This playlist will take you on a whirlwind tour of chamber music by women, with appearances from a few of the brilliant composers who have contributed to the genre. We’ll start with some of the earliest chamber music by women, then travel toward the present day! Along the way, we’ll meet composers from many cultures and diverse heritages, hailing from Italy, Venezuela, France, China, Germany, England, and the United States.
Check out our Spotify playlist to hear these pieces in their entirety.
John interviews composer Osvaldo Golijov about the new album that features the Silkroad Ensemble. Falling Out of Time, which was written for the ensemble by longtime collaborator/composer Osvaldo Golijov, is an 80-minute tone poem based on David Grossman’s novel about parental grief and loss. In John’s interview with the composer, Mr. Golijov likened it to the dark, late works of Goya and Rembrandt. Falling Out of Time includes 13 tracks featuring 13 members of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, and is a Silkroad Ensemble commissioned work.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded All Classical Portland a grant in recognition of the station’s expanded efforts to support and highlight regional artists. We extend deep gratitude to the NEA for investing in this community service. Stay tuned, and read the NEA’s official announcement here.
What will classical music sound like for future audiences? We may not have the answers, but if these composers offer any indication, we are excited to see and hear where the future takes us.
All Classical Portland’s Recording Inclusivity Initiative was recently featured on Current.org, in interview with President & CEO Suzanne Nance. Read the full article, and learn more about Recording Inclusivity Initiative.
“I know that many are committed to diversifying America’s playlists, and we can do it. We don’t have to wait.” – Suzanne Nance, President & CEO, All Classical Portland
All Classical Portland celebrates the music of Black composers and artists year-round, and this month, we invite you to join us as we take a closer look at the contributions that Black composers and musicians have made to classical music. Let’s meet a few of the artists whose music you’ll hear on the air this month, and year round on All Classical Portland.
Listen online or through our mobile app!
As we look forward to this year’s Festival of Carols on All Classical Portland, it’s time to again share the stories of twelve famous carols! Our Program Director, John Pitman, has chosen a lovely selection of twelve carols for us to explore this year, and as All Classical’s Music Researcher, it’s been my mission to track down their origins, following the trails of Renaissance dance tunes, Valencian shepherds, plays by Molière, and sixteenth-century English tailors. Enjoy the journey!
Check out last year’s edition of The Story of Twelve Carols!
Be sure to tune in to our annual Festival of Carols: five full days of carols from December 21 – 25. Listen at 89.9 FM in Portland, or anywhere at allclassical.org!
Check out our Spotify playlist inspired by this list, with a similar lineup of music.
The clarinet is one of the most ubiquitous and versatile instruments, has a wide range of natural habitats, from singing out through the symphony to famous jazz tunes. Our modern family of clarinets can be traced as far back as 1690 to a man named Johann Christoph Denner. At that time, there was another instrument already in existence called the chalumeau, which produced a lovely sound in lower registers, but could not match the rich sound of the clarinet in the wide range of sound it produces. In this article we focus on Black clarinetists without whom our musical world would not be the same.
Portland Music Therapy is a branch of The Sage Center, a Holistic Health community of Alternative Health Specialists, that focuses on using Neurologic Music Therapy techniques to achieve non-musical goals like improved socialization and communication skills. They incorporate evidence-based research and individualized, quantifiable goals and objectives. They specialize in working with individuals on the autism spectrum, individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Portland Music Therapy utilizes music to enable those without language to communicate and express themselves non-verbally. For dementia patients, they use music to help increase memory recall which then contributes to reminiscence and satisfaction with life. They also use music as a way to increase social interaction with caregivers and families, as well as a platform for non-verbal expression.
Portland Music Therapy offers individual sessions that result in constantly evolving measurable goals and objectives catered to the specific strengths and opportunities for the client. They also offer music lessons on piano, guitar, voice, as well as music theory lessons. Portland Music Therapy takes pride in being able to help every client on their musical journey regardless of age, cognitive level, disability, or experience. In addition to individual lessons, Portland Music Therapy also offers group sessions when its clear that two or more clients are mutually beneficial to each other’s growth. The musical activities within these sessions are introduced within individual sessions so that everyone is confident and excited about their role in the group setting. Family-Centered In-Home sessions are another opportunity that Portland Music Therapy offers during which they work with clients in their familiar settings, using music to address some of the challenges to daily routines.
For more information, reach out to Kate Harris, MT-BC, at (662) 202 – 2777 or kate@portlandmusictherapy.com
Since the early days of opera, women composers have given us works with fascinating characters and unique perspectives. From Francesca Caccini’s 1625 opera, La liberazione di Ruggiero, to the latest installments of Shirley J. Thompson’s Heroines of Opera series, this list will explore just a few operas by women from throughout history. In these works, you’ll meet powerful sorceresses, conflicted goddesses, patient sisters, passionate mothers, and freedom fighters. You’ll also meet composers who are just as memorable as any character onstage. I hope these samples will encourage you to explore the vast world of operas by women.
