The Ugly Sweater Holiday Show

Portland Cello Project returns for The Ugly Sweater Holiday Show, ringing in the yule Alaska-style with local guest artists in this twist on the traditional holiday concert. A refreshing tonic to the hectic season, it’s one part variety show, one part holiday homage, one part freewheeling spectacle.  

Like your favorite holiday sweater, this night promises to be one-of-a-kind, full of unique melodies woven with quirky threads and plenty of cheer. Think jazzy takes on holiday classics and hidden gem jams, tied together by the cello in the inimitable ways that make The Cello Project an Anchorage favorite.   

Put on your holiday best (or worst) as Portland Cello Project lights up the dark winter night and lifts your spirits. Just try to be a scrooge – we dare you.

Local Guest Artists

ASHLEY YOUNG is from just below the arctic circle, a songwriter with fiery, lush vocal texture warms her  ancestral land – Alaska. Ashley Young invites you in like a friend with her refreshing honesty and infectious laughter.  Her unquenchable curiosity has led her to exploring expressions unbound by genre. Her focus is rather on using music to reveal vulnerable and personal truths that many experience but are often afraid to discuss.

STEPHEN GRANTIER is a versatile choreographer and dance educator known for his style that blends street dance foundations with contemporary influences. He has competed all over the world – from Hawaii and Florida to Las Vegas and London – using dance as a way to connect with diverse communities. “Wherever I land, I find a studio and get to know the people,” he shares.

HUNNI DAVIS is a country and neo-folk artist based out of Anchorage, Alaska. Inspired by the raw storytelling of old country and folk ballads, she sings about the joy and grief of her queered body moving through a landscape of political and corporal unrest, and the healing powers of good love. She hopes that her music can be like medicine, healing trauma, and bringing understanding to misguided perceptions of transness through her own visibility and voice.

KEVIN WORRELL is a singer-songwriter with altfolk ensemble, Super Saturated Sugar Strings, and the host and founder of Parlor In The Round, a songwriter improv game show based in Anchorage, Alaska. His songs reflect the influence of humor-forward philosophers like John Prine and Randy Newman, with a preference for metaphor when telling the truth.

TYPE OF EVENING:
Holiday Reprieve Party 
Merry & Bright Night Out  
Diverse Date Night  

WHAT TO EXPECT: 
An unconventional variety show of cello-filled odes  
Amazing guest artists in this seasonal spectacle where the only constant is the cello – and a whole lot of fun  
Eclectic, upbeat, and offbeat evening full of familiar favorites and fresh takes 

COME WITH:
Your ugliest sweater, of course 
A desire to let your heart be light 
Off-the-wall holiday attire