Music, drama and museums
From blues to Beethoven and from slapstick to Shakespeare, music and drama are well represented on Bend’s cultural calendar.Concerts
Founded in 1967 as part of the expanding Central Oregon Community College Fine Arts Department, the Central Oregon Symphony Orchestra is
a major player in the local fine arts scene with 85 musicians participating in full symphonic and chamber music performances. Autumn, winter and spring concerts take place in the 1,400-seat Bend High School auditorium. Michael Gesne has been musical director and conductor since 1996. Performances are scheduled in October 2009 and in February and May, 2010.While based in Sunriver, the Sunriver Music Festival presents Fireside Performances in the Sunriver Resort Great Hall and the Summer Festival in the Tower Theater. Fireside programs are staged from November through May and stress a variety of musical styles including jazz and classical. The Summer Festival is in August.
The open-air Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend’s Old Mill District has earned its popularity as a venue for big-name popular acts. The Wells Fargo Summer Concert series annually books name performers in pop, country and blues categories. Additional free concerts spotlight local musicians.
The Tower Theater in downtown Bend, a restored former movie house owned by the Tower Theater Foundation, schedules a variety of musical and dramatic performances throughout the year.
The Cascade Festival of Music, founded in 1982, laid claim to status as the largest cultural music event in Bend and Central Oregon before announcing in June 2008 that it would be suspending the summer concert series due to financial difficulties. The festival depended heavily on corporate sponsorships to defray overhead costs and pay musicians. Contributions from these sources have declined. Supporters remain optimistic that the festival will be reorganized financially in a way that will permit concerts to resume at a future date.
Theater
Dramatic groups in Bend include the Cascades Theatrical Company and 2nd Street Theater.
The volunteer-based Cascades company celebrated its 30th anniversary and will continue to present a variety of productions in 2010. Most performances take place in CTC's theater at 148 NW Greenwood Ave.
The 2nd Street Theater, founded in 2001, is a private repertory company that produces seven shows annually in its theater at 220 NE Lafayette Ave. in Bend. Musical and dramatic productions are staged. A Young Actors Repertory Company offers workshops and production of plays for children and young adults. A Theater Education Program offers professional theater training and related seminars for adults and youths.
Museums
The High Desert Museum, located just south of Bend on Highway 97, opened in 1982 and has grown to become a cultural institution of national prominence. It is dedicated to broadening the understanding of the region’s wildlife, culture, art and natural resources. Through exhibits, wildlife and living history, the museum creates learning experiences to help audiences discover their connection to the past, their role in the present and their responsibility to the future, according to the museum’s mission statement.
A quarter-mile trail extends from the museum’s 53,000-sq ft main building to 32,000 sq ft of outdoor exhibits and animal habitats. The Donald M. Kerr Birds of Prey Center is home to a number of raptors that are introduced to visitors, along with indigenous mammals and reptiles, through interpretive daily programs. The birds have been rescued after injuries and are unable to return to the wild. Thomas the river otter and Ochoco the captivity-born wildcat are also museum residents. Permanent and traveling exhibits indoors illustrate early-day western living while the Desertarium displays living examples of desert creatures.
The Des Chutes Historical Center in Bend and the A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum in Prineville present a variety of exhibits depicting pioneer life in Central Oregon.
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