1. Ebony and ivory
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Chamber Series presents its fifth annual Piano Extravaganza at 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St., Vancouver. “Return of the Duo Grand Pianos” will feature top-notch local pianists, including Dr. Michael Liu, Dimitri Zhgenti, Dr. Kathy Edsill-Charles, Dr. Elena Vozkeiko-Wheaton and Cinda Redman. Hear works by Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Arensky and Poulenc, as well as an arrangement of “By the Beautiful Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss Jr., and “Ragtime alla Turca,” a creative duo arrangement based on Mozart’s “Rondo alla Turca” for solo piano. Tickets are $10 to $25, available at 360-735-7278 or vancouversymphony.org.
2. To die for
Three Jewish widows — sweet-tempered Ida, feisty Lucille and judgmental Doris — meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands’ graves. The ladies encounter widower Sam at the cemetery and jealousies flare when Sam and Ida strike up a romance. Unbeknownst to Ida, Doris and Lucille squash the budding relationship but are guilt-wracked when it nearly breaks Ida’s heart. That’s the story that unfolds during Magenta Theater’s next Black Chair Project, “The Cemetery Club,” a one-night-only staged reading at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 at 1108 Main St., Vancouver. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 360-635-4358 or visiting www.magentatheater.com.
3. Locally made jam
The Old Liberty Theater, 115 N. Main Ave. in downtown Ridgefield, welcomes up-and-coming bands to its stage during the Local Rock Showcase. Two homegrown bands, Ethereal Sea and Sunflower, will serve up catchy rhythms, thrumming bass lines and brand-new melodies in concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 18. Sunflower is a Pacific Northwest rock band with jam and folk influences and Ethereal Sea is a La Center-based band that offers muddy riffs of the headbanger variety. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. so that guests can find good seats and purchase beer, wine and light refreshments in the lobby. Admission is $12 in advance or $15 at the door for this all-ages show. For more details, call 360-887-7260 or visit www.oldlibertytheater.com.
4. Food for thought
See a free screening of the documentary “How We Grow” at 7 p.m. Jan. 22, part of the Meaningful Movies series at the Old Liberty Theater, 115 N. Main Ave., Ridgefield. This film follows ambitious young farmers who are building a thriving community around locally grown food in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, going beyond farmers markets and local food access to explore how communities can rebuild themselves around agriculture. The movie will be followed by an audience discussion featuring local small-scale farmers; hear firsthand about their challenges and learn about the local food movement in north Clark County. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. 360-887-7260 or www.oldlibertytheater.com.
