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Eugene, Oregon

Eugene Arts: Art Scene in Eugene

Eugene is embraced by nature enthusiasts for its abundant open spaces and proximity to the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. Eugene is also a notable arts and culture destination, hosting numerous performances and arts festivals throughout the year. The Hult Center for the Performing Arts serves as Eugene’s primary performing arts venue, while numerous galleries and specialty shops populate the city’s bustling downtown.

Arts Info

  • Planet Eugene—includes a comprehensive list of links for local arts organizations, events, and resources.

Art Museums

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum (JSMA) is the University of Oregon’s affiliated art museum, opened in 1933 to house the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art. The collection was donated by Gertrude Bass Warner and included over 3700 pieces. The museum’s original building was designed by Ellis F. Lawrence, longtime UO Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. It …more…

Classical Music

Eugene Concert Choir

The Eugene Concert Choir has been a resident ensemble of the Hult Center since 1997 and in its short history has become a staple in the Eugene arts scene, performing masterworks and modern pieces in adventurous programming formats. The Choir’s chamber group, the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble was found in 1986 by the Concert Choir’s Artistic Director, Diane Retallack. The …more…

Eugene Symphony Orchestra

The Eugene Symphony Orchestra has been dazzling Willamette Valley patrons for almost half a century and in that span, has become one of the leading Oregon arts organizations outside Portland. Over 30,000 students, families and concert goers see the Symphony’s performances each year and community support for the orchestra has reached levels unheard of for many larger orchestras, with a …more…

Oregon Bach Festival

The Oregon Bach Festival has long been hailed as one of the premier music festivals in the world, with thousands of visitors from many countries and internationally recognized performers. The festival was founded in 1970 by famed conductor Helmuth Rilling and former American Choral Directors Association President, Royce Saltzman. Since then, the festival has played host to a number of legendary performances and unparalleled line-ups. Not simply limited to the …more…

Oregon Mozart Players

Founded in 1983 by a group of professional musicians, the Oregon Mozart Players strives to bring the vast repertoire of chamber music to the Eugene-Springfield area community. Each season, the Players perform concerts featuring Classical, Baroque, Romantic and new works including both masterworks and forgotten gems at the Hult Center and at the First Christian Church. Ticket prices are very reasonable and the wonderful discounts for seniors and students are …more…

Opera

Eugene Opera

Founded in 1976, Eugene Opera has helped launch the careers of such singers as Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Gregory Turay, Lucas Meacham, Stephen Mark Brown, and Kelley Nassief. The company has been in residence at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts since 1982. Its 2010-2011 season is scheduled to begin in December with Puccini’s La Bohème, starring Metropolitan Opera …more…

Jazz

Oregon Festival of American Music (Eugene, OR)

(August 7-11, 2012) The Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM) showcases a wide variety of interdisciplinary arts with a heavy focus on jazz and the American musical theater idiom. Each year in midsummer, the festival presents concerts and musicals centered around a theme, often focused on the songbooks of composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin, or a specific American style, such as Ragtime, movie music or “hot” jazz. ...more...

Shedd Institute – The Emerald City Jazz Kings

The Emerald City Jazz Kings has been bringing the finest in the Great American Songbook to the Eugene area since 1994. Each season, the Kings put together three to four programs built around a common theme. Themes have included Movie Musicals of the 1930’s, The Great Lyricists and The Origins of Swing. While many jazz musicians around the world perform …more…

Dance

Eugene Ballet Company

Eugene Ballet is a resident company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts where, from October to April, they perform a regular season consisting of approximately four productions. These range from full length classical ballets to more contemporary works and always include their holiday Nutcracker. Nationally renowned resident choreographer and company co-founder Toni Pimble draws from a wide range of narrative influences and multi-disciplinary collaborations. In addition to Pimble’s …more…

Venues

Hult Center for the Performing Arts

The Hult Center is Eugene’s hub for anything and everything related to the arts.  The facility and its three performance spaces (the Silva Concert Hall, Soreng Theater, and Cuthbert Amphitheater) have received nationwide acclaim for their aesthetic and acoustic qualities.  Seven major local and regional arts organizations are in residence here, including the Eugene Ballet Company, Eugene Concert Choir, Eugene Opera, Eugene Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival, Oregon Mozart Players, and …more…

John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts

Since it began in 1991, Eugene’s Shedd Institute has become a major champion of American music in the Pacific Northwest.  It was founded as the Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM), a summer orchestral pops festival devoted to American classical music.  In 1993 it became a resident company of the Hult Center, and in 1995 opened its own community music center.

