James Bash

Portland

Writer at Freelance

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Articles

Vancouver Symphony to debut piece inspired by local dentist’s melody

2 weeks ago | columbian.com | James Bash

It all started with a broken ukulele that had been abandoned in the living room of Daniel Kim’s house. Although the body of the instrument was split on one side, it was playable. So Kim, who is known by patients at his Vancouver clinic as “the singing dentist,” decided to pick out a few notes to a song that he loved. But it wasn’t long before he discovered an original melody, which he wrote on a few pages of blank music paper.
Silkroad Ensemble continues the journey with music by women and non-binary composers

1 month ago | oregonlive.com | James Bash

“I love the Silkroad Ensemble because it feels like a musical extension of my own experience,” said cellist and vocalist Karen Ouzounian during a Zoom call. “It reflects my family’s immigration and growing up in a diasporic community.”Ouzounian, who is of Armenian heritage, is one of the stellar performer-composers from the Silkroad Ensemble will roll into Portland to perform April 1 in the group’s “Uplifted Voices” program at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
New season, new day: Oregon Symphony’s president talks about what’s coming up

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | James Bash |Oregon ArtsWatch

The Oregon Symphony has announced its concert schedule for the 2025-2026 season, and the big thing that patrons will notice is that the orchestra will no longer perform on Monday nights as part of its classical concert series. Instead, six of the most popular concert offerings will have a three-night sequence that will be Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. The new season starts Sept.
Cappella Romana’s mix of Orthodox and Gospel music creates a resounding cantata

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | James Bash |Oregon ArtsWatch

Who would think a mashup of Gospel and Orthodox music would be so smooth and invigorating? That’s what surprised me when I heard the Canon for Racial Reconciliation, presented by Cappella Romana March 1 at the First United Methodist Church. The cantata deftly showed that the Gospel style, with it soulful, sliding tones, fit extremely well with the Orthodox style and its mixture of plaintive chant and subwoofer drone.
‘Hamilton’ roars back into Portand

1 month ago | orartswatch.org | James Bash |Oregon ArtsWatch

Hamilton, the mega-hit musical about the life of and times of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, opened the first week of a three-week run through March 23 at Keller Auditorium to an enthusiastic audience – many of whom knew each number. I experienced the electrifying show twice (March 5 and 7) and came away awestruck.
Stephen King’s iconic horror story ‘The Shining’ gets operatic flair

1 month ago | oregonlive.com | James Bash

“Here’s Johnny!” That memorable line exclaimed by Jack Nicholson is always the one that everyone remembers from “The Shining,” the 1980 horror movie made by Stanley Kubrick. But Kubrick deviated quite a bit from the Stephen King’s novel of the same name. That left an opening for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-award winning librettist Mark Campbell.
12 Gospel singers. 15 classical singers. Prerecorded sermons. 1 powerful message

2 months ago | oregonlive.com | James Bash

“It felt like a miracle,” said Mark Powell, Executive Director of Cappella Romana. “We are so grateful to our supporters. Their response guaranteed that our performances in Seattle and Portland would take place no matter what.”Powell was referring to his urgent plea to raise money to cover the cost of this weekend’s performances of the Canon of Racial Reconciliation by the Portland-based professional vocal ensemble.
Play On: Every Brain Needs (Love) Music

2 months ago | orartswatch.org | James Bash |Oregon ArtsWatch |Joe Cantrell

There’s nothing quite like a pop quiz at the start of a concert, but ten fun questions opened Every Brain Needs (Love) Music, which took place at the Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts on Valentine’s Day. That inquisitory and lively tone permeated Portland Chamber Orchestra’s unique concert-cum-lecture, featuring neuroscientist Larry Sherman.
Concert Is Minimalist, Premiere Elementary: ‘Copper Variations’

2 months ago | classicalvoiceamerica.org | James Bash

PORTLAND, Ore. — The big draw of a concert by musicians from the ensemble 45th Parallel Universe was the world premiere of Andy Akiho’s Copper Variations, but the concert also included a kaleidoscope of minimalist-influenced works by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Daniel Wohl. 45th Parallel Universe takes its name from the latitudinal line that runs through the state of Oregon.
Camerata PYP and pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner plant an outstanding ‘Sound Garden’

Jan 16, 2025 | orartswatch.org | James Bash

There are many works for piano and strings, such as piano trios, piano quartets, and piano quintets, but works for piano and string orchestra are not performed all that often. That made the Camerata PYP’s concert with pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on January 10 a unique experience.