Portland Spoke – The Official Blog of Travel Portland

Here’s a chronological look at the season’s most festive musical offerings in and around Portland. See our Holiday Dance and Theater Guide, too.

“Wintersong”
Portland Symphonic Choir
Dec. 1-2
St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1716 N.W. Davis St.

One of Portland’s oldest choral institutions sings seasonal songs.

Bach for the Holidays and Wassail Party
Trinity Choir and Portland Baroque Orchestra
Dec. 1-2
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 147 N.W. 19th Ave.

The acclaimed singers and soloists from Portland Baroque Orchestra perform two of J.S. Bach’s finest choral orchestral works, his “Cantata #140” and “Magnificat.”

Northwest Community Gospel Choir

“Gospel Christmas”
Oregon Symphony and Northwest Community Gospel Choir
Dec. 7-9
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

Charles Floyd conducts the 14th annual gospel holiday celebration. (more…)

Earning accolades like “world’s best street food” from U.S. News Travel, Portland’s food cart scene is becoming very well-known. But did you know that we have an annual food cart festival? Eat Mobile features samples from some of the city’s best carts along with live music and some friendly competition — carts vie for awards in a variety of categories. Check out this video from 2011:

Eat Mobile is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 2012, and tickets will go on sale March 28 at wweek.com/eatmobile. General admission tickets are $18 and include samples from each of the participating carts, while a limited number of pre-tasting tickets, running $47, will get you into the event at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) an hour early and include complimentary beverages. This event always sells out, so make sure you mark your calendar if you plan to attend.

As usual, the city’s choirs offer a choice of performances of Handel’s famous “Messiah” oratorio (technically an Easter story), and plenty of other holiday-related sounds abound as well. But by mid-December we’ll likely be overloaded with carols and other holiday tunes, so it’s nice to know that Portland’s vibrant classical music scene offers both spiritual and secular music alternatives to standard holiday fare.

Schubert’s “Winterreise”
Nov. 4
Ken Beare and Maria Choban, Community Music Center, 3350 S.E. Francis St.

The dynamic tenor and pianist present a heated new translation (Warning: not for kids!) of what may be the great song cycle ever written, Franz Schubert’s tale of lost love, Winterreise, which the pair are subtitling “Love’s Lost Journey into Frostbite.”

The Von Trapp Children

“A Von Trapp Family Christmas”
Nov. 26
Oregon Symphony, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

The famous singing family returns with the sound of holidays.

“Winter’s Voice”
Dec. 2
Portland State University choirs, Lincoln Recital Hall, 1620 S.W. Park Ave.

The school’s reinvigorated choral program (including the Chamber Choir, Man Choir and Woman Choir) sings a very affordable program of wintry music from Russia and Estonia, and classical masters from Bach to Debussy.

Tallis Scholars

Tallis Scholars
Dec. 4
Chamber Music Northwest, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1739 N.W. Couch St.

The choir has been at the forefront of early music choral groups since its founding in 1973, and they’ll bring a mostly holiday-themed program of both Renaissance and more recent music to Portland.

“A Holiday Gift of Music”
Dec. 4
Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Mt. Hood Community College Theater, 26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham

This reasonably priced concert features Prokofiev’s famous kids’ classic “Peter and the Wolf,” with puppets by Tears of Joy theater.

“Winter Bells”
Dec. 4
Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

The Cleveland High School chorus and handbell choir join the young players for holiday sounds.

See more holiday music recommendations >>

As the holidays draw nearer, Portland offers even more musical celebrations!

“Gospel Christmas”
Dec. 9-11
Oregon Symphony, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

Charles Floyd and the Northwest Community Gospel Choir return for the season’s most exuberant sounds.

“Glory of Christmas”
Dec. 11,16-18
Oregon Repertory Singers, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1716 N.W. Davis St.

Under new director Ethan Sperry, the venerable chorus sings favorite carols, plus modern and traditional Hannukah songs, sacred music by Benjamin Britten, Anton Bruckner, Henryk Gorecki, Portland’s Joan Szymko and more.

The Canadian Tenors

“The Canadian Tenors Christmas”
Dec. 16
Oregon Symphony, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway

The Oprah-approved quartet sings holiday tunes.

