program at Gesa Power House Theatre on Sunday, March 16 at 10:00 a.m.

Childcare provided through age 4. Kids 5 and up are invited to join the grown-ups in the service.

For more information visit www.missionchurchww.org.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Opera production of "Madama Butterfly" on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00 p.m.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly is one of the most popular of all operas, with ravishing music and a heartbreaking story of a loving geisha deserted by a callous American husband. Much-loved soprano Ermonela Jaho sings the title role for the first time at Covent Garden, in Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier's stunningly beautiful production.

The exotic imagery of the Nagasaki setting is drawn from 19th-century Western artists' romanticized views of Japan. Puccini's music brings alive the birdsong of the morning, the ritual of a wedding and the seduction by naval officer B.F. Pinkerton (sung by exciting young tenor Marcelo Puente) of his young, innocent bride. Well known moments include the impassioned aria ‘Un bel dì’ (One fine day) as the abandoned Cio-Cio-San clings vainly to her dreams.

Royal Opera Music Director Antonio Pappano, acclaimed for his interpretations of Italian opera, conducts this intense and gripping journey from light and excitement to darkness and self-sacrifice.

This screening runs about 2 hours 45 minutes including one intermission, plus a 15-minute introduction. Beer, wine, and popcorn will be available for purchase.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

SUNG IN ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Unfortunately, the performers decided to cancel this performance of "Robin Hood". Full refunds will be issued to all ticket holders.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents acoustic jazz ensemble Rhythm Future Quartet on Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Rhythm Future Quartet has a straightforward agenda: to keep the spirit of gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe. The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound,…

The WWU Steel Band reprises their annual concert at Gesa Power House Theatre on Sunday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m. Joining the band in concert is steel pan arranger and composer Ray Holman.

Ray Holman began playing steel drums professionally at 13 with Ellie Mannette's Invaders. As a teenager, he became known as a virtuoso solo player, becoming the youngest person ever to win the solo division of the "ping pong" (an early name for the tenor pan) competition in 1964. He traveled from group to group for a time, joining Starlift, Destination Tokyo, Pandemonium, Exodus, the Hummingbirds, and Phase II Pan Groove. During this time, he gained a reputation as one of the five major steel band arrangers, as he repeatedly led groups to victory in the Trinidadian national Panorama competitions, with arrangements for bands numbering up to 120 performers. He also gained a reputation for challenging the system to some degree by departing from the traditional Calypso tunes for the competitions, and in 1972 he became the first arranger to compose and play his own music for the Panorama competition. He also occasionally made arrangements from European classical music, much to the surprise of steel band traditionalists. As a result, he has become one of the most respected and sought after musicians in the steel band form, both as a solo player and as an arranger. In 1993, he was awarded the Hummingbird Silver Medal of Merit by the government of Trinidad and Tobago for his contributions to the culture of the nation.

The WWU Steel Band formed in 2002 and is directed by Brandon Beck. The group tours throughout the US and has also toured to the island of Bermuda. In previous years, they have performed with world-class steel pan artists such as Victor Provost, Gary Gibson, and Tom Miller.

Proceeds from the concert go to support the WWU Steel Band through recruiting, touring, and purchasing instruments.

The Baudboys will return for another a cappella concert in Walla Walla on Friday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. They last performed here in 2015.

The Baudboys are an 8-part a cappella group of Microsoft employees (aka "geeks"). With a rotating membership of 7-9 members, The Baudboys competed or performed at the Northwest Regional Harmony Sweepstakes for a record nine years running, claiming the top spot in 2008 and again in 2011.

Reserved seating tickets ($29-$24 Adults, $18 Students) will be available to the public on January 23, online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Ballet production of "Jewels" on Wednesday, May 24 at 6:00 p.m.

George Balanchine’s evocation of the sparkle of emeralds, rubies and diamonds is a brilliant ballet classic. The French Romantic music of Fauré provides the impetus for the subtlety and lyricism of ‘Emeralds’, while the fire of ‘Rubies’ comes from Stravinsky and the jazz-age energy of New York. Grandeur and elegance complete the ballet with the splendor of Imperial Russia and the peerless music of Tchaikovsky in ‘Diamonds’.

"Jewels" is a masterclass in the many luminous facets of classical ballet and indeed of The Royal Ballet itself: the virtuoso choreography of Balanchine, the intensity of the soloists and the precision of the entire Company.

