{"id":2225695,"date":"2026-01-07T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2225695"},"modified":"2026-01-07T14:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T14:00:10","slug":"how-portland-classical-music-concerts-are-showcasing-diverse-influences-this-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/how-portland-classical-music-concerts-are-showcasing-diverse-influences-this-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How Portland classical music concerts are showcasing diverse influences this winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

While diversity may be verboten in some current political circles, it\u2019s a definite boon in the arts, and especially in music, which has always advanced through the creative combination of diverse cultural influences. As Portland-born American composer Lou Harrison used to say, \u201cEnjoy hybrid music \u2014 because that\u2019s all there is!\u201d <\/p>\n

This winter\u2019s most creative and compelling classical concerts all benefit from their assiduous embrace of diverse influences, from Native American, Latino, Asian American and Black composers, among others. <\/p>\n

The season also provides several welcome showcases for music written by women, who after all make up more than half the planet\u2019s human population, yet \u2014 like the other previously marginalized groups here \u2014 were firmly excluded from classical music programs for centuries. How lucky we are to live in a time and place where we can easily experience a full range of human creativity on classical music stages.<\/p>\n

\n

Pyxis Quartet: The Portland School II<\/b><\/p>\n

So many terrific composers have moved here, or grown up here, or grown up here and moved back in recent years that Oregon ArtsWatch has posited the existence of a \u201cPortland School\u201d of composers, similar to others that arose at particularly fertile moments and places in music history. Fortunately, Portland composers defy easy stereotyping, as demonstrated in this 45th<\/sup> Parallel Universe concert of music by David Schiff (a tribute to Duke Ellington), and Mark Orton, plus a pair of world premieres by Oregon Symphony musician\/composers Nancy Ives and James Shields, and the progeny of two other local stalwarts, Alejandro Belgique, all performed by veteran Oregon Symphony musicians.<\/p>\n

7 p.m. Jan. 20, Polaris Hall, 625 N. Killingsworth Court. $26-$38. <\/a>www.45thparallelpdx.org<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

Orchestra Nova Northwest: \u00a1El Espectacular!<\/b><\/p>\n

\n
\"Poison
Poison Waters will be among the performers when Orchestra Nova Northwest plays at the Reser on Jan. 24.Allison Barr\/The Oregonian<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The former Columbia Symphony displays an array of musical styles, from Japanese taiko, Western classical and Pan American folk, and even brings in BodyVox dancers, Cognizant young artists, and drag performer Poison Waters. One highlight: the new flute concerto by Portland-based composer and Portland Youth Philharmonic conductor Giancarlo D\u2019Addona Castro, featuring illustrious flute soloist (and Orchestra Nova Northwest executive director) Adam Eccleston.<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. Jan. 24, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton; $19.50-$69.50. thereser.org. <\/p>\n

\n
\"Steven
Steven Banks joins pianist Xak Bjerken in a program of saxed-up music arrangements Jan. 29 at The Old Church.Chris Lee<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Steven Banks & Xak Bjerken: Beethoven, Barber & Blues<\/b><\/p>\n

When Chamber Music Northwest brought the innovative Kenari Saxophone Quartet to town a few years back, listeners marveled at the surprising variety and even delicacy of sounds the foursome could conjure from instruments generally associated with bluesy wailing. Now one of its award-winning members, Steven Banks, joins pianist Xak Bjerken in a program of saxed-up arrangements of music by the great 20th<\/sup> century neo-romantic American composer Samuel Barber, Beethoven, Saint-Sa\u00ebns, and contemporary American composer John Musto\u2019s powerful, plangent \u201cShadow of the Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. Jan. 29. The Old Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave. $10-$62. cmnw.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ruckus and Dav\u00f3ne Tines: What is Your Hand in This?<\/b><\/p>\n

Two artists renowned for creatively reimagining old ways converge in this unique concert that pairs one of today\u2019s most charismatic and restlessly imaginative bass-baritones, and an early music ensemble that infuses energetic, historically informed performance practices into American roots music. In this Friends of Chamber Music presentation, their fascinating Americana program ranges across the centuries, from colonial hymns, spirituals and 19th<\/sup> century ballads to a Handel tune to contemporary classical and pop songs, all connected (appropriately in this anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence) by the theme of American revolution. <\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. Feb. 5, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton; $36.50-$67.50, thereser.org.\t<\/p>\n

Oregon Symphony: Pictures at an Exhibition<\/b><\/p>\n

Modest Mussorgsky\u2019s justly famous \u201cmusical gallery crawl\u201d may serve as the concert title, but the most thrilling music on the program is acclaimed British American composer Anna Clyne\u2019s recent \u201cColor Field,\u201d named for that genre of artists that includes one-time Portlander Mark Rothko, whose masterpiece \u201cOrange, Red, Yellow\u201d inspired Clyne\u2019s piece. (Maybe check out the Rothkos at the Portland Art Museum before the show.) Bonus: Esteemed violinist Gil Shaham stars in another staple, Bruch\u2019s romantic first violin concerto.<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 and 2 p.m. Feb. 8, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway; $35-$102. orsymphony.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fear No Music: Looking Inward, Spacing Out<\/b><\/p>\n

