Press Play Salem

Room of Forgotten Souls
2026-04-25 14:00 - 15:30, 2026-04-25 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Vancouver) | 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.

Weekly Drop-In Improv Comedy Class
2026-04-27 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-05-04 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-05-11 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-05-18 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-05-25 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-01 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-08 19:30 - 21:00, 2026-06-15 19:30 - 21:00 and 2 more dates | 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!

Bach & Mendelssohn: Tradition and Transformation
2026-05-01 19:00 - 21:00 | 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.

Sheep to Shawl
2026-05-02 10:00 - 16:00 | Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St, Salem, 97301, United States
Sheep to Shawl
Saturday, May 2, 2026
10am – 4pm

Join us for an exciting day of woolly wonder at the 41st Annual Sheep to Shawl event!

See live animal
Watch shearing demonstrations
Experience living history
Take part in activities for kids
Enjoy live performances
Play lawn games
Shop with vendors and retail partners

Experience the magic of wool fiber processing at the Willamette Heritage Center’s Sheep to Shawl festival, a classic family event that has been held since 1985.
Join us for an exciting day of woolly wonder where you can watch skilled shearers remove the wool from sheep, spinners as they transform the fluffy fleece into beautiful yarn, and weavers and other fiber artists as they create gorgeous fiber treasures right before your eyes!
There will be plenty of fun activities to keep the whole family entertained, including live animal visiting, children’s activities, fiber artists, living heritage demonstrators, live music, food and drinks, games and shopping.
Check out the one-of-a-kind handmade goods from local artisans and vendors.
So don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to experience the full spectrum of wool fiber processing at Sheep to Shawl. Come on down to the Willamette Heritage Center, rain or shine, and create unforgettable memories with your family and friends!
Admission is free for everyone.

Michael W. Smith
2026-05-02 19:30 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Artist and worship leader, Michael W. Smith, is coming to Salem, Oregon, for his KINGDOM COME, Worship Nights tour on May 2, 2026. Smith is one of the biggest names in all of Christian and Worship music and is excited to bring this all-new night of worship and hits as only he can. Whether you are a long-time fan of his music or brand new, you will be moved by the intentionality and beauty of this night of music and worship.

Family Clay Sunday
2026-05-03 11:00 - 15:00, 2026-05-17 11:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-07 11:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-21 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

Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns
2026-05-05 - 2026-06-04 | Oregon State Capitol, 900 Court St NE, Salem, 97301, United States
The Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum (HECCM) presents “Master Penworks of Tom Stefopoulos: The Hellenic Artist of the Lovejoy Columns” May 5 through June 4. The exhibit is available during Capitol hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Athanasios (Tom) Efthimiou Stefopoulos was a factory worker, railroad man, commercial artist, and a champion penman. Art was his first love but pursuing this was difficult for a young immigrant in an adopted country where he did not even speak the language. In 1945, he was employed by the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad to work as a crossing watchman under the Lovejoy Ramp of the Broadway Bridge in Portland, Oregon. It was here that the artist created the iconic “Lovejoy Columns.” This exhibition considers the range of Stefopoulos’ art, from pen drawings to the murals that graced the Lovejoy Columns. His style is a unique blend of calligraphic lines and Art Nouveau, and his themes span Ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary world events. In style and in theme, Stefopoulos blended a myriad of influences, a result of a life lived in multiple places and among many people. Despite a life that was characterized by movement and synthesis, however, the Lovejoy Columns represent a sense of belonging to specific place—in this case, to Oregon. Stefopoulos’ art gives insight into how the artist envisioned himself in this new home.
This exhibit was one of three that were awarded Capitol History Gateway exhibit sponsorships in the first year of the program. Exhibits are funded, in part, by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

First Tuesday Music & Poetry Open Mic
2026-05-05 19:00 - 22:00, 2026-06-02 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.

Soul + R&B Yoga
2026-05-08 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-06-12 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)

Be Like Blippi Tour
2026-05-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
Blippi is coming to your hometown in the all-new Be Like Blippi Tour! Get ready to see the world more curiously as you move like, play like, and explore just like Blippi! Join Blippi and Meekah. live on stage in a high-energy live show packed with music, laughter, and surprises, featuring fan-favorites like “The Excavator Song,” “Monster Truck,” “Dino Dance,” and “Curious Like Me.” This brand-new interactive adventure invites families to put on your orange glasses and unlock the spark of curiosity inside us all—showing that everyone can Be Like Blippi!

