Gesa Power House Theatre

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival - Series 4 - Shostakovich, Schumann and Dvorak
2016-06-25 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Gesa Power House Theatre, 111 North 6th Avenue, Walla Walla, WA, 99362, United States
The 2016 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival comes to a close with a program any Hollywood producer would admire.

Shostakovich, String Quartet in A flat, Op. 118
Schumann, Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 105
Dvorak, Piano Quartet in E flat, Op. 87
What makes a good blockbuster? Worthy protagonists, an implacable villain, equal measures of suspense, uncertainty and volatility, and, eventually, a happy ending. WWCMF brings these plot devices together in a program of music by Shostakovich, Schumann and Dvorak.

Our protagonists are Dmitri Shostakovich, a lonely artist in Soviet Era Russia; Robert Schumann, a passionate but unstable romantic; and Antonin Dvorak, a folk hero who gave a voice to the Czech people. The villains are the Soviet machine and crises of identity in the face of overwhelming odds. The music is in turns scenic, terrifying, resolute and, ultimately, heroically triumphant. When the final credits roll, you will already be able to taste the sequel…

2017: The 10-year Anniversary of WWCMF… This time, it’s personal!

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Sally Singer, cello; and Wei-Han Wu, piano.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Sally Singer Tuttle, cello; and Wei-Han Wu, piano.

Saturday, June 25, 2016
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm

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. Visit www.wwcmf.org for complete Festival details.

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival - Series 3 - Mozart, Copland, Mackey and Poulenc
2016-06-18 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The 2016 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Series 3 concert is a veritable potpourri of great music. What makes a good potpourri? I think a combination of something sweet, something exotic, something familiar, and something savory balanced in perfect proportion.
Here’s an example, brought to you by the parfumerie of WWCMF.

Sweet: Poulenc, Sextet for piano and winds, Op. 100
Exotic: Mackey, Indigenous Instruments for piano, violin, cello, flute and clarinet (1989)
Familiar: Mozart, String Quartet in E flat, K. 428
Savory: Copland, Quiet City for trumpet, english horn and strings (1941)

Smells good to me!

Artists: Sarah Brady, flute; Rodger Burnett, horn; Timothy Christie, viola; Christina Dahl, piano; Billy Ray Hunter, trumpet; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Philip Payton, violin; Paul Rafanelli, bassoon; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; Sally Singer Tuttle, cello; and Dan Williams, oboe/english horn.

Saturday, June 18, 2016
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
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. Visit www.wwcmf.org for complete Festival details.

Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wines 2016: Kick-off Event
2016-06-17 08:30 - 10:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us as we officially kick off the Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine weekend with two Master Sommeliers, who will give energizing and informative talks on Cabernet Sauvignon. Master Sommelier Thomas Burke oversees all business for the prestigious first growth Château Margaux in the United States, promoting the wines to passionate professionals and collectors. 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.
Coffee and pastries will be served.
Complimentary shuttle service available from the Marcus Whitman Hotel & The Courtyard Marriott beginning at 8:00 a.m. The event begins at 8:30 a.m.
Complimentary tickets are required (sign up here).
Sponsored by Pacific Power

Little Watts: "Vladimir Goes for Gold!"
2016-06-15 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
A young athlete takes you on an Olympic adventure! Meet Vladimir Cashewninski: Champion Badminton player, and sole athlete from the tiny People’s Republic of Insurgistan, as he prepares to compete at the Olympic Games. The night before his big day, he has an enthralling dream that takes him to Ancient Olympia, where he meets the Olympic Herald and teams up with the audience to explore the first Olympic Games.
This play by Traveling Lantern Theatre (2014 A Christmas Carol) is suitable for children of all ages!
Reserved seating tickets ($10 Adults, $7 Youth) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Little Watts Children’s Series of Family Entertainment is presented by:
Walla Walla Valley Honda & Gesa Credit Union

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival - Series 2 - Strauss, Baermann and Mendelssohn
2016-06-11 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
For the second performance on the 2016 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Series, the piano goes silent. In its place are intimate works for strings, clarinet and voice.
The six “Brentano” songs of Richard Strauss, Op. 68, represent a return from the opera house to the concert stage. Each song expresses an aspect of Strauss’ undying love for his wife, Pauline, who was a soprano. Tonight’s vocalist, Jennifer Goltz, has supplied a lovingly arranged setting of three of the six songs for soprano and string quartet.

