Coming Soon
On Display Now: From Time Immemorial
Children of the Setting Sun is honored to be sharing our stories at your home, "The Orcas Center." Our ancestral homelands include Orcas Island and the Orcas Center. The exhibit will open March 29 with a film screening and gallery opening at the Orcas Center. We will be showcasing some of the work of our people, and bringing gratitude for all the wonderful opportunities to share. It's good to share the memories of our homeland and deepen understanding of the things we are working towards today. The Lummi people still fish here, canoe here and we take care of our ancestors here. This we are grateful for. We hope to see you at the Orcas Center March 29 for the opening of our exhibit and screening of our films. Hyʻshqe!
Into the Woods
Into the Woods follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.
AOK and High School Art Show Opening
To celebrate our island youth, a six-week student art exhibit is being hosted at the Orcas Center from May 3-June 12, 2024, with an art opening on Friday, May 3rd at 5:30pm. The show features art created in A*OK classes, Kindergarten through 8th grade, as well as pieces from the Orcas Island High School.
On Screen: Carmen (Met Opera)
Bizet’s masterpiece of the gypsy seductress who lives by her own rules has had an impact far beyond the opera house. The opera’s melodic sweep is as irresistible as the title character herself, a force of nature who has become a defining female cultural figure.
OCS: Songs of Shadow and Light
From the sublime to the downright silly, Orcas Choral Society’s spring concert, Songs of Shadow and Light, features works of contemporary English composer John Rutter. The program begins with Rutter’s Requiem, a fervent arc of prayers for all humanity. The second half turns to sweetness, light, and all manner of fun, with spirituals, a jazz madrigal, songs that rejoice in the beauty of spring, and a new OCS ensemble of tenors and basses. Under the lively baton of Artistic Director Bruce Langford, Songs of Shadow and Light will leave your heart singing.
On Screen: La Forza Del Destino (Met Opera)
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of ill-fated love, deadly vendettas, and family strife, with stellar soprano Lise Davidsen as the noble Leonora, one of the repertory’s most tormented—and thrilling—heroines. Director Mariusz Treliński delivers the company’s first new Forza in nearly 30 years, setting the scene in a contemporary world and making extensive use of the Met’s turntable to represent the unstoppable advance of destiny that drives the opera’s chain of calamitous events.
On Screen: La Rondine (Met Opera)
Initially conceived as an operetta before receiving the full operatic treatment, this bittersweet love story is the least-known work of the mature Giacomo Puccini, largely due to the circumstances of its premiere: Italy and Austria became enemies during World War I, precluding a Vienna premiere, and the opera quietly opened in neutral Monte Carlo, never finding a permanent place in the repertoire. That loss is scandalous, since La Rondine, judged on its own merits rather than compared to other operas with similar themes, is a fascinating work—featuring an abundance of exuberant waltzes, a lightness of tone (particularly in the intoxicating first two acts), and a romantic vision of Paris and the south of France.
On Screen: Madama Butterfly (Met Opera)
The title character of Madama Butterfly—a young Japanese geisha who clings to the belief that her arrangement with a visiting American naval officer is a loving and permanent marriage—is one of the defining roles in opera. The story triggers ideas about cultural and sexual imperialism for people far removed from the opera house, and film, Broadway, and popular culture in general have riffed endlessly on it. The lyric beauty of Puccini’s score, especially the music for the thoroughly believable lead role, has made Butterfly timeless.
Bloodworks Northwest: Blood Drive
Orcas Center - Madrona Room 917 Mount Baker Road, Eastsound, WA, United StatesIt takes 1,000 blood donors each day to save lives across the Pacific Northwest. This spring, Bloodworks Northwest is touring together, from Bellingham, WA, to Eugene, OR, with one message: thank you. Hear the stories, feel the need, and discover the reasons why people choose to be 1 in 1,000. Join us in being a donor!
On Screen: When Backwards is Forwards
A story of overcoming our deepest fear with faith and self-love. Orcas High School alum Ella James BigBee co-directs and captures the cinematography of the wilderness in Western America. In her debut experimental film, Ella shadows her father's journey, silently documenting and filming the process.