"While OrpheusPDX has not incurred debt and is not facing an immediate financial crisis, the company is responding proactively to shifting funding realities by taking a deliberate, strategic pause."
Fast forward a few decades and John Wilson is still hand-picking musicians and still serving up performances so polished they leave critics scrabbling for superlatives. These days Wilson's main outfit is the Sinfonia of London, and he is as likely to be conducting the symphonic mainstream as showtunes.
More and more, I am realizing that we need art to survive. The phrase worked in two ways: We need art to survive for our personal enrichment and enjoyment. We need art to survive for its own longevity, so it can be around for us and those who come after us.
March 8 itself has been International Women's Day for just over a century, and although there are several versions of "why March 8?" the answers all lead back to early 20th-century socialists and communists. Soviet Russia in particular made a big thing of commemorating March 8 as the beginning of the first of the two revolutions that created their empire.
When wonderful scores of music have been rediscovered after being forgotten for 350 years, it's akin to finding doubloons that were lost at the bottom of the ocean in a shipwreck. Yet the result of musical rediscovery is much better than finding long-lost gold, because musical treasures can be shared with a world of listeners.
Formed at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the group blends technical precision with expressive range, moving comfortably between classical staples and contemporary compositions. Their programs often highlight contrast, pairing the clarity and balance of Haydn with modern textures that stretch tone and color.
Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted. MUSIC A.J. Croce Presents Croce Plays Croce Revolution Hall (Thurs Oct 1) Blackberry Smoke: Rattle, Ramble and Roll Tour 2026 Revolution Hall (Thurs June 11) Buck Meek with Kisser Mississippi Studios (Fri Dec 4) Brandi Carlile Hayden Homes Amphitheater (May 2021)
On January 17 Jennifer Wright gave a stellar performance of her compositions for her self-crafted instruments. This performance marked the conclusion of a month-long exhibition of her instruments and sound sculptures in the galleria of PLACE in Northwest Portland. This is the performance where she said she "finally had a chance to let all the parts of me out to play."
The Keller is profitable, popular, and central to downtown's recovery. It is time to stop the time-wasting charade and make a decision that reflects fiscal responsibility and the will of Portlanders.
The sad part of theater, says Illya deTorres of Chapel Theatre Company in Milwaukie, is that the experience evaporates. "It's like being in summer camp," he says. "It just goes by in a blur."
Angels exist, I swear! If you were at the sold out Austra show on Monday, you would have witnessed Portland-born, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Colin Self descending from the heavens to bless us mere mortals with their angelic vocals and cherub-like presence. If you're looking for something to believe in, believe in music-it's one of the very few things with ability to unite complete strangers in dialog, movement, and tears.
Portland officials released a Market Feasibility Study on Friday, Jan. 23, that declared the region cannot support two venues capable of hosting popular touring Broadway shows. That upends the proposal approved by the City Council in late 2024 calling for a new Broadway-capable performing arts center to be built at Portland State University before the Keller Auditorium is closed and remodeled to continue hosting such large show.
We've already bemoaned and lamented last year, so let's close the eyes on our rearward Janus face and look forward. Hey, Mr. Grumpy Gills, when life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming!
I'm a harmonica and accordion player and one half of folk-classical duo Stevens & Pound. As a multi-instrumentalist I am rooted in a folk tradition that is oral, aural and communal. Music and song are passed down by ear, either through recordings or more fun traditional music sessions. Here, players and singers get together to share, swap and play tunes, drawing from a repertoire that is always evolving.