Today's Features

What are bells on bobtails? Why are the lords a-leaping? What will it take to have peace on Earth and goodwill toward all people? These questions arise each year at the holiday season. Some take a lighthearted look at the intricacies of holiday caroling, and others address more serious issues that world leaders and everyday citizens have struggled with for years. This year, the Evergreen Children’s Chorale is taking on all of these questions in song at its annual holiday concert “Songs of Hope.”

After 27 seasons in existence, the Evergreen Chamber Orchestra is still going strong. For this time-tested organization, the 2010-11 season brings exciting changes. With the first concert of the season approaching on Nov. 21, the orchestra is welcoming the first in a trio of auditioning conductors. At the end of the season, one maestro will take the helm as the new leader of the Evergreen Chamber Orchestra.

By Virginia Grantier

She knows about challenges: Brenn Lea Pearson, 64, who lives alone with her two dogs, is a longtime graphic designer in Evergreen who has been trying to regroup in this economy since her New York and San Francisco book publishing jobs went overseas and local work became scarce.

They know about challenges: This group that waits in their chairs and wheelchairs on Wednesdays for Pearson. They have a range of issues: Some have Alzheimer’s; others are recovering from strokes or other debilitating physical conditions.

Hearing pastel artist Roger Ambrosier describe his work gives the pieces a second life. Although Ambrosier’s meditative landscapes evoke deep emotion without explanation, the paintings truly come alive when the artist reveals the inspiration behind each work. “Threads of Time,” Ambrosier’s one-man show at the Center/Stage Rotary Gallery in Evergreen, provides visitors with unique insight into an artist who spends as much time crafting the perfect scene in his heart as he does doing it justice on paper.