Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra conductor to direct his final performance
Published 1:30 am Friday, April 24, 2026
Stage and orchestra performances, a home and kitchen tour and a seed and houseplant exchange highlight this weekend’s events on the North Olympic Peninsula.
• The Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra will perform a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium at Chimacum High School, 91 West Valley Road, Chimacum.
The public also is welcome to attend the orchestra’s dress rehearsal at 7 p.m. today.
This will be the symphony’s final concert under the direction of Tigran Arakelyan, who is leaving after nine years as conductor and artistic director.
The concert will feature music from movies and Broadway musicals along with the premiere of a violin concerto by Luke Fitzpatrick.
“Nightfall,” Fitzpatrick’s five-movement violin concerto, was commissioned by the Port Townsend Symphony Orchestra.
The program will begin with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg from “Les Miserables” followed by “Nightfall” featuring Fitzpatrick performing the violin solo.
Following the intermission, the program will continue with selections written by Jerry Bock from “Fiddler on the Roof,” by James Horner from “Titanic” and by Andrew Lloyd Webber from “Phantom of the Opera.”
For more information, visit www.ptsymphony.org.
• “Murder’s in the Heir” will finish its run with shows at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium at Port Angeles High School, 304 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles.
Tickets are $10 per person and $8 for students and seniors.
In the play, written by Billy St. John, there has been a murder at Starkweather Mansion and it is up to the audience to decide which of the suspicious cast members did it.
The show, a production of the high school’s Thespian Society, will be directed by Sage Bateman with the assistance of student directors Alexander Rodrieguez, Alani Napiontek and Magnolia Valentine and stage manager Liam Wiedenhoeft.
Cast members include Juno Simonson, Iliana Gorman, Rihana Lundvik, Isabella Rodrieguez, Mazikeen Harvey, Liam Irwin, Jane Butchart, Alex Rodrieguez, Daisy Coyle, Alani Napiontek, Olivia Weems, Noah Feller, Pen DeBord and Ashlynne Jugueta.
• Mike and Val James will present “Mixed Bag: a Collection of Songs Covering Different Eras and Styles” during the Candlelight Concerts series at 7 p.m. Thursday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 609 Taylor St., Port Townsend.
The concert also will be simulcast on KPTZ FM 91.9 and stream at www.trinity umcpt.org.
The event is free, although a donation of $15 per person is requested for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Jefferson County, a nonprofit, self-help support, education and advocacy organization for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses and their family members and friends.
The couple will perform a collection of songs which will cover different eras and styles. They have performed to a variety of audiences in concerts, festivals and private venues in the Northwest and internationally for more than 25 years.
Their broad musical styles range from traditional to 1940s through 1980s. Their music has influences from folk, blues, jazz, maritime and includes originals.
They will be accompanied by Bruce Cannavaro on bass.
• Sofia Talvik will perform during Concerts in the Woods at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, Coyle.
Admission is by a suggested donation of $20.
The Swedish singer-songwriter has returned to Coyle on her Songs, Strings and Stories tour.
“In times that feel uncertain and overwhelming, music can offer a moment of stillness,” Talvik said. “I’m excited to share evenings of songs and stories across such a beautifully diverse corner of the Pacific Northwest.”
Talvik has released 10 full-length albums that blend Nordic folk and Americana. She will perform selections from across her extensive catalog along with newer material from this year’s tour.
For more information, visit https://concertsinthewoods.weebly.com.
• The Salish Sea Early Music Festival will present “Telemann Paris Quartets” at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1020 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
A $20 to $30 free-will offering is requested. Youths 18 and younger will be admitted free.
The concert will feature David Greenberg from Corvallis, Ore., playing the baroque violin; Susie Napper, from Montreal, playing the viola da gamba; Elisabeth Wright, from Indiana, playing the harpsichord; and Jeffrey Cohan, the festival’s artistic director, playing the baroque flute.
The program will feature Concerto 1 in G Major, Sonata 1 in A Major and Suite 1 in E Minor from 1730’s “Six quartuors” and the Quartuor in A Minor from 1738’s “Nouveaux quatuors en six suites.”
For more information, visit www.salishseafestival.org.
• The 28th Home and Kitchen Tour will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Port Townsend’s Kala Point community.
Attendees must check in at the Kala Point Clubhouse, 1760 Kala Point Drive, Port Townsend, to receive tour maps and wristbands.
Tickets are $35 per person at www.aauwpt.org.
This year’s self-guided tour, hosted by the Port Townsend branch of the American Association of University Women, will feature seven homes in Kala Point, which is located about 5 miles south of Port Townsend.
These homes range from recent construction to updated or remodeled interiors and will showcase the work of local contractors and craftspeople. They also will provide inspiration for interior spaces.
The annual tour will raise funds for the branch’s non-endowed educational scholarships and grants for East Jefferson County women and girls.
Grants support the tutoring program for elementary-age boys and girls, Pre-K tuition, January intersession activities and a grant to East Jefferson Fire and Rescue to support female firefighters’ training, which is new this year.
• Jessie Thoreson and The Crown Fire will perform two shows in East Jefferson County this weekend.
The Seattle-based folk-rock band will perform at 6 p.m. Friday at the Quilcene Lantern, 7360 Center Road, Quilcene, and at 6 p.m. Saturday at Finnriver Farm and Cidery, 124 Center Road, Chimacum.
Tickets for the show at the Lantern are $10 per person at the band’s website, www.jessiethoreson.com. There will be a $5 cover charge at Finnriver for Saturday’s performance.