This screening runs about 2 hours 30 minutes including two intermissions plus a 15-minute introduction. Beer, wine, and popcorn will be available for purchase.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) will be available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre announces auditions for "Cabaret" on Monday, June 5. The musical will be directed by Tyson Kaup (who recently directed and starred in "Rocky Horror Show" and "Last Five Years" fame), with performances August 18-20, 25-27.

"Cabaret" is a musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff. The original production, starring Joel Grey as the emcee, debuted on Broadway in 1966, and has been revived on Broadway and London's West End numerous times. Joel Grey also starred in the 1972 film adaptation with Liza Minnelli.

Auditions for "Cabaret" will take place at Gesa Power House Theatre from 6pm to 10pm. Actors should prepare a short song, plus may be asked for a cold reading or some basic stage movement. Callbacks will be scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 between 6pm and 10pm.

Performers of all ethnic and racial background are encouraged to attend.

Each June, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival presents over 30 events around the Walla Walla Valley. The first Series Concert will take place at Gesa Power House Theatre on Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Ching-chu Hu (b. 1969)

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE (2013) FOR STRING SEXTET

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Commission

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

MYTHES, TROIS POÈMES, OP. 30

I. La Fontaine d’Arethuse

II. Narcisse

III. Dryades et Pan
INTERMISSION
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

STRING QUINTET IN C MAJOR, D. 956

I. Allegro ma non troppo

II. Adagio

III. Scherzo. Presto. Trio. Andante sostenuto

IV. Allegretto - Più allegro

Artists: Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Maria Sampen, viola; and MingHuan Xu, violin.

General Admission Tickets ($20 Adult, $8 Student, $45 Family) are available at www.wwcmf.org.

This performance was made possible by the generosity of the Dos Rios Fund of the Blue Mountain Community Foundation. The Steinway grand piano has been generously provided by the Walla Walla Piano Group.

About the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival:

Founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Timothy Christie, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF) is a non-profit organization committed to making chamber music accessible to all. In addition to tickets events, WWCMF presents extensive free children’s programming, targeted outreach events, and daily free open rehearsals throughout the Walla Walla community.

Each June, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival presents over 30 events around the Walla Walla Valley. The second Series Concert will take place at Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m.

John David Earnest (b. 1940)

COMMEDIA GALLERY (2011) FOR FLUTE, HARP AND VIOLA

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Commission

I. Arlecchino

II. Pierrot

III. Scaramouche

Andrew Norman (b. 1979)

LIGHT SCREENS (2002) FOR FLUTE, VIOLIN, VIOLA AND CELLO

INTERMISSION
Arnold Bax (1883-1953)

HARP QUINTET (1919)

I. Tempo moderato —

II. Tranquillo —

III. Tempo primo

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

SONATA IN D, OP. 94 FOR FLUTE AND PIANO

I. Moderato

II. Scherzo

III. Andante

IV. Allegro con brio

Artists: Sarah Brady, flute; Winston Choi, piano; Timothy Christie, viola; Katri Ervamaa, cello; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Amy Ley, harp; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; and MingHuan Xu, violin.

General Admission Tickets ($20 Adult, $8 Student, $45 Family) are available at www.wwcmf.org.

About the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival:

Founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Timothy Christie, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF) is a non-profit organization committed to making chamber music accessible to all. In addition to tickets events, WWCMF presents extensive free children’s programming, targeted outreach events, and daily free open rehearsals throughout the Walla Walla community.

The World of Syrah: Kick-off Event

Location: Gesa Power House Theatre
Ticket Price: Complimentary tickets necessary. Sign up here.
Sponsored by Pacific Power.

Join us as we officially kick off the Celebrate wine weekend with an energizing and informative talk on Syrah given by Patrick Comiskey, the Senior Correspondent from Wine & Spirits Magazine, alongside Celebrate Walla Walla veteran, Doug Frost. Doug Frost is an American Master of Wine and Master Sommelier as well as an author and wine consultant based in Kansas City, Missouri. Frost is one of four individuals in the world to hold simultaneously the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, achieving his MS in 1991 and MW in 1993. Patrick Comiskey is a Senior Correspondent for Wine & Spirits Magazine, where he serves as chief critic for all American wines not from California, and regularly contributes articles devoted to California, Oregon and Washington wine, winegrowing, and wine culture. Comiskey is also a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times, is an instructor on the wine business at UCLA, and is an award-winning author.

