An Ashland High School graduate who went on to play Mary Poppins in a Broadway musical will come home for the holidays to perform with the Rogue Valley Symphony in its pops concert Dec. 15-17 at Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Angus Bowmer Theatre.
Southern Oregon Repertory Singers Executive Director Jessica Bailey comes from a leadership post at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was assistant vice provost. Her predecessor, Richard Seidman, is resigning in order to pursue full-time opportunities.
Before wrapping up a week of local events with a landmark reunion concert Sunday, Nov. 5, members of the Uptown String Quartet and two special guests took part in a public discussion Friday at the Ashland Elks Lodge about contributions of Black and Native women to American music, past and present, and connections between the Black and Native communities.
An all-Black, all-woman quartet of conservatory trained string musicians known for incorporating jazz elements to the highest levels of classical music — not to mention being featured in a 1997 episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” — will reunite in Southern Oregon after a two-decade hiatus.
Applications are due at 5 p.m. Friday for $3,500 grants to help preserve and pass along cultural heritage. Ashland hula teacher Andrea Luchese received one of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) grants last year — an award made after making an exception to the usual guidelines.
Rogue Climate is getting ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary and the community is invited. Rogue Climate will host a block party from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, 205 N. Phoenix Rd., Suite 255, in Phoenix. Music from The Rosa Lees, Reencuentro Michoacan, and Somos Samba will be on hand, as well as a food truck.
Back and bigger than ever, the Talent Harvest Festival returns Saturday, Oct. 7, with a record-breaking 100-plus vendors, 14 bands and artists performing across five separate stages and an expected turnout of more than 5,000 people.
If variety is the spice of life, be prepared for a tasty menu of choral music from the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers during their 2023-24 season, opening Oct. 28-29 with “Water Night.” Rep Singers’ 39th season will include four concerts, each with two performances — at 7:30 p.m. Saturday nights, and at 3 p.m. on Sundays.
More than 50 different groups are expected to take part in the Pride Parade on Saturday through downtown Ashland, the highlight of four days of celebration and solidarity organized by Southern Oregon Pride, marking its 13th year of hosting the Pride event. The theme this year is “Live Out Loud!”
Three performers are bringing poetry, prose and music to the Applegate Valley, including Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani. Titled “Poetry in the Pasture,” the free event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at Plaisance Ranch, 16955 Water Gap Road, in Williams.
Ask Strider: A reader asks whatever happened to Woody the Puppy Intern? Strider has news! Woody has landed on all four paws with a new gig. And Steve, the Ashland.news crossword editor, has a new canine crossword up for solving. The excitement is pupable!
The Oregon Legislature is meeting this week to consider some major cuts to current spending levels as a large revenue deficit looms. That’s because the state’s tax code automatically replicates new federal tax cuts, including ones passed by Congressional Republicans this summer that will reduce state revenue
Michael O’Looney: Trump and the Texas Legislature are responsible for a partisan power grab that has unleashed bitterness and partisan vindictiveness, all in an effort to subvert an electoral system for partisan ends.
Councilor Bob Kaplan: While the cost of delivering kilowatt-hours to our homes has risen, Ashland Electric has been able to hold our rates steady with just one increase of 5.1% in 2021. I’m sorry to say we’re due for an increase, but fortunately it’s not likely to match recent increases elsewhere.
An estimate for the cost to abate asbestos found in the shuttered Lincoln School recently should be available as early as sometime this week, according to Steve Mitzel, operations director for Ashland School District. The cost to remove asbestos would be separate from the as yet-unknown cost for structural repair.
“We are still here” was the theme for Saturday’s Native American Heritage Celebration at Southern Oregon University, hosted by the SOU Native American Student Union (NASU) and SOU Native Nations Liaison Kenwanicahee (Kenwani) Kravitz (Madesi Bandi, Pit River Nation Winnemem, Nomtipom and Nomsus Bands Northern Wintu).
(It’s free)