Next up is the Adagio for clarinet and strings by Heinrich Baermann, a tender expression of affection in which the clarinet sings like the human voice.

The program concludes with the bracing and affecting String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80 by Felix Mendelssohn. If the first half of the program concentrates on love, the second half explores loss. In this case, Mendelssohn, inconsolable at the loss of his beloved sister, Fanny, expresses his grief through music. No lament, this quartet shakes its fists at God, and the result is a virtuosic masterpiece you won’t want to miss.

Artists: Timothy Christie, viola; Jennifer Goltz, soprano; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Kevin Schempf, clarinet; and Sally Singer Tuttle, cello.

Saturday, June 11, 2016
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
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. Visit www.wwcmf.org for complete Festival details.

Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival - Series 1 - Berners, Reich and Brahms
2016-06-07 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The 2016 Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Series gets underway with the first performance at the Gesa Power House Theatre. As is our tradition, we begin with the World Premiere of a work commissioned for the occasion, a set of duos for two violins by composer, John Berners. Each piece is a miniature paying homage to the collections of violin duos by Béla Bartók and Luciano Berio respectively.
Next, we encounter an American masterpiece of minimalism by Steve Reich, Different Trains for string quartet and tape. Words become melodies that weave together in sometimes hypnotic repetitions. However, the repetitions change subtly, and Reich creates an emotional documentary of heartbreakingly different journeys by train during the 1940’s in America and Europe.
To bring the performance to a close, WWCMF is delighted to welcome back the Volta Piano Trio for the Brahms Piano Trio in B, Op. 8. Nowhere is the Romanticism of Brahms as optimistic or unbridled as in this early masterpiece. Though Brahms revisited the work later in life to correct the “mistakes” of his 21 year-old self, the youthful exuberance of the work’s origin shines through all the same.
Artists: John Berners, Composer; Jennifer Caine, violin; Timothy Christie, violin/viola; Oksana Ezhokina, piano; Andrew Jennings, violin; Norbert Lewandowski, cello; Christina McGann, violin; Stephen Miahky, violin; Maria Sampen, violin; Sally Singer Tuttle, cello; and Volta Piano Trio.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Doors open at 6:30pm
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. Visit www.wwcmf.org for complete Festival details.

Gail Pettis & Pearl Django
2016-05-27 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Earshot Magazine’s 2010 Northwest Vocalist of the Year Gail Pettis joins forces with Pearl Django – one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups – for an evening of jazz at Gesa Power House Theatre.

Gail Pettis grew up singing “church music” in Gary, Indiana, but it wasn’t until she moved to Seattle in 1996 that she began to pursue a second career in music. She closed her orthodontic practice in 2006 and released her first solo album in 2007. Her rich, warm vocal and understated phrasing was described as “deliciously soulful” by Cadence Magazine.
Gail Pettis values the freedom of personal expression she finds in music. “For me, emotion is the currency of jazz,” she says. “Over the years, I have learned that wearing your heart on your sleeve is not always the best approach to every life situation, but within the context of music, vulnerability always feels right.”
With a performance history spanning more than two decades, Pearl Django is regarded as one of America’s finest gypsy jazz bands. The band’s focus is incorporating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with American swing music.
Pearl Django’s extensive repertoire includes traditional jazz classics and original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. The band’s fervent followers include Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli fans, guitar enthusiasts, lovers of string music — including bluegrass devotees who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking — world music fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, jazz buffs, and aficionados of the new swing music.
Pearl Django has played at the prestigious Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois sur Seine and has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The band’s signature style is marked by pristine and dexterous string work, the steady pulse of rhythm guitar and an unmistakable swing that delights audiences of all musical sensibilities. They have released 11 albums to date.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

Jet City Improv Comedy
2016-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Jet City Improv comedians will riff on the old “B” movie genre at Gesa Power House Theatre on Saturday, May 21, at 7PM.
Seattle’s Jet City Improv will have you laughing at old films with on-the-spot dialogue, sound effects, and music, along with audience suggestions and corny script situations. Think Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Rifftrax improvised in front of a live audience.
The movies selected for “Twisted Flicks” are never worse than PG, so you won’t see anything on the big screen more inappropriate than a buxom babe or some bad makeup on a fake alien wound. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

