Category Archives: Concerts

Northwest Vocal Arts presents an Autumn Celebration of Choral Delights – 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 19

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Come enjoy a wonderful, relaxing afternoon of the best in choral music.

Portland, Ore. – Northwest Vocal Arts (NWVA) – celebrates its second season with a fall concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, at Rose City Park United Methodist Church, located at 5830 NE Alameda St. in Portland.

Titled Autumn Celebration, this concert will feature the NWVA professional chamber choir and the NWVA youth choir performing works by Antonio Vivaldi, Jack Runestad, Aaron Copland, and more. Thanks to generous donations from the public and a substantial grant from San Francisco-based non-profit Chance to Excel, all members of the youth choir receive a full tuition scholarship.

The centerpiece of the concert will be Gloria, RV 589 by Antonio Vivaldi. Gloria was composed in 1715, during his residency at a convent and orphanage for girls in Venice. Vivaldi’s orchestras and choirs were famous throughout Europe. Although his secular music, such as The Four Seasons, is better known today, he composed truly stunning and profound sacred works. Gloria is a shining example of Baroque sacred music at its finest.

Other highlights include the Grammy-nominated The Hope of Loving by  contemporary composer Jack Runestad. The piece explores themes of love, spirituality and the natural world in mesmerizing settings of verses by poets ranging from medieval mystics to more contemporary masters. On composing, Runestad said “I write because it’s not about music for the sake of music — it’s music for the sake of helping someone grieve, inspiring positive change in the world, telling someone else’s story that maybe we don’t know about in order to foster compassion. It’s really music with purpose.”

General admission is $35 ($15 for students). Season tickets ($80) can be purchased at nwvocalarts.org/tickets.

More Concerts this Season

Voices of Winter – New Light, featuring Three Nativity Carols by Stephen Paulus, A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten and more, Saturday, December 20, 2:00 pm and Sunday, December 21, 7:00 p.m.

Cordillera: Range of the Americas-Music of Brazil, Featuring Bendita Sabedoria by Villa-Lobos, a pre-concert reception and more, Sunday, March 15, 3:00 p.m.

About Northwest Vocal Arts

Northwest Vocal Arts is a non-profit organization based in Portland, Ore., that strives to foster human connection, inspire the next generation of professional and amateur musicians, and positively impact individuals and audiences in the Pacific Northwest and beyond through the universal language of vocal music and innovative community-focused initiatives.

NWVA currently has two ensembles – a professional chamber choir featuring some of the region’s finest vocal musicians, and a youth choir that is open to high school students of all ages.

Thanks to generous donors, every member of our youth choir is provided with a 100% tuition scholarship, regardless of prior experience and without an audition.

With this groundbreaking approach, NWVA removes a significant barrier of entry for young singers and their families.

Learn more at www.nwvocalarts.org.

Artistic Team and Leadership

Portland native Samuel Barbara is Northwest Vocal Arts’ founder and executive artistic director. He has a doctorate in choral music from the University of Southern California and is currently Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus. He previously served as Director of Choral Activities at Westminster College and as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where his choirs won the 5A Oregon State choir championships three times.

Karen Bohart directs the NWVA Youth Choir. She is Director of Choirs at Wilsonville High School and is past-President of the Oregon American Choral Director Association (ACDA). She has served on the Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) Board and previously served on the Oregon ACDA Board as the Treble Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair.

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Rose City Park’s Summer Concert with Iron Prophecy presented by Summer Free For All and RCPNA. July 26th

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Summer Concert – Rose City Park – July 26, 2025

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Rose City Park, NE 62nd Ave & NE Thompson St.

Get out your picnic baskets and dancing shoes! Get ready for an evening of fun in the park and a live performance from local reggae band, Iron Prophecy. Presented in partnership with Summer Free for All Cultural Events.

Let the good vibes roll with Iron Prophecy! Rooted in the soulful tradition of reggae, Iron Prophecy spreads a powerful message of love, unity, and hope through their music. Their smooth rhythms and uplifting lyrics create the perfect soundtrack for a summer evening of connection and community. Come ready to relax, move, and be inspired by the sounds of reggae under the open sky.

Iron Prophecy photo

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Northwest Vocal Arts presents a festive celebration of Hispanic music on March 16 in our neighborhood!

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Northwest Vocal Arts (NWVA) – a new nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing choral community to Portland and East County and providing access and opportunity for all – is set to perform its spring concert in our neighborhood.

3 p.m. on Sunday, March 16
Rose City Park United Methodist Church
5830 NE Alameda St. in Portland

Titled Cordillera: Range of the Americas, this concert will feature the NWVA professional chamber choir and the NWVA youth choir performing works in Spanish, Latin and Quechua and celebrating the incredible variety of sounds and rhythms from the Caribbean and South America. Thanks to generous donations from the public and a substantial grant from San Francisco-based non-profit Chance to Excel, all members of the youth choir receive a full tuition scholarship.

The centerpiece of the concert will be Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez. This ground-breaking work, beloved by audiences worldwide, was composed in 1964 (with text in Spanish instead of the traditional Latin and scored for traditional instruments) and based on Argentinian folk genres such as chacarera and carnavalito. Ramírez’s most famous work, it brought the composer international recognition and is “widely regarded as a stunning artistic achievement,” according to the Washington Post. An ensemble of folk instruments led by Lewis and Clark professor Freddy Vilches will accompany the piece.

Other highlights will include works by contemporary composers such as Guido Lopez Gavilan, whose piece El Guayaboso (The Liar) is based on the guaguancó (a subgenre of Cuban rumba) and features an amazingly complex Afro-Cuban rhythm with the voices assuming the role of percussion.

