Arts & Entertainment Community

Harbor Happenings | Bremerton Symphony Orchestra visits Gig Harbor

Posted on February 25th, 2025 By: Charlee Glock-Jackson

The Bremerton WestSound Symphony Orchestra will present a program titled “Wine, Wolfgang and Other Wonders” at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2 in the Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum.

At least four symphony musicians have Gig Harbor roots, and several – including Music Director Alan Futterman – speak Croatian.

The Bremerton WestSound Symphony Orchestra performs in Gig Harbor on Sunday, March 2. Photo by Jill Danseco

Sunday’s program includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G Minor (written when he was just 17 years old); Braham’s Liebslieder Waltzes (Love Songs) sung by the Bremerton Symphony Chorale; and Mendelssohn’s Capriccio Brilliant, featuring 15-year old Port Orchard musician Ruth Harvey. The program concludes with a Romanian Medley composed by Maestro Futterman.

During intermission, complimentary beverages and appetizers will be available and attendees can chat with Futterman and the musicians. Tickets cost $32 for adults, $10 for those 20 years of age and younger. Purchase tickets here or by calling 360-373-1722. The Aero Museum is located at 1108 26^th Ave. Northwest.

The Bremerton WestSound Symphony Orchestra performs in Gig Harbor on Sunday, March 2. Photo by Jill Danseco

Locals perform with Tacoma Youth Symphony

The Tacoma Youth Symphony presents “The Ladies who Pack a Punch” at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Rialto Theater in Tacoma.

The concert includes Barbara Harbach’s Phoenix Rising from “The Soul of R;” Saint-Saëns “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op. 28;” Lili Boulanger’s “D’un Matin de Printemps;” Ralph Vaughan Williams “English Folk Song Suite;” Ingrid Stötzel’s “Into the Blue;” Stella Sung’s “Loco-motion” and “Montgomery Variations (1964)” by Margaret Bonds.

About 40 of the 400 students who play in the TYS orchestras are from Gig Harbor. The Gig Harbor musicians are Jace Dalumpines, cello; Lucey Mullins, cello; Maya Mazur, clarinet; Blake Nelson, violin; Madeline Mandery, violin; Gianna Zhan, violin; Jojo Zhan, violin; Marcus Kim, cello; Gabe Kim, violin; Audrie Martin, violin; Megan Brooke, bassoon; Percy Zizak, violin; Thomas Sun, flute; Henry Davis, trumpet; Clio Ramlal, violin; Jack Newhouse, violin; Leah Everling, cello; Lucas Cruz, violin; Bonnie Dalby, violin; Zoe Chao, cello; Ava Chao, clarinet and Alexa Kotansky, oboe.

To purchase tickets go to www.tysamusic.org.

Young Artists Concert

Harbor Winds present its annual Young Artists Concert, featuring honor band students from local schools, at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2. This year’s program, titled “Natural Beauty,” will include works by Mendelssohn, Weber, Debussy and others — all inspired by the beauty of the natural world. The concert is free and takes place in the auditorium at Gig Harbor High School, 5101 Rosedale St.

Empty Bowls

Altrusa Gig Harbor’s 10th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 1 at Chapel Hill Church.

Local potters have contributed hundreds of handmade bowls that will be for sale, to fill with food donated by Sunset Grill, BBQ2U, Kettlefish, Massimo Italian Bar & Grill, Table 47, Harbor Greens, Anthony’s, Moctezumas Mexican Restaurant, Kinza Teriyaki and the food service department from Saint Anthony Hospital. There will also be goodies from Panera Bread, B’s Bagels & Butters and more.

Proceeds support local organizations — like Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank, Food Backpacks 4 Kids, Red Barn Youth Center and Key Peninsula Community Service — that feed Gig Harbor-area families. Chapel Hill is at 7700 Skansie Ave.

