From Handel to hip-hop, symphony to sarcasm, there’s something for most every taste

By Jim Flint for Ashland.news

The Rogue Valley is tuning up for its most spirited time of year, with December bringing a full spectrum of concerts, plays and celebrations to Ashland and its neighboring communities.

From Baroque trumpets and global choral traditions to Shakespearean whimsy, Judy Garland nostalgia and a three-day comedy takeover, the holiday calendar offers something for every taste.

Big stages, historic halls and intimate recital rooms are all in play as performing arts groups present premieres, beloved classics and a few surprises. What follows is a look at the season’s standout events across the valley.

Seasonal sounds

The Christmas portion of Handel’s “Messiah” will be performed in Baroque-style Dec. 4-7 in Medford and Ashland by the Jefferson Baroque Orchestra and the JBO choir, featuring soloists Shelly Cox-Thornhill, Andrew Davis, Phillip Engdahl, Bernadette Keller, Jennifer Matsuura, Lorencija McHargue and Pauline Sullivan. Also on the program is Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets, featuring Gil Cline and Tom Dambly on natural trumpet. The concert will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 4-5 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Medford; and 3 p.m. Dec. 6-7 at First Methodist Church in Ashland. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $5 for students and Oregon Trail card holders and free for those under 18. For more information and tickets, visit jeffersonbaroque.org.

Community World Music Choir will present three concerts in Williams and Ashland Dec. 12-14. “We’ll be featuring an evening of choral songs from around the world, celebrating humanity in its many facets,” said director Harmony Sue Haynie. There will be performances at 6:45 p.m. Dec. 12 at Williams Grange, 20100 Williams Highway in Williams; 6:45 p.m. Dec. 13, at Wellsprings Community Room, Jackson Wellsprings, Ashland; and at 4:15 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Williams Grange. Tickets are $10-$25 on a sliding scale, free for children under 12.

Offering a fresh take on seasonal music, the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band will present a concert built around the unlikely pairing of Shakespeare and holiday cheer. “A Shakespearean Holiday” will be the theme at 3 p.m. Dec. 14 in Stedman Auditorium at Oakdale Middle School, 815 S. Oakdale Ave., Medford. In addition to Alfred Reed’s “Twelfth Night,” an original composition inspired by the Bard’s play of the same name, the concert will also feature a collection of traditional holiday selections. Admission is free, with donations welcome. At the center of the program is Reed’s “Twelfth Night,” an original composition for wind band inspired by Shakespeare’s comedy. The concert will also feature a collection of traditional holiday selections, including “An Irving Berlin Christmas” and “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” with narration by Southern Oregon University music professor Jerron Jorgensen.

The band’s December activities also include a fundraiser earlier in the month. The Rogue Valley Symphonic Band Holiday Mixer will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Paddington Station, 125 E. Main St., Ashland. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children 2 to 10 years old and free for younger children. The event features dinner, dessert, sparkling water and a 10% discount on store purchases during the mixer. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit roguevalleysymphonicband.org.

The holidays will get glamorous — and tuneful — when the Rogue Valley Symphony presents a world premiere of “A Judy Garland Christmas” Dec. 19-21 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre in Ashland. A musical journey stretching from Technicolor Hollywood to the modern stage, the concert will feature vocalist Joan Ellison. The singer has made it her life’s work to restore and perform Judy Garland’s original symphonic scores — the very arrangements audiences first heard on television, in films and at Garland’s legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concert. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 and 1:30 p.m. Dec. 20 and 21. Ticket prices start at $45. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit rvsymphony.org.

Ashland, celebrated for its Shakespearean drama, is about to trade soliloquies for sarcasm. From Dec. 5 to 7, the city will host the inaugural Ashland Sarcasm Festival (ASF!), a three-day comedy takeover designed to fill theaters, bars and restaurants with sharp wit, satire and laughter.

The festival’s centerpiece is “Epic Nights of Comedy,” two headliner shows Dec. 5-6 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre. Each night will feature performances at 6 and 8:30 p.m. ASF! will spill beyond the Bowmer into downtown bars, restaurants and hotels, with performances planned at White Rabbit, Dangerous Lee’s Local 31 Pub, Ashland Springs Hotel, Liquid Lounge, Brickroom, Bar Juillet and Skout Taphouse. Tickets for Bowmer performances range from $35 to $75. For tickets and a full schedule of ASF! events, visit sarcasmfest.com.

