Press Play Salem

Bach & Mendelssohn: Tradition and Transformation
2026-05-01 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | OR
Join the McKay Orchestras as we perform alongside Jessica Lee of the Oregon Symphony for our 5th annual benefit concert.

Join the McKay Orchestras for a lively evening of music as they perform Bach’s Violin Concerto in A Minor alongside the Oregon Symphony’s new Associate Concertmaster, Jessica Lee, for our 5th annual benefit concert.
Date: Friday, May 1, 2026
Time: 7:00PM
Location: Smith Auditorium
Don’t miss out on this extraordinary musical event featuring the talented student musicians at McKay High School as they perform a wide range of repertoire including Bach’s A Minor Concerto, Mendelssohn’s Hebdrides Overture, and much more. Invite your friends and family to join us at Smith Auditorium for an evening of impactful performances and a silent auction featuring local businesses.
All proceeds from this event directly benefit music programs at McKay High School to ensure all students have access to instruments and enriching educational experiences regardless of their ability to pay.

Weekly Drop-In Improv Comedy Class
2026-04-27 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-20 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-13 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-06 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-03-30 19:30 - 21:00 | Grand Ballroom, 187 High St NE, Salem, Oregon, 97301, United States
Date: Every Monday
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Price: $5 (first class free!) – Pay at doors
All experience levels welcome
15+‍
Take a break from real life to come play and let loose! Improv is all about teamwork, communication and, most importantly, FUN!‍
Whether you’re a casual fan or seasoned performer, this class is great for improvisers of all experience levels! Ages 15+ recommended. Classes are $5 each and your first class is FREE!

Room of Forgotten Souls
2026-04-25 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-25 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-04-24 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-23 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-19 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-04-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-04-18 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-04-17 19:30 - 21:00 and 4 more dates | Pelton Theatre at Willamette University, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
Room of Forgotten Souls
an original, ensemble-devised performance
In 2004, a tour group discovered a locked room in the Oregon State Hospital crematorium, filled with thousands of decaying copper canisters holding the remains of over 4,000 former patients. Abandoned or forgotten, these individuals sparked a movement to honor the lost. Inspired by this haunting discovery, the Willamette University Theatre ensemble will create Room of Forgotten Souls—an original, ensemble-devised performance exploring memory, loss, mental health, and recognition.

Sierra Hull
2026-04-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Sierra Hull is a seven-time IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year and six-time Grammy nominee, one of bluegrass and Americana’s most dynamic voices. Her latest album, A Tip Toe High Wire, her first independent release, highlights her songwriting and instrumental mastery, featuring Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien, and Aoife O’Donovan. The album is nominated for four GRAMMY Awards, balancing tradition with innovation. Hull has shared stages with Alison Krauss, Eric Clapton, Sturgill Simpson, Slash, and Robert Randolph, and performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk and The Kelly Clarkson Show. She is the first female artist with a Gibson signature mandolin and a Tennessee Governor’s Distinguished Arts Award recipient.

Silent Film Series: Battleship Potemkin (1923)
2026-04-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
The Elsinore Theatre Silent Film Series presents Battleship Potemkin (1923).
In the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1905, the crew of the battleship Potemkin mutiny against the brutal, tyrannical regime of the vessel’s officers. The resulting street demonstration in Odessa brings on a police massacre. 1h 6m (not rated)
With live organ accompaniment by Rick Parks on the Mighty Wurlitzer.

Family Clay Sunday
2026-04-19 11:00 - 15:00 | OR
Bring the whole family for some quality together time and learn simple hand-built projects that are fun for everyone and create magical memories for your family.
Family Clay Sunday is a drop-in program. No registration required
Family Clay Sundays are back. We now offer an “early bird” hour for families that prefer a quieter setting and simpler projects.
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. for early birds
12 – 3 p.m. Family Clay Sunday drop-in sessions
Cost
$5 per artist to create a new project on the first Sunday of the month.
$5 for glazing day on the third Sunday of the Month. We will offer bisque pieces to purchase at $5 each for those who didn’t attend the first Sunday session so everyone can enjoy glaze day.
We’re so glad that our little studio is able to offer this activity to our community.
Facilitated by Kelly Matney supported by Doug Dacar.
Dates & Projects:
February 1 & 15:

Early birds: Thumb vase
Drop in: Ice cream bowls

March 1 & 15:

Early Birds: Textured hand prints
Drop-in: Chicken plates

April 19:

Catch-up glaze day

May 3 & 17:

Early birds: Name frames
Drop-in: Coil name plaques’

June 7 and 21:

Early birds: Familer faces
Drop-in: Moon Face

Tommy Emmanuel CGP – Living In The Light Tour
2026-04-18 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Hailed as “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world” by NPR’s World Cafe, Tommy Emmanuel got his start at the age of six, when he first began touring his native Australia with his family’s band. As a teenager, he earned a reputation as a highly sought after sideman and session player, and by his early twenties, Emmanuel was playing on chart-topping hits and performing with acts like Air Supply and Men at Work. Inspired in part by his hero, Chet Atkins (who would later become a friend, mentor, and collaborator), Emmanuel stepped out on his own as a solo artist in 1979, releasing the first in a string of acclaimed instrumental albums that would make him an unlikely celebrity in his home country and beyond. In the decades that followed, he would go on to headline everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall; tour with luminaries like Eric Clapton and John Denver; win a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement; perform for a televised audience of more than two billion at the Sydney Olympics; and collaborate with a who’s who of fellow guitar greats, including Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh, Richard Thompson, Jason Isbell, and Billy Strings.
Recorded in just four days, Emmanuel’s latest album, Living In The Light, stands as the most daring—and most rewarding—collection in the globetrotting fingerpicker’s remarkable catalog, fusing his pop, jazz, classical, and roots influences into a virtuosic masterwork as exhilarating as it is intimate.