Hundreds of handmade bowls are sold and filled with soup every year at Altrusa’s Empty Bowls event. The money they raise goes to fight hunger in Gig Harbor. Courtesy photo

Humanities Washington presentations

The Harbor History Museum on the Gig Harbor waterfront and Nichols Community Center on Fox Island host free presentations by Humanities Washington this week.

The museum’s event, titled “How to Write a Family Portrait,” is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27. Author Kristen Millares will lead a workshop – in English and in Spanish – on how to write a family history based on stories that have been handed down through generations. The museum is located at 4121 Harborview Drive.

The Fox Island presentation – “UFO Northwest” – tells the story of how the tragic 1947 crash of a B-25 bomber near Maury Island spawned a series of “Men in Black” UFO sightings. “UFO Northwest” starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Nichols Community Center, 690 9^th Ave. on Fox Island.

Eagles Club open house

Celebrate Mardi Gras at a Carnival Night from 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 1, at the Gig Harbor Eagles Club, 4425 Burnham Drive. The free event features games, food, music and dancing and an auction to benefit Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital Cancer Care.

Wine tasting

Sample four locally produced wines at Two Loons winery from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Try the winery’s 2023 Field Blend white wine, the 2018 merlot, the 2019 petit verdot, the 2019 Sheryl’s Syrah and this week’s Loon Labs wine maker’s choice.

According to the Two Loons crew, a movement in the wine industry champions raw or natural wines, but there is no government definition for either of those terms, so wineries are at liberty to make up their own versions. At Two Loons, that means grapes and yeast, with just enough food grade sulfites added to protect the wines through 15-to-20 years in a bottle. The federal government allows up to 350 parts per million of sulfites. Two Loons wines generally have about 20-45 ppm. Two Loons is located at 9422 22nd Ave. Northwest.

Bookish happenings

The Gig Harbor Literary Society meets for a book discussion from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at the Harbor History Museum to talk about “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann.

It’s the story of a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth that washed up on the coast of Brazil on Jan. 28, 1742. Inside were 30 emaciated men, barely alive, with an extraordinary tale to tell — they were survivors of HMS Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. The Wager wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia while chasing a treasure-filled Spanish galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans.”

After being marooned for months and facing starvation, the men built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than 100 days over nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes. But six months later, an even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The 30 sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers.

Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion, whether or not you have read the book. The museum is located at 4121 Harborview Drive.

The Gig Harbor Library’s Nonfiction Book Club meets from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, to discuss “The Demon of Unrest” by Erik Larson. The library is located at 4424 Point Fosdick Drive.

Pier into the Night

Join biologists from Harbor WildWatch at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1, as they talk about what’s lurking in the waters beneath the Maritime Pier at 3003 Harborview Drive.

Scuba divers armed with underwater cameras will project images of what they find onto the big screens set up on the pier, as the biologists describe what they’re seeing. Pier into the Night is free and family friendly. Dress for the weather.

At the movies

Teen Movie Night at the Gig Harbor Library is at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. Teens ages 13-18 can enjoy free snacks and a movie. The library is located at 4424 Point Fosdick Drive.

The Flashback Cinema movie at the Galaxy Theatres in Uptown on Wednesday, Feb. 26, is “GoodFellas,” showing at 11:30 a.m. and 6 pm. On Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2, it’s “Shrek,” the offbeat comedy adventure about Shrek (played by Mike Meyers) an ogre who rescues a princess (Cameron Diaz). Shrek showtimes are 1 and 6 p.m. Flashback movies are just $5.

Civic engagement

The Gig Harbor City Council meets for a study session at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Civic Center on Grandview Street. Tentative discussion items include a review of design options for Peacock Hill and updates to a facility use agreement with the Gig Harbor Little League. The meeting can also be accessed via Zoom.

The council’s annual retreat starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at the civic center. Discussion topics include a review of the city’s Strategic Plan, traffic calming cameras, Cultural Access program, Shoreline Master Program, the planning department’s 2025 work program and council rules and guidelines. The meeting can also be accessed via Zoom.

Find more local events in our events calendar.