WWU Steel Band Concert with Liam Teague
2016-05-15 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The WWU Steel Band reprises their annual concert at Gesa Power House Theatre on Sunday, May 15 at 7:00 p.m. Joining the band in concert is soloist and “Paganini of the Steelpan” Liam Teague.
Teague currently serves as Head of Steelpan Studies at Northern Illinois University. A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Teague has traveled the world performing with many diverse ensembles, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Dartmouth Wing Ensemble, and Panama National Symphony. He is a strong advocate for original steelpan compositions, has served as musical arranger at Panorama, the most prestigious steelband competition in the world, and has recorded eight albums.
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.
“We are excited to perform with astounding steel pan performer Liam Teague,” says Beck. “He will not only perform solos at the concert, but he does us the honor of playing with us on several pieces.”
Proceeds from the concert go to support the WWU Steel Band through recruiting, touring, and purchasing instruments.

4 for the 1: Christian Music Festival
2016-05-14 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
This is a charity event intended to showcase local Christian talent and provide the community with an evening of uplifting, inspirational and fun entertainment while contributing to local charities!
All musical acts will be performing for a local charity. The audience will be give score cards to track performances and vote for their favorite act by donating with cash or by check to their designated charity. If donating by check, please make your check out to the charity, not the performers. 100% of your donations will go to the charity. If requested, receipts will be mailed out.
Tickets ($10) are available at www.4forthe1.com.
Featuring:

Paul Hodgins (Walla Walla)
Charity: Valley Chapel 4-H Club
Steve and Caroline Moore (Pomeroy)
Charity: Jubilee Leadership Academy
Never Give Up (Dayton)
Charity: Columbia County Community Network
Faith Street and Grace (Walla Walla)
Charity: Christian Aid Center

Northwest Community Gospel Choir
2016-04-30 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Northwest Community Gospel Choir is a gifted, multicultural group of all ages and includes singers and musicians from the Gospel Music Workshop of America, churches, and various other music ministries in Portland and surrounding cities. The group has performed an annual Gospel Christmas concert with the Oregon Symphony since 1999.
The choir gathers each fall, under the leadership of its music director, Gary Hemenway, to prepare for its December concerts with the Oregon Symphony and conductor Charles Floyd. As they share their gifts each holiday season, chorus members remain dedicated to the perpetuation of gospel music and bringing energy and joy to every song. After a dozen years, the chorus stands as a living example of how people of all races, religions, and backgrounds can come together.
Tickets ($35 Reserved Seating) will be available to the public on March 17.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

Thrive Ecology Launch Event
2016-04-14 17:30 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
RSVP for this free event!
Come celebrate with Thrive Ecology and discover how you can THRIVE, not just survive in mind, body and life.
Walla Walla couple Brian and Carrie Spradlin are launching a new wellness company Thrive Ecology. Hear their story, and discover the revolutionary Adaptive Resistance eXercise (ARX) technology they are bringing to Walla Walla Valley that will change the way you think about wellness, exercise, and
strength training.
On Thursday, April 14, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. come to Gesa Power House Theatre to connect, support, and join our community of personal wellness! Giveaway door prizes and a chance to register for a free Personal ARX Training Session will be available. Special promotional offers will be available at this event only!

RSVP is appreciated, but not required: thriveecologylaunch.eventbrite.com

Sugaray Rayford in Concert - WW Guitar Festival
2016-04-08 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The 5th Annual Coyote Kings Invitational Walla Walla Guitar Festival, in conjunction with Feast Walla Walla, is a multi-venue Blues & Roots music, food, and wine celebration weekend in Beautiful Downtown Walla Walla! This year’s dates are April 8, 9, & 10, 2016.
Gesa Power House Theatre welcomes Sugaray Rayford to open the Festival on Friday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. This international sensation is one of the most sought-after stars in Blues today. When Sugaray belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it.
Sugaray’s dynamic voice is as large as the man and with his old-school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the legendary James Brown.
The excitement in the room is palpable as this superb vocalist and entertainer and his band take the stage. Rayford’s band is filled with elite members, each with a long list of credits and accomplishments.
“Gino Matteo on guitar is worth the price of admission on his own. With Sugaray & the rest of his stellar band it’s one of the best shows I’ve ever had to pleasure of attending.” ~ Robin Barrett
Sugaray is nominated for four 2016 Blues Music Awards; Best Contemporary Blues Album, Best Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Best Song, and The B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year Award.
Artists performing at this year’s Festival include:

SUGARAY RAYFORD
RICK ESTRIN & THE NIGHTCATS
THE 44s
ROBIN BARRETT & COYOTE KINGS w/TIPH DAMES
BEN HUNTER & JOE SEAMONS
AYRON JONES & THE WAY
BIG MONTI & RAE GORDON
RANDY OXFORD’S ALL-STAR SLAM
CHARLIE BUTTS & THE FILTER TIPS
THE STACY JONES BAND
BILLY STOOPS & THE DIRT ANGELS
THE SARA BROWN BAND
THE WASTELAND KINGS
TREVALYAN BLUE
VAUGHN JENSEN
TUCK FOSTER
SHANKS PONY
PAPPA FRITA & THE HOT MUSTARD
GARY WINSTON & THE REAL DEAL
THE BARN DWELLERS
IGUANA HAT
WINSTON/HEMENWAY
RAE GORDON

Click here for the 2016 WWFGF MUSIC SCHEDULE
Venues include Gesa Power House Theatre, Sapolil Cellars, The Marcus Whitman, The Elks, The VFW, The Eagles, and the Large Tent, with more artists and venues to be added.
Five local motels are offering discounted rates, ranging from luxury ($150 per night) to budget ($60 per night), for WWGF patrons.
A variety of ticket packages are available from the Sugaray concert only ($30) to a full-festival pass ($105). Tickets are available at wallawallaguitarfestival.com.
Feast Walla Walla and Walla Walla Guitar festival have teamed up for the weekend. Go to www.downtownwallawalla.com for all the details.

Wanderlust Circus Cabaret
2016-04-06 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Leave the kids at home for an evening of circus entertainers, live music and more, at the Gesa Power House Theatre on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m. This show is suggested for 18 and older.
Wanderlust Circus is the premiere (animal-free) circus operation in Portland, OR. Helmed by Noah Mickens and Nick “The Creature” Harbar, Wanderlust Circus draws from a roster of performers, designers and technicians from some of the greatest shows on earth.
Starring:
TEAM RAD – acrobats
TERA ZARRA – singing strongwoman
INDIGO SKY – hooper and aerialist
JOSIAH AKOYA – cyr wheel
MISTER CREATURE – chief contraptionist
and WILLIAM BATTY HIMSELF
Part circus, part Bohemian vaudeville, part ribald humor.
Reserved seating tickets ($30) are available online or by calling the box office at 509-529-6500.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

Wanderlust Circus Family Night
2016-04-05 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Bring the whole family to enjoy an evening of acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, live orchestra and more, at the Gesa Power House Theatre on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Wanderlust Circus is Portland’s largest collective of performers who join together to put on breathtaking shows involving an ever-evolving group of entertainers, from aerialists to stilt walkers and everything in between.
Reserved seating tickets ($10 Adults, $7 Youth) will be available to the public on March 3.
The 2016 Little Watts Children’s Series is presented by Walla Walla Valley Honda and Gesa Credit Union.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Little Watts Children’s Series of Family Entertainment is presented by:
Walla Walla Valley Honda & Gesa Credit Union

Madeleine Peyroux
2016-03-29 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Madeleine Peyroux will perform at Gesa Power House Theatre on Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Madeleine Peyroux is a jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist, noted for her vocal style, which has often been compared to that of Billie Holiday.
American-born and of French descent, she got her start as a teenager performing with street musicians in Paris, where she was living with her mother at the time. In her early twenties, she was discovered by an American producer and released her first album Dreamland in 1996.
Peyroux has opened for Sarah McLachlan, collaborated with k.d. lang, and was awarded Best International Jazz Artist at the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards. Her songs have appeared in national television ad for Dockers and Old Navy, during the closing credits of an episode of HBO’s Deadwood, and on the soundtracks to films, such as Last Holiday and Diplomacy.
Watch an 2014 interview featured on CBS Sunday Morning.
Reserved seating tickets ($43) went on on sale to the general public on February 15 and quickly sold out. (Ms. Peyroux will donate $1 for every ticket purchased to YWCA Walla Walla.) If you would like to be a the Wait List for tickets, contact the box office at 509-529-6500.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Inland Cellular, Pacific Power, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

Easter Service: "Life Outside the Tomb"
2016-03-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Mission Church presents “Life Outside the Tomb” – an Easter program at Gesa Power House Theatre on Sunday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m.
Childcare provided through age 4. Kids 5 and up are invited to join the grown-ups in the service. Don’t worry, super fun & awesome activity packets will be provided.
For more information visit www.missionchurchww.org.

