Allow me to geek out on classical music here for just a moment.

**FREAKOUTCLASSICALBAROQUEMUSICGEEKOUTOMFG!!!**

Phew. OK... so the cause of this meltdown is something pretty exceptional, actually: the Oregon Bach Festival is hiking up to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (and First United Methodist Church) this weekend for two unmissable Baroque music performances: Haydn's roaring oratorio, The Creation, with a dreamy cast of vocal soloists led by silver-maned maestro Helmuth Rilling (June 27 @ the Schnitz); and Portland's own hometeam Portland Baroque Orchestra, led by the blazing violinist Monica Huggett, thundering through all six of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (June 29 @ First United Methodist).

I don't care if you don't know a crumhorn from a cream horn: if you're at all interested in catching some of classical music's most important modern interpreters of old music, you'll be there this weekend. Tix ($16.75 to $61.50) available online here (for The Creation) and here (for the PBO/Bach).

OK... freakoutgeekout over.

Photo: Monica Huggett, who - with the Portland Baroque Orchestra - performs all six Brandenburg Concertos in Portland and Eugene. (Credit: Basil Childers)