SINGING, DANCING & LISTENING

Wait until you see what's happening in Portland the next few months in opera, ballet, classical music and big band music with vocals.

First up....opera. "Carmen," Bizet's masterpiece, is performed by the Portland Opera Company on September 25, 27 and 29.

Next up is the Oregon Symphony's performance of "Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2" on September 29 and 30 and October 1.

Then it's the Oregon Ballet performing "The Germanic Lands," featuring Christopher Stowell's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," Franz Schubert's "The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude" and "Almost Mozart" from October 13-20.

If you enjoy big band music, you'll thrill to Norman Leyden's "Big Band Birthday," with instrumentals and vocals on October 17. This performance is in honor of his 90th birthday.

Again, it's opera....this time with Rossini's "Cinderella," on November 2, 4, 8 and 10.

The greatest Christmas ballet, George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker," will be performed by the Oregon Ballet from December 8-24.

All of these are in various venues (Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Newmark & Dolores Winningstad Theatres and Brunish Hall) in downtown Portland, just minutes away from The Fulton House. You can drive or take public transportation -- hop on a bus 1/2 block from us -- to any of these performances.

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

And check out the location, comforts, amenities and prices of The Fulton House at www.thefultonhouse.com