Handel’s “Messiah”
Dec. 16-18
Portland Baroque Orchestra, First Baptist Church, Southwest Taylor at 12th Ave.

If you can catch only one Messiah, PBO’s is the truest, because it uses the instruments, tunings and performance styles closest to the composer’s intentions — and it sounds magnificent, especially abetted by the sublime voices of one of the West’s finest choruses, Cappella Romana, and soloists from New York, Boston and Toronto. A young people’s concert on Dec. 19 features excerpts for shorter attention spans. (more…)

Image courtesy of Carrbridge Films

What is it about March Fourth Marching Band and Portland videos? They must be a perfect match, because they keep showing up together. March Fourth was in our love letter to Portland earlier this year and now we hear them again in this video from Carrbridge Films. (Shared in our Twisitor Center.)

Interestingly enough, I had no idea until I read the information on the YouTube page that there was a World Porridge Making Championship, let alone that the newest champion is Matthew Cox from Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods right in Portland’s backyard. Who knew?

My favorite Portland band, Richmond Fontaine, got a nice write-up in The New Yorker, which calls them “one of the finest proponents of what is sometimes called alt-country but is more properly described as woozy roots music.” 

Put another way: Their live shows are, as my friend AJ says, “transcendent.”

Semantics aside, the band will celebrate the release of its newest record, We Used to Think the Freeway Sounded Like a River, on Dec. 11 (tonight) at Dante’s.

Can’t make the show? Check out the video above. Or, for another view into singer/songwriter Willy Vlautin‘s spare, gritty storytelling style, pick up his acclaimed novels, The Motel Life and Northline. (A third, Lean on Pete, is expected this spring.)

The Lions of Batucada at last year's Music on Main Street

Even though the sun is hiding this week, I expect summer to return to Portland shortly. Summer means something different to everyone, but I always think of the outdoor concert series that happen all over town. Some are free and some aren’t, but whatever you like, there’s no shortage of shows to choose from. (more…)

Inside Rock Camp: this is where the magic happens.

Last weekend, I volunteered at Ladies Rock Camp, which is a fund-raiser for Portland’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls. Rock Camp is a beautiful — and beautifully Portland — thing.

Founded in 2001, it’s like a “School of Rock” for girls ages 8-18. Designed to break down stereotypes, build self-esteem, and, above all, empower girls to make music, the summer camp brings together around 80 girls per session. The girls choose their instruments, get instruction on the basics, and quickly form bands and set about writing and learning some songs. The weeklong camp culminates with a real live rock ‘n’ roll showcase where all the bands perform in front of fans (and friends and family) at a local club. (more…)

Plum Hill's vineyard dog relaxes with us in the new tasting room.

Memorial Day in wine country can be a lot of fun. Almost all of the wineries are open, wine flows, food is served — it’s a great party for the entire Willamette Valley. But it can also be too much — crowded wineries, jacked-up tasting fees, and people tasting one glass of wine too many. And honestly, between the driving and the distance between the wineries, how many can you really fit into one day? So, if you missed the festivities last weekend, not to worry — you can have your own custom wine tasting extravaganza, ANY weekend of the year, in Forest Grove.

The first thing I thought when I visited this place was: what a fun-loving town this is. They’ve got SIX wineries, a McMenamins hotel, and a saké brewery, all within this cute little college town. SakéOne has events going on all the time — from Sakétini Saturdays to their summer concert series. And McMenamins Grand Lodge’s multiple bars are awesome spots to catch live music.

But back to wine. You can easily make a day or weekend out of hanging out and wine tasting in Forest Grove. There are major wineries like Montinore Estate and small, family-run places like Apolloni Vineyards. Most of these are open to the public every weekend, with super affordable tasting fees (often only $5). The wine out there is a bargain too — you can bring home an incredible Pinot Noir for around $30, not $60 like you’ll find in other parts of the valley. After tiring out from all that tasting, return to the Grand Lodge, only minutes down the road from most of these places, to have some dinner, listen to some music, dip in the soaking pool or just relax. Of course, McMenamins also makes their own wine, so if you want, you can continue your tasting trip into the night …