Helena-area arts and entertainment news
Music
Helena Symphony’s black-tie event
The Helena Symphony presents its sixth annual black-tie outdoor summer performance, “Masquerade,” at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 22. This event will be held at the historic site of the Broadwater Hotel.
Guests will enjoy catered cuisine, featuring charcuterie and grill stations, a cash bar, red carpet photograph opportunities and a Montana sunset.
The highlight of the evening is a private concert by the Helena Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, capturing the enchanting magic of tangoes, waltzes and the music of the Harry Potter films.
The concert will include Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Suite, Strauss’ On the Beautiful Blue Danube, Villoldo’s El Choclo, and selections from over 10 years of “Harry Potter” film scores.
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Tickets for this special, limited-seating event are $150 each and can be purchased at the Symphony Box Office, 21 N. Last Chance Gulch, Suite 100, by calling 406-442-1860, or online at helenasymphony.org.
Bluegrass, gospel and blues hit The Myrna
Four legendary acoustic musicians will take The Myrna Loy stage on Thursday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Growling Old Men is a duo featuring Ben Winship and John Lowell performing acoustic Americana, with a sense of humor, tight vocals and excellent musicianship. The pair have been delighting audiences throughout the Mountain West and all over the world for three decades.
Folk legends Compton and Newberry join The Growling Old Men for a night of music mayhem at The Myrna Loy on June 27.
Lowell was recently awarded the International Western Music Association’s Song of the Year honor and is a finalist in this year’s Montana Governor’s Arts Award.
Mike Compton and Joe Newberry have been touring together for years, finding stages for their unique blend of old time, gospel and bluegrass.
Compton is best known for his years with the Nashville Bluegrass Band and John Hartford, and for his Grammy-winning turn on the “O, Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack. Newberry is an IBMA winner for Song of the Year and was a featured performer on Prairie Home Companion for many years.
Each duo will perform a set and then the final set will find them joining forces on stage.
Tickets are available at themyrnyaloy.com, by calling the box office at 406-443-0287, or by stopping in at 15 N. Ewing St.
Art
Artist exhibition, reception at The Bray
Join us for Summer at the Bray and celebrate excellence in ceramics at the 2024 Resident Artist Exhibition, running from June 13 to Aug. 30 at The Bray Warehouse Gallery.
The exhibition kicks off with an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 13.
This event, which is free and open to the public, features 21 artists, including 10 new residents, 10 current long-term residents and the Bray’s executive director, Rebecca Harvey.
The Bray is at 2915 Country Club, Ave. For more information, visit www.archiebray.org or call 406-443-3502.
Artist Amplified with Laura Dirksen
The Bray’s Frances Senska Center for Education and Engagement will host Artist Amplified with Laura Dirksen on Thursday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m.
Long-term resident artist Laura Dirksen will share insight into her artistic practice on Thursday, June 27, at 6:30 p.m. at The Archie Bray.
Dirksen, a Bray Fellow and long-term resident artist, will provide insights into her artistic practice. The Artist Amplified lecture and demonstration series offers a platform for artists and art enthusiasts to share their history, processes, and conceptual motivations through various presentation formats.
Dirksen hails from Maria Stein, Ohio. She earned her BFA with a specialization in ceramics and painting from Bowling Green State University in 2019. In spring 2023, Laura received her MFA from Penn State University before joining us at the Archie Bray Foundation.
Community
Historic interpreter at the Canton Church
Join us at the Canton Church on Friday, June 14, at 5 p.m. as Mary Bradford brings Calamity Jane to life.
Bradford is a talented historic interpreter and scholar who brings history to life for audiences of all ages. She is an artist in residence for the C. M. Russel Museum in Great Falls and the Montana Historical Society in Helena.
Accounts of Calamity Jane — whose real name was Martha Canary — are legion and she has achieved mythical status in the lore of the frontier. She lived and traveled throughout Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas from 1867 to 1903, during some of the West’s wildest days.
The church is located at 3497 Montana Highway 284, Townsend. For more information, visit canton-church.org.
Helena Valley Highland Games
The Helena Valley Highland Games will take place on Saturday, June 15, beginning at 9 a.m. at 135 W. Loren.
The event is a a family friendly event that features Scottish athletics, Irish dancing, pipe bands, live music, vendors, Mead tasting, food and more.
The mission of the Helena Highlanders Association is to promote, educate, and encourage Scottish, Irish, and other Celtic cultures and histories.
Visit helenahighlanders.org for more information.
Submissions to the Around the Town calendar should be emailed to [email protected] and should be 200 words or less. Submissions should be written in story form, no flyers please. Call Phil Drake at 406-447-4086 if you have questions.
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