The veteran new music ensemble enlists Reed College conductor Shohei Kobayashi and the school\u2019s Musicum Collegium in sounds that use the venue\u2019s space to blur the boundaries between audiences and performers and achieve, well, spacey sonic effects. The program includes Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer Henry Brant\u2019s \u201cMass in Gregorian Chant\u201d for 20 flutists, and works by another American musical pioneer, Pauline Oliveros, Portland\u2019s own Nancy Ives, Jukka Tiensuu, and Kurt Nystedt.<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. Feb. 20, Reed College Performing Arts Building Atrium, 3017 S.E. Woodstock Blvd. Suggested donation $25. fearnomusic.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Nancy
Work by Portland\u2019s own Nancy Ives will be among Fear No Music performs Feb. at Reed College.Courtesy of Fear No Music<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

mousai REMIX: Trailblazing Women<\/b><\/p>\n

45th<\/sup> Parallel Universe\u2019s all-female string quartet composed of Oregon Symphony musicians plays 21st<\/sup> century American music by Lisa Bielawa (drawn from her score for a production of Euripides\u2019 \u201cThe Trojan Women\u201d) and cellist\/composer Tomeka Reid, whose jazz-tinged \u201cProspective Dwellers\u201d was inspired by interviews with Chicagoans who saw their South Side Black neighborhood losing its sense of community. The show also includes music written by 19th<\/sup> century German composer Fanny Mendelssohn and 20th<\/sup> century Polish composer Gra\u017cyna Bacewicz. <\/p>\n

7 p.m. March 2, Show Bar, 1300 S.E. Stark St. $20-$30. 45thparallelpdx.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Portland Chamber Orchestra: Lion & Lotus<\/b><\/p>\n

\n
\"a
White Lotus lion dancers will be among those performing with the Portland Chamber Orchestra in March.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

This Lunar New Year concert features music by American composers influenced by their Asian heritages. Prize-winning Portland-born composer Oswald Hu\u1ef3nh\u2019s \u201cBeauty Despite Daylight\u201d draws on Vietnamese elements, while eminent Chinese American composer Bright Sheng\u2019s \u201cPostcards\u201d <\/i>incorporates folk music styles from four regions in China. The concert also includes traditional tunes, classical works by Frederick Delius and Franz von Supp\u00e9, and stage antics by White Lotus Foundation Lion Dancers, Oregon\u2019s largest lion dance team.<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. March 3, Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 S.W. Crescent St., Beaverton; $19.50-$64.50, thereser.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Portland Opera: \u201cFellow Travelers\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

Based on Thomas Mallon\u2019s best-selling novel, this lauded 2016 opera by composer Gregory Spears, librettist Greg Pierce and director Kevin Newbury chronicles a couple\u2019s turbulent lives during the McCarthy-era Lavender Scare, when government agents investigated, interrogated and purged queer Americans from federal jobs, devastating thousands of careers and lives. <\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. March 7, 11 and 13, and 2 p.m. March 15, Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway. $31-$106. portlandopera.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resonance Ensemble: North American Indigenous Songbook<\/b><\/p>\n

Until recently, U.S. classical music institutions generally treated Native American music with the same respect colonizers accorded Indigenous Americans \u2014 almost none. Conductor\/pianist Timothy Long, who grew up in an Oklahoma Choctaw family, recently began redressing that injustice by commissioning new vocal music by Indigenous composers across the continent. In this West Coast premiere, Portland\u2019s Resonance vocal ensemble will sing some of those new works, grounded in tradition while gazing forward. Local composer Danielle Jagelski (Oneida Nation and Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe), will also conduct several of her choral works that \u201cspeak to resilience, identity, and ancestral memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

2 p.m. March 8, Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 N.E. Alberta St. $19.75-$47.75. resonancechoral.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cascadia Composers: Concert Mosaic <\/b><\/p>\n

For International Women\u2019s Day 2026, a trio of female musicians will perform new music by Northwest women composers Dianne Davies, Judy Fischbach, Theresa Koon, Lisa Marsh, Bonnie Miksch, Jan Mittelstaedt, Christina Rusnak, Lisa Neher and Linda Woody, each accompanied by original visual art created in collaboration with a local artist.<\/p>\n

7 p.m. March 8. The Old Church, 1422 S.W. 11th Ave. $9-$27. cascadiacomposers.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Third Angle New Music: \u201cDies Irae, Desir\u00e9e\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

In this new satirical multimedia chamber opera by composer Maria Finkelmeier and Portland-based librettist Brady Evan Walker, a cult leader leads her followers through multiple twists and turns as they seek enlightenment \u2014 with extraterrestrial assistance.<\/p>\n

7:30 p.m. March 13-14 and 2 p.m. March 14-15, The Vault Theater, 350 E. Main St, Hillsboro. $30-$40. thirdangle.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Portland Baroque Orchestra: Hidden Women of Rome: Lost Music of Sacred Divas<\/b><\/p>\n

Feminism didn\u2019t start in the 20th<\/sup> century. When the colorful 17th<\/sup> century Swedish queen Christina abdicated her throne, converted to Catholicism and moved to Rome, she continued being a strong and effective advocate for the arts, including sacred music written for singing nuns. Portland Baroque Voices sings some of those stirring sounds, written by Italian composer Alessandro Melani, and Portland Baroque Orchestra will also play chamber music by two of the greatest Italian early Baroque composers of her era, Arcangelo Corelli and Alessandro Scarlatti, and more.<\/p>\n

7 p.m. March 14, First Congregational Church, 1126 S.W. Park Ave., and 3 p.m. March 15, Kaul Auditorium, Reed College, 3017 S.E. Woodstock Blvd. $28-$79. pbo.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.oregonlive.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While diversity may be verboten in some current political circles, it\u2019s a definite boon in the arts, and especially in music, which has always advanced through the creative combination of diverse cultural influences. As Portland-born American composer Lou Harrison used to say, \u201cEnjoy hybrid music \u2014 because that\u2019s all there is!\u201d This winter\u2019s most creative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[377250,430594,430595,430596],"class_list":["post-2225695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music","tag-saxophone","tag-steinway-hall","tag-steven-banks","tag-young-concert-artists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2225695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2225696,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2225695\/revisions\/2225696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2225695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2225695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2225695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}