UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Performing and Fine Arts

UP Hosts Chamber Music Northwest’s new Young Artist Institute (YAI) – Ensemble Performance July 7th at 7pm.

Chamber Music Northwest’s new Young Artist Institute (YAI) is a new intensive education program for 16 talented string players from around the world, ages 14-17. The three-week YAI program will be held from June 18 to July 8 on the University of Portland campus. During and just prior to CMNW’s 2023 Summer Festival, the young musicians will be featured in performances throughout the community, including free showcases, pop-ups around town, on the new mobile concert stage, and in the first two weeks of the festival come see them in pre-concert prelude performances.

The violinists, violists, and cellists selected for the YAI program are among the top high school string players from North America and Asia. Students in the 2023 young artist cohort have been finalists in the most distinguished competitions competitions in the world such as the Menuhin and Sphinx Competitions, and they hail from prestigious preparatory programs at the New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Colburn Academy, Juilliard School, Korea National University of the Arts, and Portland’s own Portland Youth Philharmonic. CMNW’s Institute will provide talented young musicians the unique opportunity to perform numerous times during its three weeks. The students will experience tremendous growth performing both solo works and string quartets for small and large audiences. The Portland community will get to enjoy the amazing virtuosity and precociousness of these musicians at festival concerts and pop-up performances around the city.

A final ensemble performance, FREE to the community, will be held at the Pilot House on July 7th at 7pm. Please reserve tickets to the performance at this link.

Additional FREE performances can be found through Chamber Music Northwest.

Meet The Instruments!

Nicole Buetti, performing and fine arts, has been collaborating with the Portland Columbia Symphony on a very special, educational community outreach program called “Meet the Instruments.” This unique web-based series has been developed as both a way to engage elementary-aged children during the pandemic as well as employ local musicians who continue to be largely without work. It combines her original music compositions and puppet characters with members of Portland Columbia Symphony. The 16-part series introduces young listeners to the instruments of the orchestra through fun and engaging songs, stories, and personalities.  It launched on Friday, March 12, at this link and will be continuing with a new episode being uploaded every Friday through June 25.

Please contact Buetti at buetti@up.edu for more information.

UP Music Program Virtual Showcase Concert: Thursday, Dec. 10

All faculty and staff are invited to attend the UP Music Program Virtual Showcase Concert on Thursday, December 10, at 6 p.m., according to David De Lyser, performing and fine arts. The concert will stream on Zoom using this link.

Featuring virtual performances by the UP Orchestra, Bel Canto, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Wind Symphony, Singers, Chamber Choir, and chamber ensembles. Students in PFA’s music performing ensembles have been working hard all semester in the uncharted territory of virtual music rehearsals. Please support their work, and join us for this special, end-of-semester concert featuring the virtual musical performances they have created.

For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/uportlandmusic.

UP Jazz Ensemble, Black Student Union Presentations: Nov. 17, 19

On November 17 and 19 there will be two guest speakers giving presentations during the UP Jazz Ensemble meeting times. These presentations are open to all members of the UP community, and the appearances of these guest artists are sponsored by the UP Black Student Union. The schedule and Zoom addresses for these presentations are as follows:

  • Tuesday, November 17, 4:10-5:35 pm – Vocalist Marilyn Keller (Zoom meeting here)
  • Thursday, November 19, 4:10-5:35 pm – Trombonist and Composer Kendall Moor ( Zoom meeting here)
People can contact Don Norton, performing and fine arts, at nortond@up.edu or BSU president Sharif Morton (mortonsh21@up.edu) if they have any questions.

UP Students In Winners Circle

Three University of Portland students were in the winners circle of the Oregon and SW Washington state round of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Classical Competition just before spring break. Junior Alberto Rincon-Pardo placed third in Upper Division College Men; freshman Lauren Cline placed third in Lower Division College Women; and freshman Cameron Creitz placed first in Lower Division College Women. On Saturday, Creitz placed first in his division in the Regional competition which includes, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, and Alaska.

The next round is a video round which will determine whether Cameron will compete at the national level during the 56th National NATS Convention in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Two years ago, UP graduate Catherine Jacobs ’18 competed at the national level in the Upper Division College division and placed within the top 14 in the country.

For more information contact performing and fine arts at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.