Coffee and pastries will be served.

Complimentary shuttle service available from the Marcus Whitman Hotel beginning at 8:00 a.m.

The world's foremost all male revue, "Hunks: The Show" will make a tour stop at Gesa Power House Theatre on Friday, June 16 at 8:00 pm.

HUNKS is an electrifying, high-energy, professional performance showcasing some of the sexiest men alive as they sing, dance, and strip in choreographed routines to thumping beats and dazzling lights. Millions of women around the world have experienced the heat and thrill of the HUNKS, and now it’s your turn. This all-star male dance revue is a great way to celebrate ladies’ night, a birthday, a bachelorette party, or a divorce. If you like men in uniforms, cowboys, firemen, and guys who can move, then HUNKS is the show for you!

Each June, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival presents over 30 events around the Walla Walla Valley. The third Series Concert will take place at Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m.

James Stephenson (b. 1969)

LAST CHANTS (2015) FOR PIANO, VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO AND CLARINET

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Commission

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

VIER ERNSTE GESÄNGE, OP. 121

arr. Barnaby Kerekes

I. Denn es gehet dem Menschen

II. Ich wandte mich und sahe an alle

III. O Tod, wie bitter bist du

IV. Wenn ich mit Menschen und mit Engelszungen redete

INTERMISSION

Joaquín Turina (1882-1949)

LA ORACIÓN DEL TORERO (1925) FOR STRING QUARTET

Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)

LA REVÛE DE CUISINE (1927)

Jazz Suite and Ballet for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, cello & piano

I. Prologue

II. Tango

III. Charleston

IV. Finale

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Billy Ray Hunter, trumpet; Peter Kolkay, bassoon; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Weston Sprott, trombone; and Anna Stoytcheva, piano.

General Admission Tickets ($20 Adult, $8 Student, $45 Family) are available at www.wwcmf.org.

This performance was made possible by the generosity of Iain and Stephanida Christie. The Steinway grand piano has been generously provided by the Walla Walla Piano Group.

About the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival:

Founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Timothy Christie, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF) is a non-profit organization committed to making chamber music accessible to all. In addition to tickets events, WWCMF presents extensive free children’s programming, targeted outreach events, and daily free open rehearsals throughout the Walla Walla community.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Julius Caesar" on Wednesday, June 14 at 6:00 p.m.

Angus Jackson directs Shakespeare’s epic political tragedy, as the race to claim the empire spirals out of control.

Caesar returns from war, all-conquering, but mutiny is rumbling through the corridors of power.

The Rome season (Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, Coriolanus) in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre opens with the politics of spin and betrayal turning to violence. Following his sell-out productions of Tom Morton-Smith’s Oppenheimer (2014) and James Fenton’s adaptation of Don Quixote (2016), Season Director Angus Jackson steers the thrilling action.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) will be available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Walla Walla Valley Honda presents "Presto the Magician" - as part of the 2017 Little Watts Children's Series of Family Entertainment - on Friday, June 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Presto is Portland's Favorite Family Magician performing comedy magic shows for birthday parties, libraries, schools, company parties, and other events. Winner of Portland's 2016 Red Tricycle "Most Delightful Birthday Entertainer" award, Presto is able to charm audiences of all ages.

Presto has been performing magic since he was a teenager, and now performs for tens of thousands of kids every year as a full-time entertainer.

Reserved seating tickets ($12 Adult, $8 Youth 12 and Under) will be available to Members on Saturday, May 27, to our e-mail subscribers on Tuesday, May 30, and to the public on Friday, June 2, online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Each June, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival presents over 30 events around the Walla Walla Valley. The fourth Series Concert will take place at Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Robert Hutchinson (b. 1970)

PAS DE QUATRE (2010) FOR STRING QUARTET

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Commission

Dimitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

TWO PIECES, OP. 11 FOR STRING OCTET

I. Prelude: Adagio

II. Scherzo: Allegro molto

INTERMISSION

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

CLARINET QUINTET IN A, K. 581

I. Allegro

II. Larghetto

III. Menuetto

IV. Allegretto con variazioni

Artists: Doyle Armbrust, viola; Timothy Christie, viola; Maeve Feinberg, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Clara Lyon, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Russell Rolen, cello; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; and Spektral Quartet.

