St. Catharines is the entertainment capital of Niagara! From professional and amateur theatre, fine art and contemporary art galleries, Canadian performing artists, Jazz, Motown, and contemporary rock bands to major festivals and events year-round. Come and enjoy such popular events as Canada Day celebrations in historic downtown and in Port Dalhousie, or cultural festivals like May’s Niagara Folk Arts Festival, free summer evening concerts in Montebello Park and Ribfest – featuring the “Blues” and Ribs!
The following theatre, music and dance shows are presented at various locations in St. Catharines and the surrounding area.
May 5, 2024 | 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO CLASSIC: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Partridge Hall, 250 St Paul St.
Niagara native Jocelyn Fralick, Turkish-Canadian Beste Kalender, the BPC, and the LSSSC join the NSO for a rousing finale to the NSO’s Diamond Anniversary Season. Voted the fifth-greatest symphony of all time in a survey of conductors carried out by the BBC Music Magazine, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is known as the Resurrection Symphony. One of his most popular and successful works, it was also his first major composition that established his lifelong view of the beauty of the afterlife, and resurrection. In this large work, Mahler further developed the creative “sound of the distance,” his goal to compose a “world of its own,” aspects of which were already seen in Mahler’s First Symphony.
Mqy 12, 2024 | 3:00PM
Gallery Players of Niagrag presents RILIAN TRIO
Silver Spire United Church, 366 St Paul St.
In this Mother’s Day concert, the Rilian Trio presents two gorgeous works by Dvořák: the Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor and Songs My Mother Taught Me. We proudly present the world premiere of a new work by the trio’s pianist, Godwin Friesen, as well as Transfigured Night by Schoenberg, an exquisite early work arranged here for the piano trio. Live & Online performances are available.
May 17, 2024
Chest Fever Celebrating 55 years of The Band
Warehouse Concert Hall, 11 Geneva St.
chestfeverofficial.com
The Warehouse Concert Hall presents Chest Fever celebrating 55 years of The Band in Downtown St. Catharines Friday, May 17.
With a seal of approval from the late Robbie Robertson, San Diego Music Award winning group Mrs. Henry returns to the stage as Chest Fever after a sold out celebration of the Last Waltz at Canada’s illustrious Massey Hall. 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the release of The Band’s eponymous album, The Band, and the development of an unparalleled legacy in music and culture. Band members Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Robbie Robertson embodied a musical alchemy that has been firmly cemented in myth and legend.
The boys in Chest Fever set out this year to bring yet another classic album live to stages around the world. While we can no longer vibe to Robertson and crew through a haze of smoke and the cheer of the crowd, through the inspired work of this modern band of brothers we can still drink deep from the well of cosmic creativity that opened to us all.
June 22 – 23, 2024
Kimiko’s Pearl
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre presents the world premiere of Kimiko’s Pearl in St. Catharines June 22-23.
Commissioned and produced by Bravo Niagara!, Kimiko’s Pearl is a new ballet that unfurls the bittersweet story of one family spanning four generations. It is told through the eyes of Kimiko, a 15-year-old Toronto girl who discovers an old family trunk containing her great-grandfather’s diary and other precious keepsakes. Kimiko’s story reflects the tragedies and triumphs of Japanese Canadian families before, during, and after World War II.
Inspired by the family history of Bravo Niagara!’s co-founders Christine Mori and Alexis Spieldenner, Kimiko’s Pearl is based on a story by Emmy Award winner Howard Reich. The production features original music by Kevin Lau, choreography by Yosuke Mino with dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and three generations of Japanese Canadian visual artists and musicians.
July 4 – 14, 2024
Those Movies by Norm Foster – World Premiere!
Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, 2 Ridley Road, St. Catharines
fosterfestival.com
Harry and Patrick are best friends. Patrick needs somewhere to stay for a few weeks, so he moves in with Harry. Harry works at the local Hospital as the north barrier gate operator and he has recently drummed up the courage to ask the south barrier gate operator, Millie Bell, out on a date. She’s expected to arrive at Harry’s apartment any minute. Millie’s cousin Chelsea is visiting from out of town and Millie does not want to leave Chelsea alone at home. Suddenly the couples find themselves on a double date. Patrick worries that the evening will unfold like one of “Those Movies” and Chelsea is going to fall head over heels for him. Is Patrick right? Will the evening unfold like one of “Those Movies?” A heartwarming tale about how love can surprise you and be found in unexpected places…perhaps not always in the romantic sense.
July 25 – August 4, 2024
Whit’s End by Norm Foster – World Premiere!
Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, 2 Ridley Road, St. Catharines
fosterfestival.com
Whit is a letter carrier a week away from retirement. He and his partner Nikki, a retired fiduciary, have plans for a fresh start in Kelowna. Nikki, retirement, and Kelowna are unknown to Whit’s children Steven, a 33-year-old pharmaceutical rep, and Erica, a keyboard player in a Montreal dining establishment, whom he has invited home to share his exciting news. Steven and Erica are expecting news of an entirely different kind. A comedy of errors ensues in this delightfully funny Foster play about love and family as each character examines the meaning of commitment.
August 15 – 25, 2024
The Melville Boys by Norm Foster – 40th Anniversary Production!
Mandeville Theatre, Ridley College, 2 Ridley Road, St. Catharines
fosterfestival.com
Perhaps Norm Foster’s most famous play! The Foster Festival celebrates the 40th anniversary of the play that launched Foster’s career as a playwright back in 1984. A relaxing weekend trip full of fishing, football, and beer is on the agenda for the Melville brothers, Owen and Lee. But weekend plans are suddenly thrown for a loop when the boys meet two attractive sisters, who inadvertently change more than just their agenda. In this modern Canadian classic, Norm Foster offers a lighthearted comedy full of vigour about brotherhood, family, and the unexpected.
September 15 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Parker Plays Grieg
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
The Medusa myth profoundly influenced the musical shape that Dark Angels would assume. Its pages bear the scars of Medusa’s transformation and the bitter metaphors associated with her suffering. Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto was commissioned by jazz clarinetist Benny Goodman in 1947. The concerto quickly established itself as a standard piece in the clarinet repertoire. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony demonstrates how convincingly he could create a large–scale symphonic work of complete technical assurance and structural equilibrium, yet wholly his own in expression.
September 18, 2024
Feist with Jeremy Dutcher
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
The FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre presents Feist with special guest Jeremy Dutcher in Downtown St. Catharines on September 18. Don’t miss these two incomparable artists on the same bill in the PAC’s warm and intimate concert venue in downtown St. Catharines.
Widely recognized as one of the most compelling vocalists and songwriters in her genre, Leslie FEIST is a 14-time Juno Award-winning solo artist and founding member of Broken Social Scene. Jeremy Dutcher rose to international acclaim with his seminal, award-winning album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa and has since been carving his role as a performer, composer, activist and musicologist. Together, these two prolific artists will leave St. Catharines audiences with hope and healing.
September 21, 2024
Decades of Bond
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
Ed Lister Music Productions presents Decades of Bond on Sunday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in Downtown St. Catharines.
Decades of Bond is the Ultimate tribute to the incredible music of the James Bond Film Empire. This 13-piece show band is stacked with some of the finest musicians in North America including the fabulous Rebecca Noelle and Michael Hanna Sr on vocals. A powerhouse horn section and elegant string quartet soar gracefully over the driving rhythm section to deliver you some of the most remarkable music ever written for film!
October 4, 2024
Joe Avati World Tour
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
Beach Towel LIVE presents Joe Avati World Tour at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in Downtown St. Catharines on Friday, October 4. In his new show, the internationally renowned comedian asks you to leave your political correctness at the door as he delivers his hilarious insights on how times have changed, for better or worse, since he grew up as a teenager in the 80s.
October 5, 2024
Dreamer: The Supertramp Experience
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
Beach Towel Live presents Dreamer: The Supertramp Experience at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on Saturday, October 5. Dreamer: The Supertramp Experience is the world’s most authentic tribute to Supertramp featuring songs from the Crime of the Century album, plus all of the biggest hits. Dreamer: The Supertramp Experience delivers a world-class show with authentic instrumentation, including vintage keyboards and live horns. Costume changes in between sets set the stage for a memorable evening of the very best Supertramp songs of all time, that are performed by some of North America’s finest A-List musicians.
October 6, 2024
Relive the Music
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
Relive the Music presents Relive the Music 50s and 60s Rock ‘n Roll Show at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on Sunday, October 6. Back by popular demand, this one-of-a-kind show takes the audience through music history, trivia and memories of the 1950s and 1960s. You’ll learn many things you never knew about these artists. You’ll see an energetic band, amazing frontline singers and dancing transforming and re-living through two decades of music, costumes, and trends along with informative video imagery in the background.
October 20 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: All Gershwin
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
George Gershwin wrote primarily for Broadway musical theatre, but important as well are his orchestral and piano compositions in which he blended the techniques and forms of classical music with the stylistic nuances and techniques of popular music and jazz.
November 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Pre-Concert Wine & Jazz
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
Join the Niagara Symphony Orchestra for a pre-concert Wine and Jazz before the Queen Symphony event on Saturday, November 23.
November 23 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
November 24 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: The Queen Symphony
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story is an orchestral suite in nine movements adapted from parts of Bernstein’s landmark musical, West Side Story.
