Thursdays @ Three

GRAMMY-nominated Ronn McFarlane first picked up the lute in 1978 and has not stopped playing since!  He strives to bring the lute – the most popular instrument of the Renaissance – into today’s musical mainstream and make it accessible to a wider audience.

Ken Peplowski, hailed as the greatest living jazz clarinetist, has recorded approximately 50 CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman. He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He come to T@T with a preview of an upcoming concert at Reed College, featuring selections by Aaron Copland, Eddie Sauter, and Stan Getz.

We are delighted to welcome both these performers to the Roger O. Doyle studio!

Diane Chaplin is a world-class cellist, nurturing music educator, and dedicated conductor. She appears often as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber music artist, and tours around the U.S. as a featured member of the Portland Cello Project. She has a large class of private cello students, teaches cello and chamber music and directs the chamber orchestra at Linfield College, and adjudicates for solo, ensemble and orchestra festivals throughout Oregon and Washington. Diane is the Program Coordinator for the Chamber Music Camp of Portland, where she also conducts the Advanced Chamber Orchestra. Most recently she has been spending summers concertizing in Italy.

Saxophonist Jeff Siegfried combines a “rich, vibrant tone” (South Florida Classical Review) with “beautiful and delicate playing” (Michael Tilson Thomas) to deliver “showstopper performances” (Peninsula Reviews). Hailed for his “quicksilver” interpretations (I Care if You Listen), Siegfried has become an important voice in his generation of concert saxophonists. We’ll hear a preview of his upcoming concert with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

We are delighted these performers can join us on T@T!

First up this week is Quartetto Gelato! Virtuosic showpieces, romantic arias, pyrotechnical solos, blazing gypsy show pieces, multi-instrument mastery and a World Accordion Champion – this is Quartetto Gelato, a popular and highly unusual classical quartet with an exotic blend of musical virtuosity, artistic passion and humor. They are in Portland for a show with Friends of Chamber Music, and we’ll get a sneak peek!

Big Mouth Society is a community-supported collective of musicians that brings unique and thought-provoking projects to a diverse audience in Portland. We’ll hear a preview of their upcoming show, Cold Songs/Warm Songs: A New Winter Tradition. Many fans of concert music rave about the Lessons and Carols tradition from the Anglican church, a beautiful ritual of candlelight, songs, readings, and communal singing. Big Mouth Society is offering a multilingual and cross-cultural version of this beautiful tradition.

We can’t wait to hear both groups on Thursdays @ Three!