General Admission Tickets ($20 Adult, $8 Student, $45 Family) are available at www.wwcmf.org.

This performance was made possible by the generosity of Mark Brucks and Susan Monahan.

About the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival:

Founded in 2007 by Artistic Director Timothy Christie, the Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival (WWCMF) is a non-profit organization committed to making chamber music accessible to all. In addition to tickets events, WWCMF presents extensive free children’s programming, targeted outreach events, and daily free open rehearsals throughout the Walla Walla community.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Ballet production of "The Dream / Symphonic Variations /Margruerite and Armand" on Wednesday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. This event is filmed live in London and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

This gorgeous mixed programme demonstrates the great creative vision of Frederick Ashton, Founder Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. The Dream is Ashton's adaptation of Shakespeare's riotous comedy in which a forest sprite plays havoc, armed with a love potion. Symphonic Variations was Ashton's first work after World War II, and one of the Company's first to be performed on the huge main stage of the Royal Opera House, in 1946. With six dancers performing a series of quartets, duets, sextets and solos to Franck’s brooding Variations symphoniques, this seminal masterpiece celebrates the pure beauty of movement. Marguerite and Armand is Ashton's beautiful and emotional retelling of a well-known story, familiar to us through Verdi's opera La traviata. Ashton famously created this poignant ballet on Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in 1963.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

If you believe we should "Support Our Troops", you ought to Support Their Stories. Please join legendary actor Tom Skerritt (TOP GUN, ALIEN, STEEL MAGNOLIAS) on Friday, June 30th at the Gesa Power House Theatre to do just that.

Tom Skerritt is the co-founder — along with retired Army Captain Evan Bailey — of The Red Badge Project, a non-profit teaching veterans coping with PTSD and TBIs the skills needed for five-star storytelling.

On this evening, Skerritt and two founding faculty members, Shawn Wong and Warren Etheredge, will share some of their trade secrets with you and introduce you to a handful of veterans who will share their stories on stage. Etheredge — who will serve as the event’s emcee — is also the co-founder and curator of the Walla Walla Movie Crush that will take place on July 1 and 2, also at the Power House.

For more than five years, The Red Badge Project has been helping veterans express themselves in order to conquer their demons. (The Walla Walla Public Library has been host to the group since 2014.) You can help the cause by buying tickets - all proceeds benefit The Red Badge Project - to ensure that the stories told by the men and women of national service are held, healing, and heard.

Reserved seating tickets ($25) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Go to the movies, and be a part of Walla Walla History!

2 days. 13 hours of programming. 11 World Premieres. 88 short movies… all new to you. Dozens of award-winners, including an Oscar® nominee. The 1st annual Walla Walla Movie Crush, America’s most intoxicating blend of short cinema, coming to the Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, July 1 and 2.

See and hear Stephen King (THE SHINING), Tituss Burgess (THE UNBREAKBALE KIMMY SCHMIDT), Jennifer Lawrence (THE HUNGER GAMES), John Turturro (DO THE RIGHT THING), Lena Dunham (GIRLS), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA), Stephen Dorff (BLADE), Casey Wilson (SNL), Sam Elliott (WE WERE SOLDIERS) and Bobby Cannavale (BOARDWALK EMPIRE).

Renowned short film expert Warren Etheredge has watched hundreds of short films and selected the very best for you to view, packaged in hour-long programs with time for conversations about the content with visiting filmmakers. The films range in length from one to 30 minutes, with most less than 10. Highlights include programs dedicated to veterans’ issues, sports, music, mothers, social mores, political discourse and, of course, romance… when it goes oh-so-right and oh-so-wrong.

If your tastes run a little wilder, check out Walla Walla After Dark: The Crushening, a special program of the weird, the wild, the bawdy and the bizarre on Saturday, July 1st at 10pm at El Corazon (37 S Palouse St).

