As the curtains rise again in Portland, the city’s stages and venues host an unprecedented lineup of world-renowned performers. From classical virtuosos to groundbreaking dancers and legendary musicians, the cultural landscape of the Rose City is experiencing a renaissance of global talent. Here’s a quick rundown of shows you should not miss.
For a city to attract the world’s best performers, it needs just the right attributes—incredible venues, delicious restaurants, inspiring museums, fabulous shops, and rejuvenating nature. But there is also something else, something that takes time, commitment, and community.
“What truly sets Portland apart,” says Friends of Chamber Music Executive Director Pat Zagelow, “is its engaging and enthusiastic audience.” This season, Portland audiences are in for a treat as performers of the highest caliber flock to the Rose City. Here is a quick rundown of just a few you should be sure not to miss.
Classical Virtuosos
Soprano Erin Morley attended Eastman School of Music with the dream of becoming a concert pianist until injury led her to concentrate on her incredible voice. Now, she is a mainstay of productions at the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House, and the Metropolitan Opera House. She has performed more than 100 times at The Met alone, most recently as Sophie in the Grammy-nominated Der Rosenkavalier, the title role in the Grammy-nominated Eurydice, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. For one night only this November, Morley’s “silken clarity” and “needlepoint precision of her coloratura” (The New York Times) will sparkle at Portland State University’s Lincoln Performance Hall.
In addition to local favorite Garrick Ohlsson and beloved American artist Awadagin Pratt, nine world-class pianists are set to tinkle the ivories at venues across the city. These include Ukrainian pianist Tetiana Shafran (winner of more than 20 international piano competitions), 2006 Gramophone Artist of the Year Angela Hewitt, 2010 winner of Juilliard’s Arthur Rubinstein Prize Joyce Yang, and Duo Amal—Israeli pianist Yaron Kohlberg and Pakistani pianist Bishara Haroni.
A truly unmissable event is Grammy Award-winning pianist Yefim Bronfman performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Oregon Symphony. Bronfman is a celebrated performer in the classical music world, having received the Jean Gimbel Lane and Avery Fisher prizes. He also appeared in Disney’s Fantasia 2000 and was mentioned in a Philip Roth novel. Bronfman brings more than 30 years of experience engaging with Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto, and it shows; his fingers dance over the keys from the opening cadenzas to the lyrical second movement and triumphant conclusion.
While brilliant artists performing works by the brilliant composers of the past is a magical experience, indescribable alchemy occurs when an artist performs a piece composed specifically for them. When it is the world’s greatest pipa player and a composer dubbed “China’s answer to John Williams,” it will surely be an experience you will not soon forget. Wu Man—whose hands deftly strum the four strings of her pear-shaped Chinese lute—is an accomplished soloist and ensemble performer, including with the Kronos Quartet and the Silk Road Ensemble. She was the first instrumentalist of a non-Western instrument to win Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year, and she recently received the 2023 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts. In honor of the Lunar New Year, she performs Zhao Jiping’s Pipa Concerto No. 2. Well-known throughout China for his compositions for the silver screen, he melds local folksongs with lush orchestrations, creating breathtaking melodies reminiscent of Aaron Copeland.
Instrumental Maestros
Incredible string soloists and ensembles are set to grace Portland’s stages this season, including violinists Itzhak Perlman (a rescheduled recital from last season) and 2010 Indianapolis International Violin Competition winner Clara-Jumi Kang, as well returning chamber groups the Takács Quartet, the Dover Quartet, and the Jerusalem Quartet. The Dover and Jerusalem Quartets credit their time in Portland as a notable moment in their artistic journey. “As an Ashland native, performing in my home state is always a meaningful experience—but particularly so in the case of Chamber Music Northwest,” says Dover Quartet cellist Camden Shaw. Buzzing from the support at CMNW’s 2013 Summer Festival, the group won every gold medal at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. They have performed all over the world since then. For their November concert, the quartet will explore the connections between Dvořák and First Nations music. “It will be a particular joy to bring something both familiar and new to an audience we love dearly,” says Shaw.
In 2013, The Oregonian dubbed the Jerusalem Quartet’s Shostakovich Quartet cycle “easily among the most memorable musical performances in Portland in recent memory.” Friends of Chamber Music “put together a stunning week of not only concerts, but lectures, masterclasses, and social events,” according to violist Ori Kam of the Jerusalem Quartet, which also includes cellist Kyril Zlotnikov and violinists Alexander Pavlovsky and Sergei Bresler. “We rarely have an opportunity to engage with our audiences in such a broad way, and it remains one of the most cherished experiences of our 30-year concert career…Since 2013, we have made Portland a regular stop in our North American tours, and it has become one of our favorite places to visit. We cannot wait to bring the Shostakovich cycle back to Portland in March 2025 and spend a week in your marvelous (and delicious) city.”