3rd Annual Tutus & Tapas
2016-03-26 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
“An Invitation to the Ballet” is the theme for this year’s annual Tutus & Tapas gala evening – a fundraiser for Danza Classica Ballet Foundation.
Festivities begin at 6:00PM with tasty tapas and regional small bites, local wines, and music by Ed Dixon, WW symphony cellist. Guests can peruse the silent auction table, wine wall, and “Take a Chance Tutus!” Then at 7:00PM returning emcee Thomas Beebe will introduce exciting live auction items between seven ballet pieces performed by the Danza Classica Ballet Company. The dances will showcase classical and modern ballet technique with original choreography by Idalee Hutson-Fish. Auction items include wines from Cayuse Vineyards and Leonetti Cellars, a winery dinner for 6 at Amavi Cellars, “Tutus & Tools” (four dads for 4 hours of labor for a Saturday project), and a canvas print of the Tarzan Dan photograph used for the event poster.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for students and are available through Gesa Power House Theatre and from Ballet Company members. All proceeds benefit the Danza Classica Ballet Foundation whose mission it is to foster and advance the art of ballet in the WW Valley.
*join the Facebook event*
For more information, contact Cheryl Heller at 509-526-9720.
Photo Credit: Tarzan Dan TDFoto.ca

Also on Saturday, March 26, at Gesa Power House Theatre:

BALLET IMMERSION CLASSES (for children ages 4-7)
2:30-3:30PM – Magical Ballerinas is intended for students ages 4 & 5 and will focus on fun ballet stretches and basic ballet technique with a fairy tale theme.
3:30-4:30PM – Ballet Classica is intended for students ages 6 & 7 and will focus on more complex ballet technique with a traditional ballet theme.
Tuition is $25 per child and all participants will take home a complimentary tutu or cape. Proceeds benefit Danza Classica Ballet Foundation. Call 509-525-0815 to reserve your space!

Sing-along Handel's "Messiah" - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
2016-03-25 18:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square will once again join forces to present Handel’s beloved oratorio Messiah in its entirety this Easter. Join your friends and community at the Gesa Power House Theatre on Good Friday, March 25, and sing along through a live video feed of the Salt Lake City concert beginning at 6:00 p.m. This one-of-a-kind, community sing-along experience is hosted by the Walla Walla stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints
“We are excited to be a part of this historic event,” says John Rowley, presiding authority for the Church in the Walla Walla region. “We invite our neighbors and friends throughout the Walla Walla Valley to celebrate the wonderful Easter message of our Savior in a beautifully restored community arts venue like the Power House Theatre.”
The concert will be conducted by Mack Wilberg, music director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who has prepared a new edition of Messiah for the Choir and Orchestra. Four New York Metropolitan Opera soloist will also participate.
George Frideric Handel’s musical masterpiece, Messiah, was first performed in 1742. This March, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra will release their newest recording of the famed oratorio. In addition, they will perform Messiah live in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on two nights, including this worldwide live stream of the second night’s performance.
Admission is free, thanks to support from Columbia REA, Cameo Heights Mansion, Impress Salon, Banner Bank, and Hawkins Law. Donations (cash or check) will be accepted at the door to benefit Christian Aid Center of Walla Walla. View/download the official program.
This show is sold out. If you would like to be on the wait list, call the box office at 509-529-6500, or take your chances at the door.
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About the Tabernacle Choir:
Composed of 360 volunteer voices, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir serves as a musical ambassador for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Orchestra at Temple Square is a 150-member, all-volunteer symphony orchestra organized in 1999 to perform and accompany the musical ensembles of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir organization. Nearly 200 recordings have showcased the Choir from the early days of long-playing records to modern digital compact discs and DVDs.