On Sunday night, join us for 10 brand-new short films created specifically for the Walla Walla Movie Crush by these critically-acclaimed directors and filmmaking teams: The Adams Family (HALFWAY TO ZEN), Genevieve Anderson (TOO LOUD A SOLITUDE), Wendy Jo Carlton (EASY ABBY), Rick Castaneda (CEMENT SUITCASE), Mtume Gant (WHITE FACE), Jadoliv Studios, Josh Lunden (MODERN DARK), Joshua Seftel (WAR, INC.), Jacob Strunk (VALHALLA), and Caveh Zahedi (THE SHEIK AND I). When these films hit the screen, it will be the first time anyone has seen them, including the festival staff. The Walla Walla Movie Crush Challenge will be followed immediately by the festival’s Closing Night Awards Ceremony.

For the full schedule and line-up visit: www.wallawallamoviecrush.com

Tickets will be available online through June 30, and at the door based on availability.

The Walla Walla Movie Crush receives support from The City of Walla Walla, the Walla Walla Public Library, Gesa Power House Theatre, and Washington FilmWorks. All proceeds from the Walla Walla Movie Crush go to support The Red Badge Project.

Gesa Power House Theatre and the Blue Mountain Humane Society invite you to attend a screening of the independent, foreign film "Kedi" on Friday, July 7. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the film begins at 7:00 p.m. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Blue Mountain Humane Society.

Arrive early to visit with representatives from the Blue Mountain Humane Society, meet some adorable cats (available for adoption), and get your picture taken in a photo booth.

All donations that Blue Mountain Humane Society receives during the PETS90X Challenge will be matched by the Murr Family Foundation.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Antony & Cleopatra" on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in Stratford-Upon-Avon and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

Following Caesar’s assassination Mark Antony has reached the heights of power. Now he has neglected his empire for a life of decadent seduction with his mistress, Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Torn between love and duty, Antony’s military brilliance deserts him, and his passion leads the lovers to their tragic end.

Iqbal Khan returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company to direct, following his critically acclaimed productions of Othello (2015) and Much Ado About Nothing (2012).

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents Herb Alpert & Lani Hall in concert on Sunday, July 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Herb Alpert — the iconic trumpeter, composer, record label executive, artist and philanthropist — has had five #1 hits, released fifteen Gold albums, fourteen Platinum albums and has sold over 72 million records. After more than 50 years of ground-breaking accomplishments, he continues to be a prolific musician. He recently released a Grammy-nominated album of new material, inspired by electronic and dance music, called "Human Nature" - his fourth album of new music in just three years. It features five new original compositions and Alpert’s signature re–imagining of classics like Michael Jackson's “Human Nature,” Burt Bacharach’s “Alfie” and “Don't Go Breaking My Heart,” and Bacharach and Elvis Costello’s “Look Up Again.”

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass propelled Alpert's sound into the pop music limelight, at one point outselling the Beatles two to one. In 1966, they achieved the since-unmatched feat of simultaneously having four albums in the Top 10-- and five in the Top 20. Alpert also has the distinction of being the only artist who has had a #1 instrumental and vocal single.

To honor this landmark year, 24 of his classic albums were remastered from the original analog tapes and reissued for the first time, several of which have been out of print for a number of years. On the heels of the reissues, 13 of Herb’s albums returned to the Billboard Top 50 Catalog Jazz albums chart. 11 of his titles are currently in the Top 100 Jazz albums on Amazon. Billboard also listed Herb at #7 on their Greatest Of All Time Billboard 200 Artists list this year. Summer, 2017, Herb releases two new albums, “Music Volume 1” and “The Christmas Wish,” recorded with symphony and chorus.

A 2006 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Alpert has also dedicated his life to philanthropy, funding programs that include arts education, jazz and support to professional artists. Through the Herb Alpert Foundation, he has endowed the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts and most recently the Music Department at Los Angeles City College. This gift to LACC provides free attendance, additional private lessons and further financial aid to music majors. Herb has also established the Herb Alpert Scholarships for Emerging Young Artists at California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts administered by Cal Arts for the past 22 years.

Grammy Award-winning vocalist and producer Lani Hall joins her husband, Herb Alpert, on the current concert tour.

Lani Hall started her singing career in 1966, as the lead singer of Sergio Mendes’s break through group, Brasil ’66. She has the distinction of recording more than 22 albums in three different languages (English, Portuguese and Spanish, and in 1983, she sang the title song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. In 1986 Hall won her first Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for her album, "Es Facil Amar". Hall picked up her second Grammy Award as producer on Herb Alpert’s 2013 album, "Steppin’ Out".

