All month long we’ll be hosting Portland area community and school choirs in our lobby for a little pre-show caroling before A Christmas Carol.

To kick things off on a beautifully cultural note, tonight’s performance of A Christmas Carol will feature a pre-show concert from the Kareliean Folk Music Ensemble, a russian traditional folk group that uses instruments including button accordians, lyres, and birch bark flutes and goat horns.

Yes! GOAT HORNS! Check it out:

The group is managed by our Finance Director, Lisa Comer, and according to their website they are:

“a trio from Petrozavodsk, in the Russian Republic of Karelia. Karelia is a region that encompasses both sides of the Finnish/Russian border and the ensemble’s music is an exciting and interesting mix of Finnish, Russian and Karelian cultures. Their music ranges from the ancient epic songs accompanied by Finnish harps to a capella Russian village songs, from old shepherd melodies on wooden flutes and trumpet to Finnish dances on accordions, and from scythe accompaniment to church bells.”

My Russian grandmother would be in heaven. You too, can be in a little Russian heaven, just by joining us at 6:45 pm on the mezzanine this evening. The bars will be open, and tonight is “Pay What You Will Night” for A Christmas Carol if you’d like to stay and get a jump start on your holiday cheer.

Other choirs who will be joining us this month include The Portland Symphonic Choir (Dec 9th and 16th), St. Mary’s School Marians (Dec. 11th), Vancouver Madrigal Singers (Dec 14th), and the Flash Choir (Dec. 17th, 19th, and 20th).

more posts about A Christmas Carol || get the details about the show || buy tickets