Our new season is upon us, and we are super excited to be returning to live performances this fall after this most interesting year. Our 2021-22 season is one of Gratitude… for the blessing of being able to play safely together, for the fellowship that only live music can provide, and to our amazing audience and supporters for showing us the love during this unbelievable past year in which we produced 54 online concerts. This year, by comparison, we’ll be taking it easy with only 22 shows ;)

All of our concerts are one hour in length, performed in venues with seating capacities that provide close proximity to all the performers. There won’t be a bad seat in the house! General admission tickets will be $25, and senior/student tickets will be $20.

Create your own subscription package
Pick the shows you want to see and save 10-15% by subscribing! Packages are available for the 4-show Garden Series, also in sets of 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, or the entire season. Subscribers also receive a glass of wine and reserved seating, making this one sweet deal!

Click here for more information about subscribing to our season.

September Sundays in the Garden
Our season begins in September, with Sunday evening concerts performed in four beautiful PDX gardens, fun and informal performances that are the perfect way to end the summer. All concerts are at 6pm:

• September 5th: Our cello octet dazzled us last year with their online performance, and we can’t imagine a better way to start our season that with a live performance of their stellar cello-osity. Their program includes music of Rossini, Bizet, Márquez, and Strauss, performed at the Blessinger garden. Check out Octo-Cello’s amazing online performance last year here.
• September 12th: Richard and Penny Ellson’s amazing garden on the Willamette river provides a spectacular setting for the Arcturus Quintet’s performance of music by Ibert, Klughardt, and Reicha.
• September 19th: Charles and Stephanie Noble host the Pyxis Quartet’s performance of music by Oregon composers Kenji Bunch and Scott Unrein, along with Bartók’s high energy finale from his String Quartet no. 4.
• September 26th: The Arcturus Quintet brings our garden series to a close with a delightful program of musical miniatures by Holst, Hailstork, Chin, Gipps, and Piazzolla.

Thursdays are for music
In October our season continues with two concerts each month on Thursdays at 7pm. Our venues include PICA (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art), Portland Center Stage, and we’re especially grateful to the amazing folks at SKB Properties for allowing the bulk of our performances to take place at the stunning Jacobs Center Atrium.

Next season showcases the kind of variety that is a hallmark of 45^th Parallel concerts, including several popular shows that were performed online last year:

• Currents, Gemini Project’s epic collaboration with PDX filmmaker Scott Ballard, BodyVox, and Shostakovich’s final symphony arranged for sextet.
• World premieres in collaboration with Gabriela Lena Frank’s award-winning Creative Academy of Music, including new works by Brandon Scott Rumsey, Nina Shekhar, and Mardo-Adrian Ramos.
• Experimental artistry with percussionist Sergio Carreno and colleagues in New York and Houston, combined into one ensemble through groundbreaking technology.
• Six virtuoso cellists performing a magical Nutcracker, a new holiday tradition!
• Steve Reich’s masterpiece, Music for 18 Musicians, performed at PICA in honor of the unofficial cannabis holiday, 4/20.
• The world premiere of a new quartet by Kenji Bunch, on a program that also features George Crumb’s vivid masterpiece, Black Angels.
• 45^th Parallel Founder Greg Ewer brings actual guts (strings) to his performance of solo violin masterpieces by J.S. Bach.
• Arcturus Quintet performs music of the Americas, and a world premiere by Brandon Scott Rumsey.

There are many more shows on our season, all of which you can check out on our website here.

Online broadcasts
Patreon members have access to broadcasts of 45^th Parallel concerts and other online digital media, including digital program notes and videos of past performances. For more information on becoming a Patreon member, please click here.

COVID Protocol
As we prepare to return to live events, the safety of our patrons, artists, and staff is paramount and we will be following state and local requirements. Patrons and staff will be required to wear a mask.

Friends, we look forward to see you all again, and sharing this great music with you. Gratitude is the theme of the season, something that we feel deeply to you for your support and friendship during these most interesting times.

Ron Blessinger
Executive Director, 45^th Parallel Universe