While her singing career took her on the road, Hall also focused on her writing—committing to the page her personal impressions of the world around her. Sergio Mendes further expanded her writing career by asking Lani to write the English lyrics for many of the band’s Brazilian songs. Her debut book, "Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories", compiles 10 short stories from 30 years of writing short fiction and true stories from her life—all woven together by a connecting personal narrative, with the city of Chicago as the backdrop. Her characters are intelligent, modern women struggling to navigate the uncertain waters of adultery, therapy, cosmetic surgery, postpartum depression and their own sexuality.

And now, with the release of her audio book, "Emotional Memoirs & Short Stories", Hall has mixed her two creative expressions to make one total experience. With her emotional narration at the forefront, she has placed a unique, musically scored soundtrack, creating an emotional landscape of music, to all 10 stories, making each chosen scene come to vivid life.

Since 2006, Herb Alpert and Lani Hall have been touring with their band to sell out performances.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Opera production of "Otello" on Wednesday, July 12 at 6:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in London and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

World-famous tenor Jonas Kaufmann makes his role debut as Otello in Verdi's passionate retelling of Shakespeare's great tragedy of jealousy, deception and murder. Soprano Maria Agresta will be his Desdemona and baritone Ludovic Tézier his nemesis Iago in a new production by Olivier Award-winning director Keith Warner.

A major work of the opera repertory, Verdi's Otello draws on the full forces of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, the Royal Opera Chorus and this stellar line-up of principal singers, with exquisite duets, emotionally potent solo numbers and thrilling choruses. Particular highlights include Otello and Desdemona's rapturous love duet and Desdemona's poignant 'Willow Song'. Royal Opera Music Director Antonio Pappano conducts this Italian masterpiece.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre presents: "Cabaret" a musical directed by Tyson Kaup book by Joe Masteroff based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood music by John Kander lyrics by Fred Ebb produced by arrangement with TAMS-WITMARK MUSIC LIBRARY, INC. August 18, 19, 25, 26 - 7:00 PM August 20,…

Gesa Power House Theatre presents "May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers" - screening one night only to theaters nationwide - on Tuesday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. This screening is sponsored in part by Henry Earl Winery.

Filmed with extraordinary access over more than two years, MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is a deeply intimate and revealing look at the Grammy Award-nominated North Carolina band fronted by Seth and Scott Avett. Directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio chart the Avett Brothers' decade-and-a-half rise, while chronicling their 2016 collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the critically-acclaimed album “True Sadness,” released on American Recordings/Republic Records. Using the recording process as a backdrop, the film depicts a lifelong creative partnership put to the test as band members undergo marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness, and the challenges of the music business. More than just a concert documentary, MAY IT LAST is a meditation on family, love, and the passage of time.

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online, by calling the box office at 509-529-6500, or at the door.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the current Royal Shakespeare Company production of "Titus Andronicus" on Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m. This production is filmed live in Stratford-Upon-Avon and rebroadcast internationally to select screens.

The decay of Rome reaches violent depths in Shakespeare’s most bloody play.

Titus is a ruler exhausted by war and loss, who relinquishes power but leaves Rome in disorder. Rape, cannibalism and severed body parts fill the moral void at the heart of this corrupt society.

Shakespeare’s gory revenge tragedy presents us with murder as entertainment, and, as the body count piles up, poses questions about the nature of sexuality, family, class and society.

Blanche McIntyre returns to the RSC to direct Shakespeare’s brutal revenge tragedy after her debut directing "The Two Noble Kinsmen" (2016).

General admission tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500. Popcorn, beer, and wine will be available for purchase.

As a warm-up for the Washington Premiere of "A Very Sordid Wedding" on Friday, September 15, Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the cult hit "Sordid Lives" on Thursday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m.

"Sordid Lives" is an independent film released in 2000, written and directed by Del Shores, based on his play of the same name. The film follows a gay West Hollywood actor as he returns home to his small Texas town for his grandmother's funeral. Three generations of his dysfunctional family collide and the hilariously trashy truth of their lives are revealed.

The film's remarkable cast includes Olivia Newton-John (Grease), Delta Burke (TV’s “Designing Women”), Bonnie Bedelia (TV’s “Parenthood”), Beau Bridges (TV’s “Masters of Sex”) and Leslie Jordan (TV's "Will and Grace").

