Susan O’Dea and Nick Spear of Big Sky City Lights perform June 3 at the Wachholz Center in Kalispell.
Visit the Wachholz College Center on the campus of Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell from noon-4 p.m. June 3 and enjoy a wealth of live music, indoors and out, during the Community Open House and 2023-2024 Season Preview. The day ends with a concert by Big Sky City Lights at 8 p.m.
“We were hoping to produce an event like this in the weeks leading up to our grand opening back in early November 2022,” said Matt Laughlin, director of the College Center. “But it took every last minute to get the venue ready for that first concert and then the snow came and didn’t leave until this spring. Now that the weather is nice and the days are longer, we want to open the doors and invite the community in to see the awesome community asset that is the Wachholz College Center.”
Rather than simply open the venue for tours, Laughlin and his team want to enhance the open house experience by showcasing live music in the College Center’s O’Shaughnessy Outdoor Amphitheater and Swank Recital Hall by some of the Flathead Valley’s most talented artists including Colton Christensen, Artist Robinson, Halladay Quist, Ben Darce, and musicians from the Glacier Symphony Orchestra.
Sweet and savory foods will be available from Knucklhed BBQ, 406 Taco Nite, and Cold Stone Creamery.
Another reason to swing by this open house is to be the first to see the exciting lineup of new shows coming to Wachholz College Center in the upcoming 2023-2024 season. “We thought it would be cool to use this community open house as a launchpad of sorts to announce a lot of the new shows planned for the fall and winter season,” said Laughlin. “Between the outstanding line up of performances that Glacier Symphony has planned for next season and the variety of concerts and lectures that Wachholz College Center is presenting, this venue is well-positioned to be a true cultural hub of northwest Montana. We want everyone in the community to experience it.”
Tickets to both Glacier Symphony performances and Wachholz College Center shows will be available for sale in person throughout the four-hour open house.
For those who might not be able to attend the community open house, the Wachholz College Center will re-open June 3 for a concert in McClaren Hall by Big Sky City Lights. The lobby opens at 7 p.m. and Nick Spear and Susan O’Dea, who make up the indie folk duo, take the stage at 8 p.m. for what is sure to be a performance full of lush harmonies, moving melodies, toe-tapping originals, and maybe even some special guests.
Also coming to the Wachholz Center this summer:
Glaciery Symphony: Mozart at McClaren, June 22-24
Steep Canyon Rangers, July 7
Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives, July 28
Rain, A tribute to the Beatles, July 31
Portland Cello Project, Aug. 3
Tab Benoit and the Rumble, Aug. 27
For more information and tickets, head to wachholzcollegecenter.org or call 406-756-1400.