Hales Center for the Performing Arts, SWOCC, Thurs. July 16 @ 7pm
Tickets $20

Dace Gregory, Cello
Rachel Palen, Piano

Dace and Rachel are preparing an original program entitled Musical Moments of Wonder for the audience to enjoy in this concert.

Dace Gregory, Cello

Dace Gregory has performed as a soloist in the USA, Japan and Europe. She was born in Riga, Latvia and educated at the Moscow Conservatory. Her parents sparked her love for deep emotions in music and love of nature. She moved to Langlois in 2022 where she lives on a beautiful ranch with her life partner, Bennett.  Dace performed solo in the 2024 OCMA Festival, and returned in 2025 as a soloist with the Orchestra performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor.  She performed her first duo with Rachel Palen, piano, at Coos Singers Holiday concert in December 2025.

Rachel Palen, Piano

Rachel Palen was raised in Coos County and spent her early years developing a deep connection to the natural world and enjoying music. Rachel received praise early on for her raw, emotional piano performances. She studied at Southern Oregon University and Stony Brook in New York and became sought after as a performer and accompanist. After a career altering accident, Rachel returned to the coast and worked as accompanist for Coos Bay schools. In 2017, she was diagnosed with leukemia and has worked to continue her music and accommodate daily chemo treatments. In 2025, she and Dace collaborated to provide an outstanding performance for the Coos Singers Holiday Concert. This collaboration brought great joy to the performers and the audience and serves as a testament to the healing power of music.

Swingin’ in the Rain Big Band

The locally based Swingin’ in the Rain Big Band is composed of musicians with a strong interest in swing music with a desire to pass it on to new generations. The sounds of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and others, plus favorites from the fifties and early sixties will provide a session of nostalgia and dance music that listeners will want to enjoy time and time again.