Angela Allen

2 weeks ago | orartswatch.org | Angela Allen |Oregon ArtsWatch

EUGENE, Ore. – Paul Jacobs is a very serious musician. Who else would memorize all of J.S. Bach’s organ works and play them non-stop for 18 hours, sustaining himself with water, a measly cup of pudding, and his adoration of Bach? He staged that feat 24 years ago in 2000 when he commemorated the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death, and he made history. Jacobs, now 48, is the only organist to have won a Grammy Award.

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | Angela Allen |Oregon ArtsWatch

Unlike some reviewers who argue that The Shininghas legs, I’m unsure if this opera will make it into the privileged realm of regularly produced shows. Whether it does or doesn’t become part of the canon, Portland Opera hit the jackpot with this production in its ongoing battle to find new audiences. Late March’s four-performance run (March 15 through March 23) at the 880-seat Newmark Theatre was sold out – every performance.

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | Angela Allen |Oregon ArtsWatch

SEATTLE – On March 2, 650 kids sat in the spellbound audience of The Magic Flute at Seattle Opera’s McCaw Hall, the 2,900-seat opera house. They were brimming with anticipation for W. A. Mozart’s beloved final opera that premiered in Vienna in 1791. After 233 years, its fairytale heart exuding measure after measure of beautiful music keeps beating.

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | Angela Allen |Oregon ArtsWatch

“I have no idea what we’ll play next,” Jovino Santos Neto chuckled as he ran chords up and down The Old Church’s Steinway’s keys, joking that he and his quintet, in the second set, would play the first set’s tunes backwards. Spontaneity is part of the irrepressible fun of Jovino’s exuberant Brazilian music. The Feb. 26 Portland show didn’t have the full house of a primarily “older” crowd dancing in the church aisles or pews, but it inspired them to shake, bop their heads, hoot and clap.

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | Angela Allen |Oregon ArtsWatch

With a 10-day bang-up lineup of 70 acts performing at 35 venues, the Biamp Portland Jazz Festival has been waking up the city. The festival opened Feb. 20 and will wind up March 2. Alas, bummers happen despite pinpoint planning. Two cancellations — and one especially bigtime postponement, if ticket sales are a measurement – occurred the first week of the festival. Heavily promoted headliner Erykah Badu canceled at the last minute on Feb. 21.