The band released its newest album, “Return To The Ground,” earlier this month, expanding on its folk roots with layered arrangements, textured guitars and a more collaborative, experimental approach.
The album was partly written during Thoreson’s time working in wildfire ecology, and it explores themes of decay, renewal and transformation.
• “Raga and Rasa: A Concert of Indian Classical Music” is set for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center, 3918 San Juan Ave., Port Townsend.
Tickets are $25 per person at https://tinyurl.com/4k2w7pwz or $30 at the door.
The concert will feature violinist Indradeep Ghosh, tabla player Pandit Arup Chattopadhyay and sarod player Richard Russell.
The sarod is a fretless stringed instrument in the lute family that is central to the classical music of the Hindustan region of northern India.
Tabla refers to a paired set of hand drums. The smaller, higher-pitched Dayan is played with the right hand while the Bayan, which is larger and lower-pitched, is played with the left hand.
Raga refers to a structured melodic element of Indian music that often is used for improvisation, while Rasa, which means “essence” or “taste” in Sanskrit, refers to the aesthetic feeling that a musical piece creates in the listener.
Ghaosh and Chattopadhyay are both from India. Russell is based in Everett.
• The Improv Without a Net Troupe, with special guest Mike Aldrich, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Studio Bob, 118½ E. Front St., Port Angeles.
Tickets are $10 per person at www.studiobob.art or $15 at the door.
Members of the troupe include Marva Holmes, Cat White, Tara Dupont, Lara Starcevich and Mark Valentine.
The audience can expect improvisational bits ranging from singing, acting, weird scenes, movie clips and storytelling driven by audience suggestions.
Audience participation is encouraged during the informal performance.
For more information, call Chris Allen at 360-775-2160.
• “Pets (And Their Humans)” will finish its run with a show at 6:30 tonight and matinee performances at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Bay Club, 120 Spinnaker Place, Port Ludlow.
The two-act play, written by Mike Sockol, will be directed by Kate Marshall and Ted Brown.
Tickets are $25 per person, $10 for students, at www.ludlowvillageplayers.org.
The play centers around grieving widower Brad’s relationship with his pets and how that impacts his return to dating.
Three children have been cast to perform with the four adult actors. The young performers are Alena Flynn, 11, as Barb, Bella Rose Dillon, 10, as Scout and Anja Haberpointner, 8, as Cassie.
The remaining cast includes Michael Haberpointner as Brad, Caroline Miner as Stefanie, Starley Flynn as Titina and Jeffrey Groves as Mac.
• The wind ensemble from Saint Martin’s University will present “Groove” at 3 p.m. Sunday at Field Arts & Events Hall, 201 W. Front St., Port Angeles.
Tickets are available on a “pay-what-makes-you-happy” basis at https://fieldhall.ludus.com/200515128.
The concert will take a journey through American history and culture through music, featuring works inspired by jazz greats, American classic composers and early 20th century dances.
The program also will include a brief ceremony to recognize graduating students and the presentation of the 2025-2026 Director’s Award.
• Jill McNally and Kevin McConnell will perform from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday on the stage at the Port Townsend Farmers Market in Uptown Port Townsend.
• Friday Night Movies will show “Eternity” at 6 tonight at the Sequim Branch Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., Sequim.
The PG-13-rated 2025 romantic comedy stars Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller and Callum Turner.
For more information, call 360-683-1161, email discover@nols.org or visit www.nols.org.
• The Peninsula Singers will host a Flapjacks Fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday at Applebee’s Grill and Bar, 130 River Road, Sequim.
The meal will include pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee and juice.
Tickets are $15 per person at the door.
Members of the choral group will perform classical and musical theater songs during the meal.
• The Port Townsend Urban Sketchers will sketch at Tyler Plaza in downtown Port Townsend.
The sketchers will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Tyler and Water streets.
Sketching opportunities include Victorian buildings, people, Port Townsend Bay and the whale skeleton on Union Wharf.
The group will reconvene in the plaza at noon to share their work and take a photo.
The event is free and open to sketchers of all skill levels.
For more information, visit urbansketchersporttownsend.wordpress.com.
• A seed and houseplant exchange hosted by the North Olympic Library System is set for 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles.
Participants can bring houseplants, seeds and clean pots to trade or give away. Seeds may be picked up even if you don’t have any to share.
At the end of the exchange, all unswapped items must be taken home by original owners.
For more information, call 360-374-6402, email discover@nols.org or visit www.nols.org.
• Día del Niño will be celebrated from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Concerned Citizens of Forks, 945 S. Forks Ave., Forks.
Families can enjoy the balloon artistry of Matthew Davis, also known as “The Tacoma Twister,” and watch an outdoor performance of fire dancing by Heather Sky.
Children’s book character Pete the Cat will make a special appearance.
Attendees will have opportunities to win a variety of prizes, and each child will receive a complimentary book to take home.
Dinner will be provided.
For more information, call the Forks Library at 360-374-6402, email discover@nols.org or visit www.nols.org.
• The Creative Reuse will host a free mending event from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the secondhand art and craft supply store, 97 Oak Bay Road, Port Hadlock.
The observance of the Fashion Revolution’s global Mend in Public Day will be at The Creative Reuse.
The public is invited to bring clothing or textile items that need repair and mend alongside other makers.
Thread, needles, fabric scraps, simple demonstrations and refreshments will be provided.
For more information, visit www.thecreativereuse.com.
