November 12, 2026: Host Christa Wessel welcomes Portland Youth Philharmonic with guitar soloist Gwenyth Aggeler; and pianist Nikita Istratov with Orchestra Nova Northwest to the Irving Levin Performance Hall.
PYP previews their 103rd concert season with guitarist Gwenyth Aggeler performing music by Bach, Leo Brouwer, and and more. Then, ONN and pianist Nikita Istratov share works by Nikolai Medtner, Rachmaninoff, and others.
Tune in Thursday at 3:00 PM PT at 89.9 FM in Portland, OR or from anywhere in the world on our website.
ABOUT
Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony. Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra’s origin dates back to 1910, when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns, Oregon.
Learn more at portlandyouthphil.org.
Gwenyth Aggeler is a classical guitarist whose performances have been described by the Cultural Voice of North Carolina as “full of energy” and “striking.” She has received several accolades including first prize in the Alhambra Junior International Guitar Competition, the Peter Segal First Prize in the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Competition, first prize in the Chicago Guitar Competition, first prize in the GuitarFest West Guitar Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Classical Guitar Award, and first prize in the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix Guitar Competition.
Keep reading at guitargwen.com.
Since its founding as Palatine Hills Symphony in 1982, Orchestra Nova Northwest has become a staple of Multnomah County’s arts scene, bringing over sixty paid core musicians together each year in concerts designed to welcome audiences throughout Multnomah and Washington Counties in Northwest Oregon.
Playing a critical role in the artistic landscape of the Portland Metro area, ONN provides affordable and comfortable concert environments for audiences of all kinds, while also providing competitive, creative jobs and opportunities for the area’s leading freelance professionals, music educators, and newly established conservatory-trained musicians.
Discover more at novanw.org.
With a rare combination of technical command, intellectual depth, cultural heritage, and visionary ambition, twenty-year-old American pianist Nikita Istratov represents a new generation of artists who are globally aware, historically grounded, and striving to both contribute to the art form and expand its reach. Already a First Prize winner of Pittsburgh International Performance Competition and recipient of the 2025 MMC Colliver Award for Best Piano Performance with a perfect score of 50 out of 50 points, he has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall multiple times as well as at Steinway Hall in NYC, appeared as soloist in multiple of the most significant romantic piano concerti in the repertoire, presented performances at numerous international festivals, and premiered new works written specifically for him. His artistic profile reflects not only competition distinction, but intellectual curiosity, research depth, and a striking breadth of cultural perspective.
Continue reading at nikita-istratov.com.
