In March, Sounds.Like.Portland is peeling a cap back on “serious music” when Classical Revolution PDX takes over for three weeks . CRPDX’s String Quartet features the subversive string talents of Lucia Conrad, violin; Lauren Elledge, violin; Heather Mattie Kaiser, viola; Erin Winemiller, cello.

Classical Revolution PDX were tired (aren’t we all?) of the perception that classical music is the provenance of the high, mighty, fusty and dusty. CRPDX have lent their talents to locals like Rachel Taylor Brown, Sophie Lux, Loch Lomond and Matt Sheehy, and see no contradiction in playing everything from Bach, Bartok and Beethoven to Philip Glass and Queen. If you’re lucky you might even stumble off of Sandy Blvd. and hear them at the Hollywood Theater playing soundtracks to classic films or camp-classics like Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Classical Revolution PDX like any band of world-changing agitators has a Manifesto and they’re not afraid to whip it out:

WE LOVE CLASSICAL MUSIC—the manifesto

We love classical music. 

We love playing classical music. 

We love listening to classical music. 

We are tired of the elitist and inaccessible nature of the classical world. 

We believe that there are many that would enjoy classical music if they could access it in a setting that is comfortable for them. 

We believe classical musicians should be allowed to perform in a setting that is more casual – where the audience is allowed to have a drink, eat a scone, laugh a little, and clap a lot. 

We believe everyone can enjoy the music that we love.

Join us Saturdays March 6, 20, 27 from 5-7 pm in the Lobby for a return to the basics—rich, sonorous music…the peoples’ music, back where it belongs —free for the taking!

“Have you ever noticed that whenever you hear live classical music, you’re wearing uncomfortable clothes, you’re in a concert hall or a church, and it costs money? Classical Revolution PDX noticed that too, and they’re doing something about it.”
— John Minervini, Willamette Week

Cosponsored by Music Millennium

PCS’s Community Programs made possible in part by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation.

According to our friends at CNRG, the nonprofit clearinghouse for news and information in Portland, this Saturday, February 13 is “Spread the Love PDX” day.

Why limit Valentines Day to one person and one day? Why not spread that love
(beyond a Hallmark card) and share it with all your friends, your community, or
with a random stranger on the street…who think[s] Valentine’s could be better done if
done “Portland” style: random, hopeful and thoughtful.

What we’re doing: Giving you the excuse to do the random acts of kindess you
always wanted to do.

That’s why as a random act of love and hope, we’re offering  our gift of Sounds.Like.Portland to you.

Sounds. Like. Portland:
Jim Brunberg with special guest Jonathan Newsome

Jim Brunberg (a Portland-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who hails from Coralville, Iowa) honed his rich talent in the coffee houses and taverns of San Francisco. Jim loves “heckling from the crowd, broken strings, and dressing rooms without ventilation.”  PCS regulars will recognize him as the guy with the bass  who sang with Storm Large during last summer’s hit, Crazy Enough.   A vital member of the Portland music community, Brunberg istechnical director for LiveWire Radio and the man behind Mississippi Studios .   A master craftsman of a songwriter, Brunberg is a musical charmer with a warm voice, an irreverent wit and versatile musical chops.  Don’t just ask me, ask some of the folks he’s toured with over the years, strummers, pickers, thumpers and shouters as diverse as Greg Brown, Tracy Grammer, Hot Tuna, Willie Nelson, The Indigo Girls, Huey Lewis, and Rat Dog.

He’ll be joined by Miraflores’ Jonathan Newsome and invite a friend or two to open through out this month of Saturdays (including one Matt Schulte on Feb. 27—watch for it!).

Saturdays in February from 5-7 pm, Lobby (Gerding Theater)

Cosponsored by Music Millennium

PCS’s Community Programs made possible in part by grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation.

LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY!
Music Millennium, the place where people and music still matter, joins forces with PCS to present SOUNDS. LIKE. PORTLAND—an early evening showcase of the best in local music, every Saturday from 5-7 pm.

SOUNDS. LIKE. PORTLAND, Music Millennium & PCS’s new early evening music showcase continues this Saturday (and every week) from 5-7 pm in the Lobby of the Gerding Theater. Free—and all ages.

For October, in conjunction with our production of Ragtime, we feature blues/ragtime guitar master Mary Flower, jazz-blues-gospel pianist extraordinaire Janice Scroggins +  Nafisaria Scroggins Thomas, Spud Siegel, Alan Hager.

Did I mention it’s free? Come early–it’s the weekend, it’s 5′0′clock,  areety: have a drink and a delectable snack from the Armory Cafe.

“It is more important than ever to support Oregon’s arts and culture organizations across the state, particularly as the economy rebuilds,” noted Vigeland. “Whether large or small, new or established, rural or urban, these organizations are vital to Oregon’s economic and cultural health. The work of the Arts Commission is a key component in maintaining the health of our vast array of arts and culture nonprofits.”

Julie brings extensive volunteer experience with arts and cultural nonprofits to the commission. She is a member of the Giving in Oregon Council, Oregon’s thank tank on philanthropy and giving. Since 1995, she has served on the board of Portland Center Stage, serving as chair for five years and chairing the Capital Campaign for the Gerding Theater at the Armory. Vigeland is one of three trustees of the Jackson Foundation as well as a trustee of the Wessinger Foundation. Her board service in the Portland area also includes the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Oregon Symphony Foundation, Friends of the Portland Center for Performing Arts and Oregon College of Art & Craft. She is a past president of Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington. She has received numerous honors for her work, including the Women of Distinction Award for the Arts presented by Marylhurst University.

The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (Oregon Business Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Current Arts Commission board
Ron Paul, Portland, chair
Jean B. Bower Cowling, Medford, vice chair
Cynthia Addams, Keizer
Bart Eberwein, Portland
Boyd Harris, Condon
Royal Nebeker, Gearhart
Henry Sayre, Bend
Julie Vigeland, Portland