“The Dragon” Pre-Play Panel, March 14

All ticket holders to the Saturday, March 14 performance of The Dragon are invited to a complimentary wine, cheese, and dessert reception before the show as a panel of campus experts highlight what to look and listen for. Reception begins at 6:15 p.m., panel at 6:45 p.m., and the play at 7:30 p.m. in Mago Hunt Center. For ADA accommodations or more information contact the Garaventa Center at up.edu/garaventa or x7702. For tickets contact the Hunt Center Box Office at x7287.

Music at Midweek: Tim Connell on Mandolin, March 11

The next Music at Midweek performance will feature mandolinist Tim Connell on Wednesday, March 11, 12:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. The event is free and open to all.

Tim Connell is well-known to acoustic music fans as a top-tier, virtuoso mandolinist, touring nationally with Don Julin, Eric Skye, and Mike Marshall’s Ger Mandolin Orchestra. Tim has also spent many years putting together a set of solo arrangements for the mandolin, from Brazilian choros to Irish jigs, from Beatles to Broadway. Tim couples these flights of virtuosic picking with heartfelt American songs, giving audiences an intimate window into his virtuosic yet emotional style and his deep passion for music and life.

For more information contact PFA at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Music at Midweek: Music Therapy with Jessica Steinhebel

Music at Midweek will feature a presentation about music therapy by alumna Jessica Steinhebel on Wednesday, February 26, from 12:30-1:25 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. The event is free and open to all. The previously scheduled appearance of pianist Thomas Otten has been cancelled.

Steinhebel is the CEO and Owner of Sound Wellness Music Therapy, LLC. She is a board certified and licensed professional music therapist, which is a recognized licensed health care profession in Oregon. Jessica’s business strives to help the community incorporate music into everyday wellness through music therapy, music wellness classes, and performance. Jessica’s music therapy focus supports adults and elders with psychosocial, emotional, life enrichment, pain management, physical, quality of life, cognitive, and spiritual needs in hospice and palliative care. She received the Western Region Chapter of the American Music Therapy Association 2019 Internship Scholarship and is an on-call resource music therapist with Seasons Hospice-Portland. Learn more about Sound Wellness Music Therapy, LLC and music therapy at www.soundwellnessmusictherapy.com.

For more information contact performing and fine arts at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.

Music at Midweek: Trevor New

The next Music at Midweek event will feature Trevor New, a Brooklyn-based electro-acoustic viola musician, on Wednesday, February 19, from 12:30 to 1:25 p.m., in Mago Hunt Center Recital Hall. The performance is free and open to all. 

Trevor New has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist. He has appeared as a soloist performing the Elgar Cello Concerto transcribed for Viola, and premiering the Henderson Viola Concerto with the Chelsea Symphony of New York. As a chamber musician he has played with the Balkan Chamber Orchestra on a multi-city tour of Japan, Chris McNulty on her Jazz album “Eternal”, Joe Daley’s “Portraits and Virtues”, David Chesky’s “Joy and Sorrow”, Feist’s “Metals”, Hip-hop Violinist and Emmy award winner Damien Escobar, and in the TV Orchestra of television’s first drama about life in a symphony, “Mozart in the Jungle.” In 2018 Trevor performed a concert series with Academy Award winner Joe Hisaishi, playing his film scores, including “Spirited Away” at Carnegie Hall.

For more information contact performing and fine arts at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.

UP Fine Arts Faculty Show Reception, Feb. 13

An opening reception for faculty artists whose work are on display in Buckley Center Gallery will take place on Thursday, February 13, 5 t0 7 p.m., in the gallery. Refreshments will be served and all are welcome to interact with the artists and experience artwork by this diverse and talented group.

The art show will be in Buckley Gallery from Monday, February 10 to Thursday, March 5. The artists show their work professionally in addition to teaching classes in painting, photography, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, design, and sculpture here at UP.

This show gives the viewer a glimpse into the creative vision of eight different artists: Elaine Powell-Ashcroft (drawing, printmaking), Pat Bognar (BW photography/darkroom), Bruce Conkle (painting, design) Kowkie Durst (ceramics), Karen Esler (drawing, painting), Fr. Mark Ghyselinck, C.S.C. (painting, drawing), Milan Rakich (sculpture), and Shawn Records (digital photography).

The University of Portland offers a fine arts minor which requires students to investigate a wide range of visual art disciplines. For more information contact PFA at x7228 or pfa@up.edu.