By Randi Bjornstad

For three decades, the Oregon Festival of American Music has been going on each summer at The Shedd Institute in downtown Eugene, billed as “a tribute to the Great American Songbook.”

Now something new has been added, a late-winter mini version that will take place March 2-6, 2022, called OFAM Winter.

The title of this first OFAM Winter concert series is AVALON: The Birth of American Popular Music, 1917-29, featuring four evening and two matinee concerts, talks, films, a community sing-along, and a Sunday afternoon jazz party.

Here’s the schedule of events:

Wednesday, March 2

  • 9:30 a.m. film — Classic silent and sound shorts from the 1920s, hosted by Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 5 p.m. talk — Intro to OFAM Winter 2022 with Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 7:30 p.m. opening gala — When You’re Smiling, directed by Chuck Redd in the Jaqua Concert Hall (repeated at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5)

Thursday, March 3

  • 9:30 a.m. film — Animation in the 1920s (Fleischer & Disney), hosted by Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 1:30 p.m. Community Sing-Along, led by Amy Adams, in the Sheffer Room
  • 5 p.m. talk — The Stage: Vaudeville, Revue & Musical Comedy, hosted by Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 7:30 p.m. concert — Jazzin’ The Blues, directed by Chuck Redd in the Jaqua Concert Hall

Friday, March 4

  • 9:30 a.m. film — The Jazz Singer (1927), hosted by Howard Schumann in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 1:30 p.m. concert — Stairway to Paradise, directed by Lynnea Barry, in the Jaqua Concert Hall (repeated at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5)
  • 5 p.m. talk — The Page: Sheet Music & Tin Pan Alley, hosted by Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 7:30 p.m. concert — Rockin’ in Rhythm, directed by Chuck Redd in the Jaqua Concert Hall

Saturday, March 5

  • 9:30 a.m. film — The Broadway Melody (1929), hosted by Howard Schumann in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 1:30 p.m. concert — When You’re Smiling, directed by Chuck Redd in the Jaqua Concert Hall
  • 5 p.m. talk — The New Age: Records, Radio & the Movies, hosted by Jim Ralph in the Sheffer Room; free
  • 7:30 p.m. concert — Stairway to Paradise, directed by Lynnea Barry in the Jaqua Concert Hall

Sunday, March 6

4 p.m. Jazz Party — Fascinating Rhythm, directed by Chuck Redd in the Jaqua Concert Hall, with cabaret seating

The Players

  • Vocalists — Shirley Andress, Lynnea Barry, Siri Vik, Bill Hulings, Vicki Brabham
  • Musicians — Ehud Asherie and Vicki Brabham (piano), Paul Keller (bass), Paul Wells and Theo Halpert (drums), Chuck Redd (vibes and drums), Randy Napoleon (guitar), Daniel Cathey, Jesse Cloninger, Dan Levinson, and Matthew Taylor (reeds), Glenn Griffith (trombone), and Tim Clarke, Dave Bender, and Devin Perez (trumpet)

Tickets: $25 to $45, depending on performance; discounts available for students, groups, large purchases, and packages. On sale in person at the ticket office at 868 High St., Eugene, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; by telephone at 541-434-7000 during the same hours; or online at theshedd.org/OFAMWinter2022

Pre-concert meals: Available by reservation at $24.75, $18.75 for children 9 years and younger; menus and details online at theshedd.org; reservations at 541-434-7000

COVID-19 protocols:

  • Masks required by state of Oregon in all indoor public locations
  • Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a certified negative test within 3 days of the performance required for all patrons 15 years and older
  • Distancing not required
  • (Note: All Shedd staff members, faculty and performing artists are fully vaccinated.)