With the help of our Fall Arts Guide, we've already filled our calendars for the next few months with performances and exhibitions that we just can't miss. But, as is always the case, the hits just keep on coming. Our inboxes are continually getting stuffed with announcements for new events happening in the coming months, particularly in the worlds of jazz, classical, and opera. So many that we're getting dizzy just thinking about how we're going to decide what to catch and what we might have to miss. And as much as we'd hate to add to your own agony at making a tough game-day decision, we wanted to share with you a round up of some of the more exciting news that has come across our desks in recent weeks. Dig in and choose wisely.
Oregon Symphony Premieres Oscar Bettison's Remaking a Forest
Oregon Symphony is coming out swinging with the opening concert of their 2019-20 season. The renowned orchestra is set to present performances of Brahms' gently stirring and pastoral Symphony No. 2 and, with the help of musician Garrick Ohlsson, the fluttering beauty of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25. But kicking off the run of concerts will be the premiere of a new work from composer Oscar Bettison. Entitled Remaking a Forest, the 13-minute piece was inspired, in part, by the fire that ripped through portions of Notre Dame this past April, an event about which the composer says, “Remaking an already heavily renovated structure to return it to its original state, rebuilding a forest built by human hands, feel like fitting metaphors for this piece.”
(Sat Sept 28 & Mon Sept 30, 7:30 pm; Sun Sept 29, 2 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, $24-125)
Under the guiding vision of Artistic Director Mike Gamble, the Creative Music Guild has gone through an exciting period of growth in recent years, with some key partnerships with local arts institutions, and bigger and bolder events. There's no better example of that than with the announcement of their Improvisation Summit of Portland. In the past, this celebration of free-flying sound has been relegated to a long weekend at a single venue. But this time around, the ISP will be stretched out over six nights with performances happening all over the city. Their biggest get for this year's event is multi-instrumentalist/producer/composer Shahzad Ismaily, best known for his work in Marc Ribot's agit-punk trio Ceramic Dog and for performing with everyone from John Zorn to Jolie Holland. He will be on hand to perform at three of the scheduled events alongside a wealth of local talent and some other special guests from afar. Check out the full schedule here.
(Tues Oct 15-Sun Oct 20, visit creativemusicguild.org for tickets, showtimes, and locations)
Portland Percussion Group: Fixtures
The Portland Percussion Group, a local chamber ensemble that has been on the scene since 2011, is set to kick off their own new season next month by presenting three new works that were the winning entries in the group's 2019 Call for Scores as well as Threads, a cantata written by composer Paul Lansky. The winning score, Douglas Hertz's Fixtures in the Fold, was apparently inspired by musician/poet Patti Smith and deals with "the ever-changing relationship between the objects, memory, and identity, as we grow older," according to the composer. Also on the program are the second and third place works: Ben Justis' Nucleation and Daniel Webbon's Whatever was lost never thenceforth mattered.
(Mon Oct 21, PSU's Lincoln Recital Hall, 1620 SW Park, $5-15)
Portland Opera to Go presents La Bohème
Portland Opera is continuing their efforts to introduce young audiences and newbies to the centuries-old delights of this dramatic art this fall and winter with intimate performances of a truncated version of Puccini's beloved La Bohème. The Italian opera's four acts have been reduced to an hour-long production that features, according to their recent press release, "modular scenery and age-appropriate staging," aimed at 12- to 18-year-olds. In keeping with the stripped-down aesthetic, the cast is made up of only six singers, accompanied on piano by Emily Baltzer. This particular opera is a great choice, due to its unabashed romanticism, sparks of humor, and engaging drama. It will be a blast to see how they squeeze it all into such a small running time. The performances will mostly take place at schools throughout the Portland metro area, but there are a handful of public performances on the docket. Click here to find out more.
Maria Schneider Orchestra
Something to look forward to for next year is the return of the modern jazz group, the Maria Schneider Orchestra. This amazing ensemble was here in 2017 to kick off the PDX Jazz Festival, and their performance, featuring stellar work from saxophonist Donny McCaslin and trombonist Ryan Keberle, felt thick with energy and possibility. The group returns this coming April for a date at Revolution Hall that is timed to coincide with the release of their new album Data Lords, a commission by the Library of Congress that explores, as Schneider puts it, "the Faustian bargain of bartering our personal privacy and individuality" for digital convenience.
(Sat April 25, Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, $45-70)