The Queen Symphony pays tribute to the timeless songs of the iconic rock band Queen, including Who Wants to Live Forever and Bohemian Rhapsody. The music is distinctly symphonic, building on musical fragments and adding brand new material.
November 29, 2024
The Carole King Songbook
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
The Beaches Jazz Festival presents Tapestry: The Carole King Songbook at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on Friday, November 29.
Tapestry recreates the sound and vibe of a 1970s Carole King concert experience following her legendary album, Tapestry. You will be transported back to the iconic image of her multi-million-selling album of 1971. Tapestry not only presents the record-breaking, Grammy-winning album of the same name, but is a retrospective of the iconic songwriting team of Goffin and King, and her hits that continued into the 70s. This prolific team wrote chart-topping hits for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Bobby Vee, The Beatles, James Taylor, The Drifters, Donny Osmond … and the list goes on.
November 30, 2024
Forever Seger
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St.
The Beaches Jazz Festival presents Forever Seger: The Silver Bullet Experience, a tribute to the timeless music of Bob Seger, at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on Saturday, November 30.
Get ready to embark on a journey through the soul-stirring melodies and electrifying beats of Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band with FOREVER SEGER! Recognized as the ultimate Bob Seger tribute experience, this powerhouse ensemble brings you an unforgettable night of classic rock magic.
December 14 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
December 15 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Home For the Holidays
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
The NSO’s festive concert tradition returns with holly and mistletoe, and sweet sugar plums. Regardless of where you’re from, come home for the holidays with the NSO and celebrate with the familiar sounds of the most enchanting season. Stars of the Stratford Festival for many seasons, Jennifer Rider-Shaw played The Lady of the Lake in Monty Python’s Spamalot and Robert Markus most recently played Mark in RENT during the 2023 season.
January 23, 2025
Sum41
Meridian Centre, 1 David S. Howes Way
Get ready rock fans!! Grammy-nominated band Sum 41 embarks on their final headlining world tour and will rock St. Catharines one last time on January 23, 2025.
The Tour of the Setting Sum celebrates the group’s final album “Heaven: :x: Hell.” Joining Sum41 are special guests Pup and Gob. Tickets range from $40-$385 plus fees.
January 26, 2025 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Mozart & Beyond
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
The overture to one of the greatest operas ever written begins with a solemn three-chord sequence from the brass, associated with the Priests of the Temple of Wisdom. We are thrilled that Eric Guo will be playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 1, the piece that won him the first prize at the 2nd International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments. Eric is a laureate of the Fifth Canadian Chopin Piano Competition and was named one of CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 in 2019. Symphony No. 41 is the last of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid succession. It is argued that Mozart composed the three symphonies as a unified work; Symphony No. 41, as the final work, has no introduction (unlike No. 39) but has a grand finale.
February 16, 2025 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: The Four Seasons Reimagined
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
The Four Seasons Reimagined is a complete re-composition and reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s violin concertos, emphasizing Richter’s grounding in postmodern and minimalist music. Each tango of The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires is a unique blending of the syncopations of the dance. Originally conceived as separate compositions, Piazzolla established the practice of performing them as one suite. Drawing from her rich Mexican-American background, Maureen Conlon-Gutierrez has garnered acclaim with audiences across the U.S., Latin America and Europe. One of the world’s most sought-after bandoneonists, Hector Del Curto has performed with many renowned artists across many musical genres and appeared with the world’s leading orchestras.
March 8, 2025 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
March 9, 2025 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Classical Mystery Tour
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. Enjoy two dozen Beatles tunes sung, played, and performed exactly as they were written. From early Beatles music on through the solo years, Classical Mystery Tour is the best of The Beatles like you’ve never heard them.
April 5, 2025 @ 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
April 6, 2025 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Pastorale
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
Fidelio is the only opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven struggled to produce an appropriate overture for Fidelio, and ultimately went through four versions. This somewhat lighter overture seems to work best of the four as a start to the opera. Appalachian Spring depicts the day of a wedding celebration at a Pennsylvania farmhouse in the early 20th Century. It opens at dawn and concludes as serenely as it began, ending the day with the same chords with which dawn was evoked. A lover of nature, Beethoven spent a great deal of time on walks in the country. He said that the Sixth Symphony is “more the expression of feeling than painting.” It is one of Beethoven’s few works containing explicitly programmatic content.
April 26, 2025 @ 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
April 27, 2025 @ 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NSO: Blockbuster Broadway
Partridge Hall 250 St Paul St, St. Catharines
Celebrate Broadway’s biggest songs from Broadway’s biggest blockbusters featuring Broadway’s biggest stars! Spend an evening with songs from Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Jersey Boys, The Sound of Music, Chicago, CATS, The Lion King, and A Chorus Line.