Kasar mie la gaji (The Earth is Tired) is composed by Alberto Grau, who is one of the leading musical personalities in the history of contemporary Venezuelan music. Grau has written this piece to call attention to the ways human activity affects our planet. This moving work features a variety of vocal techniques and body percussion to express its message.

Hanacpachap cussicuinin, by Juan Perez de Bocanegra, is a processional hymn to the Virgin Mary in the Quechua language. Published in 1631, it is the earliest work of vocal polyphony printed in the western hemisphere.

General admission tickets are $30 ($15 for students) and can be purchased at nwvocalarts.org/tickets

We are also proud to have received event sponsorship from Portland Children’s Levy for this concert.

About Northwest Vocal Arts
Northwest Vocal Arts is a non-profit organization based in Portland, Ore., that strives to foster human connection, inspire the next generation of professional and amateur musicians, and positively impact individuals and audiences in the Pacific Northwest and beyond through the universal language of vocal music and innovative community-focused initiatives.

NWVA currently has two ensembles – a professional chamber choir featuring some of the region’s finest vocal musicians, and a youth choir that is open to high school students of all ages.

Thanks to generous donors, every member of our youth choir is provided with a 100% tuition scholarship, regardless of prior experience and without an audition.

With this groundbreaking approach, NWVA removes a significant barrier of entry for young singers and their families.

Learn more at www.nwvocalarts.org.

Artistic Team and Leadership
Portland native Samuel Barbara is Northwest Vocal Arts’ founder and executive artistic director. He has a doctorate in choral music from the University of Southern California and is currently Director of Choral and Vocal Studies at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus. He previously served as Director of Choral Activities at Westminster College and as Director of Choirs at Cleveland High School in Portland, where his choirs won the 5A Oregon State choir championships three times.

Karen Bohart directs the NWVA Youth Choir. She is Director of Choirs at Wilsonville High School and is past-President of the Oregon American Choral Director Association (ACDA). She has served on the Oregon Music Educators Association (OMEA) Board and previously served on the Oregon ACDA Board as the Treble Choir Repertoire and Standards Chair.

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It takes a village

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Beth, Richard, and I want to express our appreciation for helping pull off such a successful event yesterday!  And, a huge thank you to all our neighbors who attended. It simply would not have happened without you.
  • Helene – you rallied your volunteer crew to distribute flyers off-cycle for the summer events, drawing RCP residents to the concert.
  • Ian, Erik, and Graham – your sign placement was impeccable ;).
  • Jennifer – your previous experience and availability to answer our questions along the way proved to be invaluable.
  • The team of Andrew, Don, George, Kip, Nick, Paul, and Todd – rumor has it that yours was the most efficient set up and breakdown in RCPNA history!
  • Hazel (Alyssa, Sean, and family) – your balloon animals were an absolute hit and there would probably still be a line for them if we had not stopped at 8:00pm! We love that we can say that we knew you before you were famous. Hopefully you’ll be willing to share your talents with us again.
  • And, a huge thank you to all of our RCP neighbors who attended.
Many thanks, all. RCPNA shines a bit more brightly because of you.

For those of you who weren’t able to make it, the lawn was full, attendees appeared to be happy and having a ball, and donations were generous. Keep an eye on the website for soon-to-be-uploaded photos taken by our own Treasurer and resident photographer, Richard.

On to the next summer gathering; we’ll see you at the ‘Movie in the Park’!

Marina Samaltanos
Board Member
This email is an official document of the Rose City Park Neighborhood Association.
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Don’t Miss the Concert in the Park – Saturday, July 27, 6:00-8:00 PM

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Saturday, July 27, 6:00-8:00 PM

Rose City Park

The RCPNA Concert in the Park is coming up on Saturday, July 27! Join your neighbors for a night of fun times and good tunes featuring local cover band, Covered Structure, playing iconic cover songs from 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond.

In addition to live music, there will also be ice cream for sale, and complimentary face painting and balloon animals for the kiddos. Admission is free! Hope to see you there – it’s a night you won’t want to miss!

Learn more.

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Volunteers Needed for Picnic in the Park Concert – July 23rd

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Hello Neighbors!

It’s concert season and RCPNA needs your help!  In order to put on our Picnic in the Park Concert on July 23rd from 6-8pm, we need volunteers to assist with set-up, tabling, and clean-up.

Please sign up for one or more activities using our SignUp Genius.  The more folks that volunteer, the easier, and more fun, the effort will be.  For more information about the concert please check out our Picnic in the Park Concert page.

Please let us know if you have any questions by reaching out at events@rcpna.org.  We can’t wait to see you at the concert!

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Free Summer “Picnic in the Park Concert” – July 23rd

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Free Summer “Picnic in the Park Concert” featuring Lil’ Queenie

Rose City Park
NE 62nd Ave. and NE Thompson St.

2022 concert: July 23, 6-8pm

Please join us July 23rd from 6-8pm, as RCPNA hosts Lil’ Queenie for our annual Picnic in the Park Concert at Rose City Park. The concert will be set amphitheater-style in the northwest corner of the park near the playground, and neighbors are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnics to the show.

Read more about Lil’ Queenie on our Summer Concert page

We can’t wait to sing, dance, and mingle with you on July 23!

RCPNA’s 2022 Picnic in the Park Concert was made possible by a Central Northeast Neighbors (CNN) Small Grant award facilitated through the City of Portland Office of Community and Civic Life. We are thankful to live in a neighborhood and City that supports bringing music and events to our residents and their guests. RCPNA is acquiring a Noise Variance Permit to provide amplified music in a public space and while we would like to jam all night, the show will end at 8pm to respect our neighbor’s evening quiet time. Members of the RCPNA Board of Directors and various committees will be on-hand to answer questions and share Association updates.

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