Hope Heals - Annett Bovent
2016-03-23 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Celebrate Annett Bovent’s life and success, from surviving a traumatic childhood, to becoming a homeless single mom, to running her own non-profit organization.
Annett Bovent moved to Walla Walla with her three children hoping for a fresh start. She took up working multiple jobs and found herself homeless three times over a period of 12 years. After applying for an interest-free home loan with Hayden Homes, she felt incredibly blessed to be one of the chosen recipients. Moving into her new home, her eldest son provided her with a care package of much needed household supplies. This simple act of love from her son renewed her hope and inspired her to begin her own charitable organization called Hope Heals. Her mission is to give others the Love and Hope that she and her family had received.
Hope Heals provides care packages and shower bags to homeless families and single veterans transitioning out of homelessness into permanent housing. This year Hope Heals expanded to include its 1st Annual Warm Clothing Drive. Annett says that this has been the most rewarding thing that she has ever accomplished in her life so far. Annett’s goal is to continue to expand and add new services through Hope Heals.
Listen to Annett Bovent present more on the fulfilling work and future goals of Hope Heals. Be touched by listening to Annett’s personal story of overcoming her traumatic childhood, surviving homelessness and allowing hope to transform her life. Become more aware of homelessness in our community and learn of ways that you can also help. Above all, be inspired to give others hope, to create community, and to make the world a better place.
Wednesday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Gesa Power House Theatre.
Join the Facebook event

The Moms' Network Comedy Night: "One Funny Mother"
2016-03-12 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Columbia REA presents Dena Blizzard in “One Funny Mother…And I Am Not Crazy” for the second annual Comedy Night fundraiser to benefit The Moms’ Network of Walla Walla on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at the Gesa Power House Theatre beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Walla Walla audiences will get the last preview performance of “One Funny Mother” before it opens Off-Broadway in New York City at the end of the month.
Dena Blizzard has performed stand up all over the country since launching her career over 12 years ago. She has been featured in the NY Times and has performed at Gotham Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory and The Comedy Stop at the Trop in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Dena has also performed at the United Nations for the Comedy Cures foundation in 2009 and is a winner of the coveted Ladies of Laughter competition. Dena’s success has launched her into careers in talk radio, as well as, a warm-up comedian for Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, The Chew and The Rachel Ray Show.
When asked to sum up her show Dena responds, “Have you ever gone un-showered for days, fought with your husband over who works harder, picked a child’s nose or had a kid pee on you? Then, you won’t want to miss ‘One Funny Mother: I’m Not Crazy!!’ Through stories, music and videos, I describe a life you will swear is your own and will make you realize that YOU’RE NOT CRAZY… motherhood is.”
The evening begins with a local Lip Sync Sing Off then “One Funny Mother…And I Am Not Crazy” followed by a VIP event with Dena in the Electric Lounge at the Gesa Power House Theatre.
Comedy Night Lineup:

6PM Theater Opens
7PM Local Lip Sync Sing-Off
8:15PM “One Funny Mother…And I Am Not Crazy”
9:45PM VIP Party – Meet Dena Blizzard in the Electric Lounge

Ticket options:

$85 VIP Ticket includes reserved seating, a meet & greet with Dena after the show, wine by Isenhower Cellars, catering by Olive Marketplace & Café, and an event Swag Bag.
$50 reserved seating to the show

This event is sponsored in by Columbia REA.

For more information visit The Moms’ Network website, or contact Beth Swanson at beth@themomsnetworkww.com.
The Moms’ Network of Walla Walla is a grassroots organization that provides an opportunity for parents to communicate, receive and exchange valuable community and parenting information, network with each other and be actively involved in the community. Since inception the Moms’ Network has advocated for families, provided support for early learning, supported volunteerism, and provided educational opportunities for parents.

From Darkness to Light - Walla Walla Symphony
2016-02-28 15:00 - 17:00, 2016-02-27 19:30 UTC
Featuring Robert Convery’s Songs of Children, remarks by Richard Kaplan and James Winchell, Hana Szenesh’s Walk to Caesaria and Grigori Frid’s one-act opera, The Diary of Anne Frank. Performers will include the Walla Walla Symphony, led by Music Director and Conductor Yaacov Bergman, the Whitman College Chamber Singers and Ani Maldjian, soprano.
This concert is presented as part of the annual “Music 360° Festival,” an initiative that explores the impact of music through different lenses.
General admission tickets are available through the Walla Walla Symphony. Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students (with ID) and $5 for youth (18 & younger).

