Tri-Cities nonprofit observes 80th anniversary, announces new concert series

Community Concerts of the Tri-Cities, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, has announced its lineup of the 2024-25 season.

Tickets are on sale now for the upcoming concert series that kicks off in September and includes the following acts: 

• Jarabe Mexicano – Five-piece band playing Mexican folk, Latin rock, Tex-Mex, Reggae-Cumbia and more on Sept. 21.

Forever Simon & Garfunkel’s Sean Altman and Jack Skuller. | Courtesy Live On Stage 

• Forever Simon & Garfunkel – Four-piece tribute band with laser-precise harmony performing on Oct. 16.

• Paragon Ragtime Orchestra – Live orchestra accompanying silent films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd on Jan. 8.

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

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Community Concerts of the Tri-Cities

 

• Bindlestiff Family Cirkus – A unique hybrid spectacle of vaudeville, circus and sideshow acts performing March 1.

Montreal Guitar Trio and California Guitar Trio

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Community Concerts of the Tri-Cities

 

• Montreal Guitar Trio and California Guitar Trio – Six world-class guitarists perform classical, world, jazz and traditional music on March 21.

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. in the Richland High School auditorium.

It all started 80 years ago

Eighty years ago, Richland was a boom town, swelling with people who came to work on the government’s Hanford site. These newcomers were hungry for culture, so they organized a series of concerts featuring internationally touring performers.

The first concert, in November 1944, featured the Don Cossack Choir, a men’s chorus of Russian immigrants. 

Over the years, other acts included opera singer Leontyne Price, The Joffrey Ballet, Shanghai Acrobats & Magicians, the Vienna Boys Choir and jazz pianist Marion McPartland.

Four or five concerts have been produced each season, totaling more than 350 shows since 1944. The only gap in concerts was due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. 

CCTC archives show the evolution of technology in the eight decades of its existence. The early files include carbon copies, penny postcards and three-digit phone numbers. 

More recent years involve emails, text messages and electronic press kits. 

“What hasn’t changed in 80 years is the devotion of the organization’s volunteers, and the enthusiasm that audiences have for high quality, live entertainment,” organizers said in a news release.

Season memberships

A season membership includes admission to all five concerts for $70 for adults and $35 for youth. Family memberships are $70 per adult and $20 per youth. 

There’s a $5 discount for joining before Sept. 1. 

Membership cards are transferable, so members can loan their card to a friend if they can’t attend a show.

Tickets to individual shows will be available at the door for $30 for adult and $15 for youth.

Go to: communityconcertstc.org/membership or call 509-547-6243.