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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, dEcEmbER 11, 2021
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CALLING ALL ANGELS
Performing arts center seeks support from community
By ZOË BUCHLI
For The Astorian
I
f you’ve been looking for a way to
support the local performing arts
scene, the Charlene Larsen Center for
the Performing Arts has an event that not
only provides an opportunity to see great
local performances, but also bolster Asto-
ria’s arts community.
The center will host a “Be an angel for
an afternoon” fundraiser at Bridgewater
Bistro on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Attend-
ees can expect light food and an after-
noon filled with lively performances from
members of the North Coast Symphonic
Band, Astoria Tuba Quartet, North Coast
Chorale, Cascadia Chamber Opera, Dave
Drury and more.
Partners for the PAC Executive Direc-
tor Bereniece Jones-Centeno said she’s
excited that the variety of scheduled per-
formers will give guests a taste of the
many kinds of the different types of per-
formances that happen at the Larsen
Center.
“It’s a nice little way for folks to get a
chance to go, ‘oh! This is what happens
at the Larsen Center,’” Jones-Centeno
said. “They’ll get to see these nice little
splashes.”
Jones-Centeno stressed the importance
of a local venue for the Oregon Coast’s
thriving arts scene, so the community
doesn’t have to travel to Portland or Seat-
tle to see an opera or play.
The building is slowly inching toward’s
it’s 100th birthday. Built in 1936 as Trinity
Lutheran Church, it became a performing
arts center in 1977 when it was acquired
by Clatsop Community College. It has an
audience capacity of 250 people, a charac-
teristic the arts community finds valuable.
“It’s super important for us to have
outlets for our performers who live here,
and for the community so folks can come
to watch things and be a part of events
right here in our own area,” Jones-Cen-
teno added. “We need it here. It’s wildly
important to keep this group active.”
Funds raised by the event will chiefly
be used to repair the building, which
Jones-Centeno explained is old and in
need of some significant repairs. Proceeds
from the event will also be used for other
bills and to keep the doors open.
Another goal of the fundraiser is to bol-
ster community support for the perform-
ing arts center, which in turn can make
it easier to secure grants, Jones-Centeno
explained. This is the first event of this
kind for the center.
“People who are more willing to
donate sums of money that are significant
want to be sure you already have support
in your own backyard,” she said, adding
the center has had strong support from
local donors but there’s more work to be
done.
The center has a host of events already
scheduled for 2022. Concerts are planned
for the winter months, and a pianist is
slated to teach a masterclass in the new
year. Celtic and American folk band Four
Shillings Short will be making an appear-
ance, and the Cascadia Chamber Opera
will perform two operas. Locals can also
look forward to the Pete Seeger Tribute
Concert in late April. The theme this year
is “Pete’s Legacy” and will include music
from and information about other musi-
cians who were influenced by Seeger.
“It’s so exciting to be able to be con-
tacting folks and having people call ask-
ing to book our space,” she said. There’s
still some trepidation concerning the pan-
demic, but things are moving in a positive
direction and performers are looking for-
ward to getting dates on the calendar.”
Nikki Davidson/The Astorian
The Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts.
THE CHARLENE LARSEN
CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING
ARTS FUNDRAISER
Wednesday at 3 p.m.
partnerforthepac.org
503-338-9132
Reservations are $100 each or $500 to
sponsor a table of four.
Masks and proof of vaccination are
required.
Nikki Davidson/The Astorian
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Charlene Larsen pulls back the curtains to a beautiful stained-glass window at the center.
A group of performers fill the stage of the Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts during a concert.
The stained glass windows from when the
center was a church are now part of the
performance space today.