Fans of Southern Oregon Repertory Singers have a lot to be excited about in the group’s 40th anniversary season, not the least of which are the beloved holiday concerts Dec. 19-21. “A Ceremony of Carols” will showcase Benjamin Britten’s iconic work of the same name for treble voices and harp. Also on the program will be a work by former composer-in-residence Craig Kingsbury, a performance by the Grants Pass Concert Choir, sacred and secular carols from around the world and a new arrangement of the American classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by composer-in-residence Jodi French. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the newly renovated historic Holly Theatre in Medford and 2 p.m. Dec. 20-21 at the SOU Music Recital Hall in Ashland. For more information and tickets, visit repsingers.org.

The recently restored Holly Theatre in Medford will present three holiday programs. The Brothers Reed will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 13, featuring music that evokes finger-picking folk singers of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The acclaimed Grand Kyiv Ballet will present “The Nutcracker,” featuring some of Ukraine’s most prestigious principal dancers, at 7 p.m. Dec. 15. And at 8 p.m. Dec. 20, it’s the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, back with comedy icons, writers, actors and drag queens BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. For more information and to purchase tickets to Holly events, visit hollytheatre.org.

The Historic Ashland Armory plans to ring in the New Year with “The Good Vibes.” The full-spectrum sensory celebration on New Year’s Eve, will combine music, light and atmosphere into one multilayered experience. Kicking off the dance party at 8 p.m. will be West Coast floor rocker and DJ Samuel Lawrence.

A local indie-jam power trio, Free Creatures, will keep the music flowing with their alt hip-hop psych-rock beats as they celebrate their new record release. Next, the Seattle-based True Loves Band brings its deep-groove blend of funk and soul, setting the stage for show closer Balkan Bump, with special guests. Led by orchestrator and trumpet player Will Magid, Balkan Bump mixes heavy electronic production with global music traditions to launch the night into a full-throttle dance finale. The evening also includes live painting, local vendors, a photo booth, a full bar and food. Tickets: $55 in advance, $65 day of show. Bistro tables can be reserved for an additional $50.

Also on the holiday calendar: Rogue Valley Chorale, “Home for the Holidays,” 3 p.m. Dec. 6-7, 3 p.m., at the Craterian Theater in Medford; tickets: $25 for adults, $10 for students. Siskiyou Singers “Experience Rachmaninoff’s Vespers,” 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and 3 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14, 3 at SOU Music Recital Hall, Ashland; tickets: $25 for adults, $5 for students and Oregon Trail Card holders. The Tutunov Piano Series with Eugene Skovorodnikov, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at SOU Music Recital Hall; tickets: $35-$45 (free for students). And for brass enthusiasts, Medford Trombones will celebrate 35 years of trombone holiday magic with classic Christmas melodies, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Rogue Valley Mall, Macy’s Court, lower level.

Check websites like travelmedford.org and roguevalleylivemusicnightlife.com for information about bar-band and winery gigs during the holidays in the Rogue Valley.

Onstage this season

The world premiere holiday adaptation of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” is running through Dec. 31 at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland. Written by longtime company artist Natasha Harris, the musical features a hybrid score, blending cast-played instruments with new compositions honoring Tchaikovsky. Tickets are priced from $34 and can be purchased at oregoncabaret.com. A preshow dinner or brunch (for matinees) is an option.

Playing through Dec. 31 at the Camelot Theatre in Talent is “Hansel & Gretel: A Panto Tale,” a musical romp through a fairy-tale forest with witches, a wolf and a few unexpected guests. Written by Camelot Artistic Director Gwen Overland, the show reimagines the familiar Brothers Grimm story through the lens of the British panto tradition. Purchase tickets ($40) at camelottheatre.org.

Shakespeare is onstage at the Collaborative Theatre Project playhouse in the Medford Center with its production of “Twelfth Night,” running through Dec. 31. The fun-loving romantic comedy is believed to have been written as entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. Purchase tickets ($40) at ctpmedford.org.

At the Craterian Theater in Medford, Teen Musical Theater of Oregon will present “A Christmas Carol — The Musical,” with score by Broadway heavyweight Alan Menken, the award-winning composer behind “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid.” Five performances are scheduled Dec. 13-20. Then, at 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 21, Tomaseen Foley’s “A Celtic Christmas” will bring the native Irishman’s unique brand of storytelling magic to the Craterian stage, featuring traditional song, dance and stories. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit craterian.org.

Freelance writer Jim Flint is a retired newspaper publisher and editor. Email him at [email protected].