"A New Moon Ball" A Bridgerton Themed Ball
2026-04-17 18:00 - 21:00 | Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St, Salem, 97301, United States
Get ready to transport back in time to the elegant world of Bridgerton at A New Moon Ball – it’s going to be a night to remember!

Welcome to “A New Moon Ball” A Bridgerton Themed Ball! Join us for an enchanting evening filled with elegance and grandeur at the Willamette Heritage Center. Immerse yourself in the Regency era with lavish decorations, period costumes, and delightful music. Indulge in a night of dancing, socializing, and revelry reminiscent of the hit series Bridgerton. Don your finest attire and prepare to be swept away in a world of romance and charm. Don’t miss out on this magical event!
There will be VIP dinner provided at 4pm. Contact seller at pixiedesignseventplanning@gmail.com for more details or to reserve your spot for a VIP dinner

Ravel & Saint-Saëns
2026-04-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Smith Auditorium, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
Oregon Symphony in Salem presents
Ravel & Saint-Saëns
A bracing whack from the percussionist’s “slap stick” launches Ravel’s Concerto on an effervescent romp, evoking the Harlem jazz clubs he visited with Gershwin. Riffs from the brasses and piano fireworks make for a breathless dash to the finish. Ravel’s lush Daphnis et Chloé opens with a radiant sunrise—golden strings, shimmering harps, bird calls—and ends with an orgiastic paean to love.

Soul + R&B Yoga
2026-04-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Resonance Yoga Collective Studio, 129 Commercial St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Join Shirley Brown for a musically soulful and joyful 75 min yoga/mindful movement practice.
Practice is orchestrated with rhythmic and soulful tunes to get you moving and maybe even singing. Together we will celebrate the joy of Soul and R&B music as we flow. If you love R&B / Soul music, don’t miss these Friday nights.

$20 per yogi | $16 for Resonance members (use your coupon code)

Black Violin: Full Circle Tour 2026
2026-04-07 19:30 - 21:00 | OR
Step into Black Violin’s Full Circle Tour, where GRAMMY-nominated duo Wil Baptiste and Kev Marcus redefine the possibilities of music by merging classical depth with hip-hop’s pulse. This tour captures the essence of returning to where it all began—transformed and reimagined. Each powerful performance invites audiences to reflect on their own journeys, discovering that even as we evolve, we’re often drawn back to our roots with renewed purpose.
From high school orchestra classmates to groundbreaking artists, Black Violin’s path reflects resilience, creativity, and the courage to challenge expectations. With their Black Violin Foundation reaching over 100,000 students each year, they’re building a legacy that transcends the stage, inspiring a new generation to dream boldly. Join them for an unforgettable night that celebrates growth, music, and the beauty of coming full circle.
VIP Available

First Tuesday Music & Poetry Open Mic
2026-04-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre, 187 High St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Salem’s Historic Grand is pleased to invite performers of all varieties to take the ballroom stage the first Tuesday of every month! Musicians, bands, poets, and all other performers are encouraged to sign up and share your talent! Hosted by Matador Hamilton and Danny Shaw of Giantess.
Doors at 6:30, show 7pm-10pm. No admission, all ages. Sign ups open with doors at 6:30.
If your band would like to perform, please reach out to Matador Hamilton via Facebook or @matadormakesmusic on Instagram and let him know which backline gear your band will need.

Gong Meditation
2026-04-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Resonance Yoga Collective Studio, 129 Commercial St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Join our special guest, Wayne Marto of Beneficial Sound, on a transformative journey of healing and deep relaxation. Soak every cell of the body in therapeutic sound and vibration.
Acoustically the gong elevates us, creating a deep meditative state that restores harmony and vitality to the mind, body, and soul. The pure sound waves of this music will leave you feeling tuned, refreshed, and connected with your intuitive personal power.

$30 Per Yogi | $24 for Resonance Members

Register for Gong Meditation

What to expect:
The 90 minute event includes a brief discussion on the healing attribute of Planet Gongs, a 60 minute Gong Meditation.
What to bring:
Wear comfortable clothes. Bring a yoga mat if you have one, but our studio does have a few extras. Bring anything cozy that supports you; blanket, eye mask, or pillow. Our studio also has blankets, blocks, and bolsters for your use.
Learn more:
www.beneficialsound.org

Alfred Robles: Vatos With Gatos
2026-04-03 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
After getting kicked out of the police academy, Alfred Robles rose to become one of the hottest young comedians in the country. Two years into his comedy career, Alfred was featured in the hit show “Loco Comedy Jam” and the Latino Laugh Festival. He was the only comedian to be featured on all 3 seasons of Stand Up Revolution on Comedy Central. Alfred is currently on a world wide tour with Gabriel Iglesias, and was one of the first comedians to perform at Dodger Stadium alongside Gabriel Iglesias. Alfred was also featured on “Mr. Iglesias” on Netflix, “Entre Nos” on HBO, and is currently working on his hour special.

Parabola: A Tribute to Tool
2026-03-28 20:00 - 22:00 | Salem’s Historic Grand Theatre, 187 High St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Saturday, March 28 | Doors at 7:00 | Show at 8:00 | all ages | $15 presale | $20 day of show
Straight out of PDX, Parabola delivers an intense tribute to Tool with precision and fire. Crushing riffs, hypnotic vocals, and spiraling energy colliding for a live experience that feels every bit as powerful as the real thing.
https://www.facebook.com/ParabolaToolTribute