In 1997, OFAM began programming year round, with the beginning …more…

Art Museums

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum (JSMA) is the University of Oregon’s affiliated art museum, opened in 1933 to house the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art. The collection was donated by Gertrude Bass Warner and included over 3700 pieces. The museum’s original building was designed by Ellis F. Lawrence, longtime UO Dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. It …more…

Classical Music

Eugene Concert Choir

The Eugene Concert Choir has been a resident ensemble of the Hult Center since 1997 and in its short history has become a staple in the Eugene arts scene, performing masterworks and modern pieces in adventurous programming formats. The Choir’s chamber group, the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble was found in 1986 by the Concert Choir’s Artistic Director, Diane Retallack. The …more…

Eugene Symphony Orchestra

The Eugene Symphony Orchestra has been dazzling Willamette Valley patrons for almost half a century and in that span, has become one of the leading Oregon arts organizations outside Portland. Over 30,000 students, families and concert goers see the Symphony’s performances each year and community support for the orchestra has reached levels unheard of for many larger orchestras, with a …more…

Oregon Bach Festival

The Oregon Bach Festival has long been hailed as one of the premier music festivals in the world, with thousands of visitors from many countries and internationally recognized performers. The festival was founded in 1970 by famed conductor Helmuth Rilling and former American Choral Directors Association President, Royce Saltzman. Since then, the festival has played host to a number of legendary performances and unparalleled line-ups. Not simply limited to the …more…

Oregon Mozart Players

Founded in 1983 by a group of professional musicians, the Oregon Mozart Players strives to bring the vast repertoire of chamber music to the Eugene-Springfield area community. Each season, the Players perform concerts featuring Classical, Baroque, Romantic and new works including both masterworks and forgotten gems at the Hult Center and at the First Christian Church. Ticket prices are very reasonable and the wonderful discounts for seniors and students are …more…

Opera

Eugene Opera

Founded in 1976, Eugene Opera has helped launch the careers of such singers as Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Gregory Turay, Lucas Meacham, Stephen Mark Brown, and Kelley Nassief. The company has been in residence at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts since 1982. Its 2010-2011 season is scheduled to begin in December with Puccini’s La Bohème, starring Metropolitan Opera …more…

Jazz

Oregon Festival of American Music (Eugene, OR)

(August 7-11, 2012) The Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM) showcases a wide variety of interdisciplinary arts with a heavy focus on jazz and the American musical theater idiom. Each year in midsummer, the festival presents concerts and musicals centered around a theme, often focused on the songbooks of composers like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin, or a specific American style, such as Ragtime, movie music or “hot” jazz. ...more...

Shedd Institute – The Emerald City Jazz Kings

The Emerald City Jazz Kings has been bringing the finest in the Great American Songbook to the Eugene area since 1994. Each season, the Kings put together three to four programs built around a common theme. Themes have included Movie Musicals of the 1930’s, The Great Lyricists and The Origins of Swing. While many jazz musicians around the world perform …more…

Dance

Eugene Ballet Company

Eugene Ballet is a resident company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts where, from October to April, they perform a regular season consisting of approximately four productions. These range from full length classical ballets to more contemporary works and always include their holiday Nutcracker. Nationally renowned resident choreographer and company co-founder Toni Pimble draws from a wide range of narrative influences and multi-disciplinary collaborations. In addition to Pimble’s …more…

Venues

Hult Center for the Performing Arts

The Hult Center is Eugene’s hub for anything and everything related to the arts.  The facility and its three performance spaces (the Silva Concert Hall, Soreng Theater, and Cuthbert Amphitheater) have received nationwide acclaim for their aesthetic and acoustic qualities.  Seven major local and regional arts organizations are in residence here, including the Eugene Ballet Company, Eugene Concert Choir, Eugene Opera, Eugene Symphony, Oregon Bach Festival, Oregon Mozart Players, and …more…

John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts

Since it began in 1991, Eugene’s Shedd Institute has become a major champion of American music in the Pacific Northwest.  It was founded as the Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM), a summer orchestral pops festival devoted to American classical music.  In 1993 it became a resident company of the Hult Center, and in 1995 opened its own community music center.

In 1997, OFAM began programming year round, with the beginning …more…