"Sordid Lives" was followed in 2008 by the television series "Sordid Lives: The Series" which expanded on the events of the original film and included many of the original cast members. A sequel film "A Very Sordid Wedding" is currently in limited theatrical release and the September 15 screening at the Power House will be the official Washington Premiere of the film. Filmmakers Del Shore (writer/director) and Emerson Collins (producer/actor) will be in attendance.

"Sordid Lives" is rated R (language, nudity) and runs approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Snacks, beer, and wine will be available for purchase.

Gesa Power House Theatre will host the Washington Premiere of the 2017 independent film "A Very Sordid Wedding" on Friday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. Two of the filmmakers, Del Shores (writer/director) and Emerson Collins (producer/actor) will be in attendance. A portion of every ticket sale will be donated to the Triple Point program (details…

There is only one classic batman and his name is Adam West. Growing up on a wheat ranch just outside of town, Adam West, was always proud of his beginnings in Walla Walla. Come celebrate the legacy of our hometown hero with a FREE screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary "Starring Adam West" at 7:00 p.m. at Gesa Power House Theatre. A live Q & A panel with Director James Tooley and Producer Ralph Garman will immediately following the showing.

In June the City of Walla Walla proclaimed September 19, 2017 as Adam West Day and will include a full day of festivities on the anniversary of Adam West's birthday. A number of close friends and family members will be in attendance.

“This is a community joining together to honor someone who they love and that the residents of this city are quite proud of,” said Jonathan Grant, front office manager at the Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center and a co-organizer of the event.  “Frankly, it is something we should have done years ago, but I am excited that we are doing it now.”

Proceeds and donations from Adam West Day will go support cancer charities. For more information about Adam West Day, please visit. www.adamwestday.com.

Walla Walla Valley Honda presents "Micah and Me" on Friday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. This family dance party is part of the ongoing Little Watts Series of Family Entertainment at Gesa Power House Theatre.

Micah and Me is a band made up of three at-home dads who entertain, educate and empower young children (0-7) through the power of music. They have played hundreds of live shows throughout Oregon and Washington.

Micah and Me play ukulele, guitar, bass drum and bass guitar while singing and dancing their hearts out. The show is 45-60 minutes long, depending on the attention span of the audience. Kids, parents, and the young at heart engage in guided and free form dancing throughout the show. Other elements, such as parachute play, scarves, bubbles and percussion instruments, are often incorporated into the fun. At the end of the show they offer an instrument petting zoo.

Micah and Me were recently voted one of the top five Children's Entertainers in Portland, Oregon by PDX Parent!

Gesa Power House Theatre presents Chase Padgett in "6 Guitars" on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m.

"6 guitars" is a pitch perfect blend of music, comedy, and characters. Chase Padgett becomes six different guitar players each with their own distinct voice, views, and musical style (Blues, Jazz, Rock, Classical, Folk, and Country). During this 85 minute show, each of the characters ranging from a 19 year old rock prodigy to an 87 year old blues man share their journey with music from discovery to mastery through songs and stories that leaves every audience laughing, crying, and falling in love with music all over again.

"6 Guitars" premiered in the 2010 Orlando International Fringe Festival where it was greeted with sold out houses and standing ovations. Since then is has traveled internationally, becoming one of the most successful shows from the Canadian Fringe Festival Circuit by breaking attendance records and receiving high praise from critics. In 2013 it became one of the top 5 highest grossing shows in the history of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival by selling nearly 3000 tickets in 12 days. In 2015 it broke that record with 3200 tickets.

Chase Padgett has been a professional actor and musician for most of his adult life. While attending the University of Central Florida, he studied and worked at the Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando Fl, one of the best improv companies in the southeast. After graduating in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music he worked at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios in various comedic and musical roles including custom song writing for special events.

In 2014 Chase was hand picked to perform a sketch comedy showcase for NBC in Los Angeles where he got to work with some of the best comedy talent in the field. When not touring or auditioning in LA he resides in Portland, OR where he can be seen working with the Curious Comedy Theatre as a writer, performer, improviser, and musician.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet will perform a concert at Gesa Power House Theatre on Friday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. They previously played to a sold out Power House audience in 2014.