Musical Legends
Outside the classical concert halls, Portland’s diverse music scene remains as vibrant as ever. Several big names are coming to the city’s largest venues—Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Green Day, Weezer, Aerosmith (a farewell tour), and Bonnie Raitt, as well as Billie Eilish, fresh off her second Oscar win for Best Original Song for What Was I Made For?. There are also incredible international artists performing in much more intimate settings, such as Revolution Hall and the Wonder Ballroom. These include rock bands from France (La Femme and Slift), Russia (Mumiy Troll), and India (Peter Cat Recording Co.); folk groups from Canada (Ocie Elliott) and Ukraine (DakhaBrakha); and multitalented artists from Britain (Kate Nash and Nilüfer Yanya), Canada (Allison Russell), Pakistan (Arooj Aftab), and Côte d’Ivoire (Dobet Gnahoré).
Russell, Aftab, and Gnahoré are all Grammy Award winners—Russell in 2024 for Best American Roots Performance for Eve Was Black, Aftab in 2022 for Best Global Music Performance for Mohabbat, and Gnahoré in 2010 for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Each is a magnetic performer. Russell’s Americana folk sound and poetic lyrics embrace the diversity of what music can be and the live performance’s ability to bring people together. Aftab draws you in with her clear voice, no matter the subject matter or style of music. A self-taught singer, dancer, and musician, Gnahoré’s energy flows from the stage as she fuses modern Afropop, traditional rhythms, politically conscious lyrics, and energetic dancing and drumming.
And, of course, get your tickets now for Portland’s hometown superstar, five-time Grammy Award-winner esperanza spalding, this season’s Patricia Valian Reser Artist-in-Residence. Widely considered one of the greatest jazz musicians of her generation, the bassist, songwriter, and composer will collaborate with the local community throughout the season to compose new music that she will preview alongside performances with the Off-Brand gOdds Dance Company.
Dance Phenomenons
“Portlanders have such a huge appetite for art that broadens their perspectives on what dance can be,” says White Bird Executive Director Graham Cole. “Our audiences are so ebullient, so welcoming of new artists and new visions, that by far the most common question I get asked by artists who premiere here is ‘When can I come back?’”
Two companies with innovative and distinct artistic visions are making their White Bird premiere this season. Led by Victor Quijada, who grew up dancing on the streets of Los Angeles before being spotted by ballet choreographer Twyla Tharp, Canada’s RUBBERBAND specializes in “classical break,” a unique combination of classical dance, hip-hop, and modern street dance. “I take these aesthetics, and I strip them of their disparities, and I observe what’s left,” said Quijada in an ideacity conference presentation.
A different but equally unique aesthetic defines New Zealand’s Okareka Dance Company, which weaves together contemporary dance, modern technology, ancient Māori storytelling, and indigenous practices to tell universal stories. Created in 2014, Mana Wahine (Powerful Woman) is a feast for the senses as five dancers explore the journey and strength of the multifaceted woman supported by an incredible soundscape and projections.
Taiwanese dancer and choreographer Huang Yi also uses technology to explore facets of contemporary life. Named one of the “25 to Watch” in 2010 by Dance Magazine, she has toured worldwide with Huang Yi & KUKA, in which a dancer shares the stage with a robot. At least 10 hours of programming go into each minute of choreography, and the partnership created between humans and robots is mesmerizing.
World-class dance companies and creators are not just inspired to perform in Portland; they cannot wait to collaborate with the artists who call the city home year-round. Up first, Royal New Zealand Ballet Choreographer-in-Residence Loughlan Prior sets his critically acclaimed 1920s vaudeville-inspired Hansel and Gretel on the incredible dancers at Oregon Ballet Theatre. “There are so many fun and challenging characters for the dancers to sink their teeth into…in this quirky, playful, sugar-coated black comedy of a ballet,” says Prior. “Bringing Hansel and Gretel to Portland is an absolute delight. It was ‘love at first sight’ after visiting the city for the first time last year—the bustling social scene, café culture, and the impressive hub of art, music, and sport reminds me a lot of home in Wellington, New Zealand.”
Then, two European choreographers premiere new works at the Newmark and the Keller in spring. At the end of May, Spanish choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano returns to NW Dance Project to create a modern spin on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sansano has choreographed worldwide, including at Nederlands Dans Theater, Compañía Nacional de Danza, and Ballet Hispánico. In June, French choreographer Nicolas Blanc debuts a new ballet as part of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s The OBT Collection. Currently a rehearsal director with the Joffrey Ballet, Blanc has crisscrossed the nation choreographing for the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the Barak Ballet.
Join the Movement
The opportunity to see these world-class performers so close to home speaks to Portland’s growing reputation as an arts destination. “It’s true that for many years, a lot of tours didn’t go north of San Francisco or would hit Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle but skip Portland,” says PDX Jazz Artistic Director Nicholas Salas-Harris. “These days, it is much more uncommon…What keeps tours coming back to Portland is the other, non-monetary exchange that occurs only with the shared live music experience” or dance performance. “And that is the energy—undiluted, communally expressed—that is unique to our part of the world. It is the same reason a major arena tour and the up-and-coming punk outfit setting out in a van on their first time on the road must both hit Portland. It is the legitimacy that undeniably comes with a successful show in a city known for its high standards, critically minded fans, and an infectious and incomparable energy.” Do not miss your chance to be part of this bright future for the arts in Portland.