The Breasts of Tirésias
2026-05-09 01:00 - 02:30 | Smith Auditorium, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
The Breasts of Tiresias
Music by Francis Poulenc and Lyics by Gillaume Apollinaiare
Gender norms pop like balloons in The Breasts of Tiresias, Poulenc and Appollinaire’s bawdy surrealist romp. Frustrated with the life of a housewife, Tiresias sheds her breasts and becomes the male General Tirésias. As she leads a new life fighting distant wars on foreign battlefields, her stay-at-home husband discovers a way to make babies on his own – but not just one: 40,049 of them. This delightfully sugar-coated pill coats the sublime in the ridiculous.

Salem Pops Orchestra featuring True North Duo
2026-05-10 15:00 - 17:00 | East Salem Community Center, 1850 45th Ave NE, Salem, 97305, United States
Hear Salem Pops Orchestra featuring special guests True North Duo (Kristen Grainger & Dan Wetzel) 3pm, Sunday, May 10
Salem Pops is arranging six of True North’s original songs for orchestra and they will perform them together, live.

The Wailin' Jennys
2026-05-14 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse — three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound.
Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk acts. Founding members Moody and Mehta along with New York-based Masse continue to create some of the most exciting music on the folk-roots scene, stepping up their musical game with each critically lauded recording, and thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.
The Wailin’ Jennys are more than just impeccable bluegrass harmonizers; they’re also terrific bandleaders who give their traditional roots music a sense of real reverence. — NPR

Copland & Rachmaninoff
2026-05-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Smith Auditorium, 900 State St, Salem, 97301, United States
Oregon Symphony in Salem presents
Copland & Rachmaninoff
Fasten your seatbelt as Alessio Bax tackles Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a creation of massive power and drive and one of the hardest-to-master works in the repertoire. After its premiere in New York City, a critic wrote that “its great length and extreme difficulties bar it from performances by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers.” Its quiet start leads into an astonishing unleashing of notes and hurtles to a riveting conclusion. Copland’s Third Symphony also was first presented in the U.S. Its spirit is undeniably “American”—vital, optimistic, and big-hearted—triumphantly exclaimed in the finale’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

The Marshall Tucker Band
2026-05-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St SE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
When you wake up and want to put a smile on your face, you think of the songs that always manage to reach down and touch your soul the moment you hear the first note. The Marshall Tucker Band is one such group that continues to have a profound level of impact on successive generations of listeners who’ve been “Searchin’ for a Rainbow” and found it perfectly represented by this tried-and-true Southern institution over the decades. “I’ve been in tune with how music can make you feel, right from when I was first in the crib,” explains lead vocalist and bandleader Doug Gray, who’s been fronting the MTB since the very beginning. “I was born with that. And I realized it early on, back when I was a little kid and my mom and dad encouraged me to get up there and sing whatever song came on the jukebox. It got to the point where people were listening to me more than what was on the jukebox! There’s a certain gift I found I could share, whether I was in front of five people or 20,000 people. I was blessed with that ability and I’m thankful I can share with others.”

The Marshall Tucker Band came together as a young, hungry, and quite driven six-piece outfit in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1972, having duly baptized themselves with the name of a blind piano tuner after they found it inscribed on a key to their original rehearsal space — and they’ve been in tune with tearing it up on live stages both big and small all across the globe ever since. Plus, the band’s mighty music catalog, consisting of more than 20 studio albums and a score of live releases, has racked up multi-platinum album sales. A typically rich MTB setlist is bubbling over with a healthy dose of hits like the heartfelt singalong “Heard It in a Love Song,” the insistent pleading of “Can’t You See” (the signature tune of MTB’s late co-founding lead guitarist and then-principal songwriter Toy Caldwell), the testifying “Fire on the Mountain,” the wanderlust gallop of “Long Hard Ride,” and the explosive testimony of “Ramblin,’” to name but a few.

Indeed, the secret ingredient to the ongoing success of The Marshall Tucker Band’s influence can be seen and felt far and wide throughout many mainstream digital outlets (Netflix, Amazon, etc.). In essence, it’s this inimitable down-home sonic style that helped make the MTB the first truly progressive Southern band to grace this nation’s airwaves — the proof of which can be found within the grooves of “Take the Highway,” the first song on their self-titled April 1973 debut album on Capricorn Records, The Marshall Tucker Band. “We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg,” explains Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flautist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks.

Doug Gray sees no end to the road that lies ahead for The Marshall Tucker Band, whose legacy is being carried forward by the man himself and his current bandmates, drummer B.B. Borden (Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws), bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist/vocalist Chris Hicks, and guitarist/vocalist Rick Willis.“People ask me all the time what I’m gonna do when I turn 80, and I always say, ‘The same thing that we’re continuing to do now.’ We’re road warriors, there’s no doubt about that — and I don’t intend to slow down.” May the MTB wagon train continue running like the wind on a long hard ride for many more years to come. One thing we absolutely know for sure: If you heard it in a Marshall Tucker Band song, it certainly can’t be wrong.