"Fame! (they're *not* going to live forever)"
2016-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
PLEASE NOTE NEW VENUE INFORMATION:
“Fame! (they’re not going to live forever)” will be performed at the Walla Walla Community College Performing Arts and Science Center on Thursday, February 18, at 7:00 p.m.
This is a highly-entertaining reading series where intimate, private letters, written by some of history’s most famous (and infamous) people, are read aloud in front of a live audience.
In 1968, Andy Warhol said “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” His prediction of fame’s fleeting nature in our celebrity-saturated culture could not have been more true.
Through the letters of many celebrities (including Mr. Warhol, himself) the audience learns about the high price of fame and how it has both evolved and devolved over the years. A funny, poignant and moving experience with live musical accompaniment and a dynamic slide show.
Admission to this show has been changed to Pay-What-You-Can, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Brian K. Senter Fine Arts Scholarship Fund.
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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

"SOMM: Into the Bottle" - documentary film
2016-02-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Invite your friends! Take a road-trip!
See the Walla Walla debut of “Somm: Into the Bottle” – the highly anticipated sequel of the documentary by Jason Wise.
Through the lens of top winemakers and sommeliers from the world, “SOMM: ITB” delves into the story and process by which wine makes its way from vine to glass. Among a diverse cast, winemakers include names such as Jean Trimbach, Peter Gago and Steve Matthiasson, plus sommeliers Madeline Puckette, Brian McClintic and Rajat Parr, and many others.
View the trailer
Venue doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm.

An Evening With Judy Collins
2016-02-12 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Singer-songwriter Judy Collins will perform a concert at the Gesa Power House Theatre on February 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Judy Collins is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” from her landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Her dreamy and sweetly intimate version of “Send in the Clowns”, a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical “A Little Night Music”, won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards.
Judy Collins began her impressive music career at 13 as a piano prodigy dazzling audiences performing Mozart’s “Concerto for Two Pianos”, but the hard luck tales and rugged sensitivity of folk revival music by artists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger seduced her away from a life as a concert pianist.
Over her long and varied career, Judy Collins garnered several top-ten hits gold- and platinum-selling albums, and four Grammy Award nominations. Recently, contemporary and classic artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen honored her legacy with the album “Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins”.
On September 18, 2015, Collins released her first studio album in four years, “Strangers Again”. She invited a cast of icons and young talents to sing with her on this fresh collection, from Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne and Jeff Bridges to Glen Hansard, Ari Hest and Bhi Bhiman. Judy Collins delicately soars over a revitalized “Send In The Clowns” and breathes new life into “Hallelujah.” She puts her indelible touch on songs by Leonard Bernstein, Randy Newman, James Taylor and more.
Judy Collins, now 76, is as creatively vigorous as ever, writing, touring worldwide, and nurturing fresh talent. She is a modern day Renaissance woman who is also an accomplished filmmaker, record label head, musical mentor, and an in-demand keynote speaker for mental health and suicide prevention. She continues to create music of hope and healing that lights up the world and speaks to the heart.
Reserved seating tickets ($46) sold out quickly. Contact the Box Office at 509-529-6500 to join the Wait List.
Media sponsor:

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Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV
Courtyard Marriott, Wingman Birdz & Brewz
Baker Boyer

Paula Poundstone
2016-01-28 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Comedian Paula Poundstone will perform at the Gesa Power House Theatre on Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Currently best known as a frequent panelist on NPR’s #1 show “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me”, Poundstone got her start in the 1980’s as a touring stand-up comedian. Highlights of her career include comedy specials on HBO and BRAVO, providing the backstage commentary during the 1992 presidential election on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, field pieces for The Rosie O’Donnell Show in 1996, and various film and television credits including a voice in Pixar’s recent animation “Inside Out”.
Paula Poundstone was the first woman to win the American Comedy Award for Best Standup Comic, and was the first woman to perform stand-up at the prestigious White House Correspondents dinner, and was voted into the Comedy Hall of Fame.
Poundstone’s ability to be spontaneous with a crowd is the stuff of legend. “No two shows I do are the same,” says Poundstone. “It’s not that I don’t repeat material. I do. My shows, when they’re good, and I like to think they often are, are like a cocktail party. When you first get there, you talk about how badly you got lost and how hard it was to find parking. Then you tell a story about your kids or what you just saw on the news. You meet some new people and ask them about themselves. Then, someone says, ‘Tell that story you used to tell,’ and then someone on the other side of the room spills a drink, and you mock them. No one ever applauds me when I leave a party, though. I think they high five.”
Reserved seating tickets ($45) are sold out. To get on the Wait List, please call the Box Office at 509.529.6500.
Additional Links for Paula Poundstone:

Website
Facebook
Twitter

Media sponsor:

# # #
Want to receive early notice and access to ticket sales? Become a Gesa Power House Theatre Member (highest priority) or sign up for our e-mail list!

