The Eugene summer can be an oasis of outdoor activities and entertainment, but with an annual average of 43 inches of rain falling mostly between September and April, local winter entertainment is usually of the indoor variety. Theater performances and concerts can provide both a welcome distraction from the daily grind of classes and a bit more sophistication than a weekend keg party, and the Eugene area features one of the best venues for such art.
The Hult Center is home to Eugene’s opera, ballet and symphony, and also attracts larger, national acts. While the center is mostly associated with the central downtown’s highly visible Silva Concert Hall, the Hult Center also includes the Cuthbert Amphitheater, the Soreng Theater and the Jacobs Gallery. For those on a shoestring college budget, the Eugene Symphony Orchestra offers free preview performances on the day before a concert at noon in Studio 1. Upcoming events include:

Sept. 24
The Hult Center presents “Drummers of West Africa.”
Doudou N’Diaye Rose leads 35 Senegalese percussionists in traditional dancing, singing and drumming. They weave together an astonishing number of rhythms, layering them in complex patterns to create a symphony of percussion. Wearing colorful native regalia, the drummers create rhythms with explosive bursts of energy.
The show starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for anybody 17 and younger.

Sept. 25
Eugene Symphony Orchestra presents “Symphonie Fantastique.” Hear the fantastic symphony by Berlioz and a new work by Aaron Jay Kernis. Giancarlo Guerrero conducts.
The show starts Thursday at 8 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $15-$38 , and are on sale now.

Sept. 26
Double Tee Promotions, Inc. presents “Widespread Panic,” one of the hottest live acts in the nation. This Widespread Panic concert includes new hits and old favorites by members John Bell, George McConnell, Todd Nance, Domingo Ortiz, Dave Schools and John Hermann.
The show starts Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Tickets are $30.

Oct. 2
SHO presents “SHOcase: Old Time Radio Revisited.” Bob and Meridith London take you back to the days of Jack Benny, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger and the great dance bands of the 1930s and 1940s.
The show starts Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hult Center Lobby and is free.

Oct. 3
JS Touring presents Jerry Seinfeld.
The show starts Friday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $48.50-$78.50.

Oct. 4
Oregon Festival of American Music presents jazz and modern experimental composer John Zorn with Masada, a Jewish jazz quartet.
The show starts Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $25.

Oct. 4
Oregon Mozart Players presents “All Concerto, All the Time,” a brief history of the concerto from the Baroque to the Twentieth Century. Yuri Rozum returns to Eugene to play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 33 in C minor.
The show starts Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Soreng Theater. Tickets are $16-$28 and are on sale now.

Oct. 16
SHO presents “SHOcase: EZ Times,” music from the 1950s and ’60s.
The show starts Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hult Center Lobby and is free.

Oct. 18
Hult Center presents “The Rainbow Dance Theatre.”
Directed by choreographers Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas, the company fuses high-energy athletic dance style, aerial choreography and computer animation into a narrative stage show.
The show starts Saturday at 8 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Sept. 26.

Oct. 23
Eugene Symphony Orchestra presents “Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1.” Giancarlo Guerrero conducts Ilya Gringolts on the violin as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2.
The show starts Thursday at 8 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $15-$38 and are on sale now.

Oct. 27
Willamette Repertory Theatre presents “Ashland Salutes Willamette Rep,” a benefit performance showcasing the leading actors from the Tony-award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival performing Shakespeare, spoken word and music.
The show starts Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Soreng Theater. Tickets are $100 and are on sale now.

Nov. 1-2
Eugene Ballet Company presents “The Sleeping Beauty,” directed by Toni Pimble.
Shows start Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $18-$42 and are on sale now.

Nov. 4-6
ClearChannel presents the touring Broadway production of the musical “The Sound of Music.”
Shows start Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Season tickets are on sale now (individual tickets go on sale Sept. 26).

Nov. 6
SHO presents “SHOcase: Joyel & Company Dance,” a performance of choreographed dance set to poetry.
The show starts Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hult Center Lobby and is free.

Nov. 13
SHO presents “SHOcase: Gamelan Sari Pandhawa Indonesian Percussion Ensemble.”
The show starts Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hult Center Lobby and is free.

Nov. 19-Dec. 7
Willamette Repertory Theatre presents “Driving Miss Daisy.” Previews are set for Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 19-20 at 7:30 p.m. The show will open Friday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Soreng Theater.
Shows on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. until Dec. 7.
Shows on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at
2 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Oct. 7.

Nov. 20
SHO presents “SHOcase: Eugene Concert Choir,” performing Christmas carols and holiday tunes.
Show starts Thursday at 12:15 p.m. in the Hult Center Lobby and is free.

Nov. 20
Eugene Symphony Orchestra presents “Beethoven Cycle: Pastorale” including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 and Durufle Requiem, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
Show starts Thursday at 8 p.m. at Silva Concert Hall. Tickets are $15-$38 and are on sale now.