Music hath charms to soothe the savage summer. Here are a couple of Oregon options:
The Oregon Bach Festival is a biggie, a gathering of some of the best and brightest talents in the world of classical music. June 29 through July 15 is the window of opportunity. Granted, there’s scant chance you’ll be able to stay for the whole thing, but try to make it a point be there for J.S Bach’s monumental Saint Matthew Passion.
Among the others who’ll aggregate in the Pacific Northwest: Helmuth Rilling, superstar violinist Joshua Bell, Angela Hewitt, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Pink Martini and The 5 Browns.
Bell performs Mendelssohn at 7:30 on June 29 at the Silva Concert Hall. Pink Martini performs at 8 p.m. July 1 at the Cutbert Amphitheater, and July 3 is the red-letter date for part one of what may be the festival’s most powerful performance, the Saint Matthew Passion. It’s at 4:30 p.m. on July 3, with part two to follow at the same time July 5. The venue is the Soreng Theater.
Oregon take sits rock as seriously as it does its Bach. Come of the Union Creek Music Festival and see for yourself. This year the festival is promoting the bill as ‘Legends of Rock, Gospel and Soul.’ Here’s why: Iron Butterfly and the Animals’ Martin Gerschwitz will be there; Beach Boys and The Byrds’ drummer Dennis Dragon too. Grammy nominated Pam Mark Hall will work her guitar magic, and legendary jazz pianist Patti Moran McCoy will play Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. That’s just a start.
Some Oregonians are insistent they don’t want their state to grow. Then they put on festivals that draw folks from all over. They see the place, love the laid-back sophistication of the land and its people and flat-out refuse want to leave. Come see why.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Brandon Giesbrecht)
