Category Archives: Spotlight
‘An African American Requiem’ Broadcast On-Demand
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, All Classical Portland presented a live, bi-coastal broadcast of the world premiere of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem in collaboration with WQXR in New York. The live broadcast will be available for on-demand listening in All Classical Portland’s Audio Archive through May 21, 2022. This broadcast is generously sponsored …
All Classical Portland’s 2022 Artist in Residence!
All Classical Portland is pleased to announce the station’s 2022 Artist in Residence: pianist María García! A celebrated performer and music educator, García is an enthusiastic proponent of classical works by women and composers of color. Together with All Classical Portland, she will use this opportunity to educate and inspire listeners to explore beyond the …
The History and Humor of the Kazoo
This month, we celebrate an important milestone for humankind: almost 170 years of kazooing! January 28th is National Kazoo Day, and you know what that means — it’s time for us to dive into the history, humor, “how,” and “why” of one of the world’s funniest musical inventions. Let’s get to it!
Last-Minute Masterpieces of Procrastinating Composers
Are you reading this article in order to avoid whatever you were supposed to be doing? If so, then great news: you’re not alone in your procrastination! In fact, your dilly-dallying habits are shared with several brilliant artists of classical music. Here, we’ll explore a few wonderful pieces, the genius composers behind the scenes, and …
Ghouls, Ghosts, and Edvard Grieg: The Spookiest Classical Pieces
With Halloween right around the corner, this week is the perfect time to explore haunted houses, carve pumpkins, stock up on candy for trick-or-treaters, and of course, tune into All Classical Portland at 89.9 FM! There’s no better way to enjoy autumn than by listening to a playlist of spooky classical music. Below, we’ll share …
Historic Buildings and Historic Performances
If we think of music as a mirror of culture, then all music has something to tell us about ourselves and our history. Likewise, the places associated with this music—cities, landmarks, buildings—can teach us about our society and our past, and the powerful and lasting connections between art, architecture, and music. Countless historic buildings have played a part in the story of music and place: …
A Mighty Chinful: Great Moments in Composer Facial Hair
In celebration of World Beard Day (observed every year on the first Saturday of September), Warren Black, your morning host at All Classical, felt it was time for a retrospective on some great moments in composers’ facial hair. That’s why he teamed up with Emma Riggle, All Classical’s Music Researcher, to assemble this chronological gallery of fine classical beards, bristles, ‘staches, mutton (and/or lamb) chops and more. Here is their hail …
Heroines of Opera
Since the early days of opera, women composers have given us works with fascinating characters and unique perspectives. From Francesca Caccini’s 1625 opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero, to the latest installments of Shirley J. Thompson’s Heroines of Opera series, this list will explore just a few operas by women from throughout history. In these works, …
Nineteen Black Composers You Should Know
In this article, we highlight nineteen powerful voices in our musical community. Their voices and stories are essential parts of the tapestry of our musical lives. We invite you to carry their music and stories with you, today and every day. Photo courtesy of Chari Glogovac-Smith’s website
Values and Commitment Statement
June 2020 It is moments like these that compel us to consider all of the ways we are using our public media platform to serve our diverse communities, and to be clear about All Classical Portland’s values: to listen deeply and amplify all voices; to embrace equity; to build trust, and to be accountable in our mission to provide access to the arts for all. …