The 2016 Gesa Power House Theatre Season is presented by:
Waterbrook Winery, Browne Family Vineyards, and Canoe Ridge Vineyard
Additional support provided by:
KVEWTV, Courtyard Marriott, and Wingman Birdz & Brewz

"Having It All"
2016-01-24 13:00 - 16:00 UTC
Three women set out to live their dreams of balancing career, marriage, and children. After two trying years of unanticipated trade-offs and painful sacrifices, each finds herself with a changed life and a changed idea of what “having it all” really means.

Please join The Moms’ Network of Walla Walla for a screening at the Gesa Power House Theatre on January 24, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. of “Having It All” a documentary film by Vlada Knowlton. A panel discussion with the film’s director and local mom’s will follow.
Free complimentary admission at the door.
Sponsored by Williams Team Homes and ChildCare Aware of Eastern Washington.

Staged Reading: "Auschwitz and After"
2016-01-20 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Shakespeare Walla Walla presents a staged reading of “Auschwitz and After” by Whitman College Emeritus Professor Pat Henry at the Gesa Power House Theatre on Wednesday, January 20, at 7:00 p.m. The playwright will be on hand for a talkback session after the reading.
About the Play:
Pat Henry, Emeritus Professor of Foreign Languages and Literature at Whitman College, was inspired to write this play by his ongoing interest in Holocaust Studies. Adapted from the memoirs of Charlotte Delbo, “Auschwitz and After” recounts the comradeship which allowed a group of French women to survive imprisonment in Nazi concentration camps and their difficulty in creating new lives upon their return to Paris.
This staged reading is directed by Whitman College Theatre Professor of Dramatic Art Emerita Nancy Simon, and has a cast of 11 actors: Shauna Lilly Bogley, Angelica Dimmock, Chanel Finnie, Sarah Hurlburt, Julie Jones, Patty Leeper, Danielle McMahon, Jennifer Pope, Lisa Rasmussen, Dyani Turner, and Jackie Wood.
About the Playreading Series:
This is the third presentation in Shakespeare Walla Walla’s Works in Progress series of staged readings which began in 2015. Each reading is of a work by local authors and includes a talkback/Q&A afterwards. Actors will present the material with scripts in hand. Minimal costumes, lighting and sound effects may be used.
“Theater is about telling stories,” says SWW Executive Director Ron Williams. “We have bold voices here in Walla Walla telling stories and we are thrilled to bring them into the spotlight.”
The purpose of a staged reading is to give the author the opportunity to test drive a script with actors and an audience. The audiences is invited to participate in the development process, and will have the opportunity to give feedback directly to the playwright.
Media Links:

2014 Whitman College Website Interview with Pat Henry on “Teaching the Holocaust“

Permissions:

This play is performed through arrangement with Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of Charlotte Delbo. All rights reserved.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt grants permission to cite Richard Wilbur’s 1965 translation of Moliere’s *Le Misanthrope.”

WW Chamber Music Festival
2016-01-17 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
The 2016 Winter Festival concludes with a duel. You have heard of “Dueling Banjos?” Well, on this night you will have dueling quartets. Festival artists, Brittany Boulding (violin), Alistair MacRae (cello), Maria Sampen (violin) and Timothy Christie (viola) are joined by special guest artists, PRISM Quartet for a wild exploration of music for string and saxophone quartets respectively.
The two quartets will also join forces for a performance of Seattle-born composer, Paul Chihara’s, Forever Escher. The title takes inspiration from the graphic artist, M.C. Escher, whose prints adorn the dorm room of many an undergraduate. We are all familiar with the images of stairs leading to impossible dimensions or the pair of hands simultaneously drawing themselves in 2- and 3-D. The Escher of this work, however, explores the concept of metamorphosis, specifically in his 1940 work, Metamorphosis II. We will explore this concept sonically through music of Mendelssohn, Chihara and beyond.
