The Arts Blog

Dialogo: Debut by cellist John-Henry Crawford

June 25, 2021

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, cellist John-Henry Crawford has already made strides in the field of classical music, in one case as First Prize winner of the 2019 International Carlos Prieto Competition; and more recently with this debut release, Dialogo. Crawford chose the title after the unaccompanied cello work by Hungarian composer, György Ligeti. In it, …

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Music Exploring Queer Experiences

June 23, 2021

This Pride Month, we would like to share with you a short playlist of 20th and 21st century music exploring queer experiences. In this list, you’ll find songs, operas, and a symphony: some by LGBTQI+ composers, some exploring LGBTQI+ characters. You can also listen to a similar selection of music in this article’s companion playlist …

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Juneteenth

Juneteenth at All Classical Portand

June 18, 2021

Saturday, June 19th was the 156th anniversary of the day news of emancipation finally reached the westernmost area of the former Confederate states in Galveston Bay, Texas. On All Classical Portland, we’re honoring this Juneteenth with music by African-American composers, and other composers of African heritage. Here are a few of the works you can look forward to hearing this Juneteenth.  Dream Variation By Margaret Bonds American …

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woman playing cello inside a large sculpture

Nancy Ives x AUXART

June 16, 2021

In a continued effort to support collaborative relationships between artists in the local community, on Saturday, June 12th, All Classical Portland facilitated an artistic collaboration between visual artist Philip Krohn and cellist Nancy Ives. The AUXART sculpture and sound work grew from Philip Krohn’s 9 week residency in Portland’s new creative space Building 5. AUXART …

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man playing the guitar with a forest in the background

Balkan Guitarist Miloš Debuts New Guitar Concertos

June 8, 2021

Montenegro-born, and London-based classical guitarist Miloš, celebrates his 10th anniversary with the recording label Decca by releasing The Moon and the Forest, which includes two concertos written for him. Miloš (whose full name is Miloš Karadaglić), asked two composers as famous for their film music as for their concert works: Joby Talbot (who has residences …

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Lili'uokalani

The Songs of Lili‘uokalani, Queen of Hawai‘i

May 26, 2021

Lili‘uokalani (1838-1917) was the Queen Regnant of Hawai‘i from 1891-1893, and was the nation’s last monarch. During her reign, she resisted the annexation of Hawai‘i by the United States, and after the coup that deposed her, she remained dedicated to the interests of the Hawaiian people.   A trained singer, choir director and organist, Lili‘uokalani composed more than 150 mele, Hawaiian songs and chants. Her legacy of music remains greatly loved: she is one of the most-performed composers among Hawaiian …

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painting of people on the subway

Simone Dinnerstein’s “An American Mosaic”

May 17, 2021

John’s latest conversation with American pianist Simone Dinnerstein on her second recording made at home during the pandemic: An American Mosaic. The title is for the multi-movement piece written for her by Richard Danielpour who, finding himself isolated during lockdown, found solace in Ms. Dinnerstein’s recordings. Each movement is a portrait of groups of people …

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A Playlist of Music by Jewish-American Women

May 12, 2021

Composers, teachers, performers, conductors, singers, and cantors: the outstanding contributions of Jewish women to American music are ubiquitous. May is Jewish-American Heritage Month, and as part of our celebration at All Classical Portland, we hope you enjoy this playlist of music by remarkable Jewish-American women.  Check out our Spotify Playlist, which features these composers in a slightly different lineup of …

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woman in grey dress sitting for a portrait

An Emily Dickinson Playlist

April 26, 2021

Music is a natural complement to the poetry of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Her lyrical voice is often cast in the singable meters of American hymnody: for example, just try singing this Dickinson text to the tune of “Amazing Grace:” The Bee is not afraid of me.I know the Butterfly.The pretty people in the WoodsReceive me …

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tiny grey bird with black head

Songbirds of Oregon

April 21, 2021

From the Gorge to Mt. Hood, the Alvord Desert to Crater Lake, Oregon provides unique geological and ecological sites with incredible diversity in flora and fauna.  Even with nature all around us, we can sometimes forget to appreciate it in urban spaces or in our own backyards. For Earth Day, we’d like to show appreciation …

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