For the past 42 years, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet has been making some of the most potent and popular Cajun music on the planet. Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members, and created and driven by bandleader Michael Doucet’s spellbinding fiddle playing and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil is notorious for bringing even the most staid audience to its feet. BeauSoleil’s distinctive sound derives from the distilled spirits of New Orleands jazz, blues rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass, captivating listeners from the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, to Carnegie Hall, then all the way across the pond to Richard Thompson’s Meltdown Festival in England.

A new group of Walla Walla celebrities take to the stage at Gesa Power House Theatre on October 7 at 7:00 p.m. for the second annual "Dancing with the W2 Stars" fundraising event for Valley Residential Services. Local participants will be paired with professional dancers and have a week of rehearsals to learn a ballroom dance routine before the live performance and a judging panel.

Valley Residential Services has enlisted participation from a fantastic lineup of local "celebrities".

W2 Stars Dancers:

Chris Coates, Director of Sales at Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center - sponsored by Community Bank
Zachary Fraser, President of Walla Walla Sweets Baseball - sponsored by Lillie Rice Center
Mary Derby, Winemaker/Owner of DAMA Wines - sponsored by Coldwell Banker First Realtors
Scott Peters, Manager at Columbia REA - sponsored by Columbia REA
Jodi Worden, Director of Continuing Education at Walla Walla Community College - sponsored by Michael Fluharty, CPA
Jim McCarthy, Sr. VP at E.K. Riley Investments - sponsored by E.K. Riley Investments
Teri Barila, Community Organizer - sponsored by Kathy Ruggeri, RN
Jason Valentine, Weather Evening Anchor KAPP/KVEW-TV - sponsored by Jazzercise Walla Walla

W2 Stars Judges:

Tom Maccarone, T. Maccarone's
Kathy Covey, Blue Mountain Action Council
Janet Byerley, Jazzercise
Roger Esparza, Williams Team Homes

In addition to seeing the Walla Walla Stars dance, the professionals teaching the stars will perform excerpts from their award-winning showcase "Ballroom Fever". Audiences can expect to see breath-taking lifts, hundreds of costumes, theatrical story lines, and a variety of ballroom dance styles, from the sexy Cuban Salsa to the energetic American Swing to the elegant Viennese Waltz.

The professional dance ensemble are members of the United States National Formation Championship company in both Latin American and Standard ballroom dancing, and their company tours internationally, with more than 100 performances each year.

Valley Residential Services provides personalized support in safe, comfortable, home environments for developmentally disabled individuals, residences for veterans with rehabilitation opportunities, and family assistance services.

$40 - reserved seating only
$65 - reserved seating ticket + admission to the After Party Dance Party with the performers (includes one beverage and appetizers)
Tickets are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

Gesa Power House Theatre will screen the recent documentary film "Food Evolution" on Wednesday, October 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Amidst a brutally polarized debate marked by passion, suspicion and confusion, "Food Evolution", by Academy Award®-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy (The Garden, Fame High, OT: Our Town), explores the controversy surrounding GMOs and food. Traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves, to banana farms in Uganda to the cornfields of Iowa, the film, narrated by esteemed science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson, wrestles with the emotions and the science driving one of the most heated arguments of our time.

In the GMO debate, both pro and anti camps claim science is on their side. Who’s right? "Food Evolution" shows how easily misinformation, confusion and fear can overwhelm objective analysis. How do we ensure that our food supply is safe, and that everyone has enough to eat? How do we feed the world while also protecting the planet? Has genetic engineering increased or decreased pesticide use? Are GMO foods bad for your health? And, most importantly, what data, evidence and sources are we using to approach these important questions?

While the passionate advocates in the film are all concerned with the stewardship of safe, nutritious food for the planet, their differing views over what constitutes the truth have pit them against each other, rendering the very subject of food itself into an ideological battleground.

Enlisting subject matter experts as well as farmers and scientists from around the world, this bold documentary separates the hype and emotion from the science and data to unravel the debate around food, and help audiences reach their own conclusions.

The film was commissioned and funded by The Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit scientific society of more than 17,000 members from around the world.

Reserved seating tickets ($15 Adults, $10 Students) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.

"Food Evolution" runs approximately 90 minutes. For more information, please visit foodevolutionmovie.com.