This content was published: March 15, 2019. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Experience Music Spring Series at PCC Rock Creek – Spring 2019
Pam Beaty
The Portland Community College Rock Creek music program continues its diverse series of short concerts/lectures in April and May in the Forum, Building 3, at the Rock Creek Campus, 17705 NW Springville Road, Portland. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
The concerts are presented in conjunction with the Tuesday evening Music Appreciation class and are open to the public. A donation is appreciated but no one will be turned away. The concerts are free for PCC students. Parking is $2 (permits available at parking machines). The series is sponsored by grants from the Beaverton Arts Council and the Washington County Cultural Coalition. The series continues through 2019.
April 9– Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons
Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons are songster revivalists who perform acoustic blues, field hollers, fiddle & banjo breakdowns, and early jazz that delights audiences in concerts and workshops nationwide. With their unique integration of performance, education and modern-day folklore, the Seattle-based duo redefines the role of a songster in the 21st century. Their American Roots music is inspired by early 20th century American folk, novelty songs and black Americana. They blend the musical stories from the rural American Northwest, African American folklore and connect those lineages to music from around the world. For more information, please go to: www.benjoemusic.com.
Ben and Joe will present a one-hour lecture and demonstration on American folk music, also on April 9, at 11:00 am in building 3, room 114 at the Rock Creek campus. All are welcome.
April 16 – Okaidja
Born into a family of musicians and storytellers in a village on the west coast of Ghana, Okaidja Afroso is a singer, guitarist, percussionist, and dancer deeply connected to the musical traditions of the African Diaspora and devoted to bringing together diverse modes of expression in pursuit of global harmony. His four albums, most recently The Palm Wine Sea, chart a journey from his past as a vocalist, percussionist and dancer with the Ghana Dance Ensemble and Obo Addy through to the present, as a confident and mature songwriter and collaborator. His songs call back to the sounds of his youth, illuminating them with the experiences and wonder of a curious traveler, never resting and always seeking. For more information, please go to: okaidja.com.
May 7 –Oregon Renaissance Band Trio
For more than two decades, Phil and Gayle Neuman’s Oregon Renaissance Band have performed to great acclaim in Portland and beyond. They are experts on Renaissance performance practice and play on authentic replicas of Renaissance instruments, which they build themselves.
The Trio from The Oregon Renaissance Band will include: Laura Kuhlman who performs on many instruments including recorder, shawm, and bagpipe. A freelance musician and transplant to Portland from Chicago, Laura has also enjoyed partnerships with other early music ensembles including the Burgundian Ensemble and Masqued Phoenix.
Phil Neuman, a performer on recorder, sackbutt, and numerous other wind and stringed instruments, has written and recorded music for Oregon Public Broadcasting and has played for audiences on three continents, including performances at several ancient theater sites in Greece.
Gayle Stuwe Neuman, a performer on violin, recorder, sackbutt, and many other instruments, is also a vocalist who has received international acclaim. She has performed for internationally and with Phil teaches Renaissance music classes at Portland’s Community Music Center.
For more information, please go to:
philandgayleneuman.com/performance/oregon-renaissance-band/.
May 21 – Randy Porter and George Colligan
The Experience Music Series is thrilled to present two of Portland’s most iconic jazz musicians, George Colligan and Randy Porter. Every performance of this duo is a highlight of the Portland music year.
George Colligan is a New York-based pianist, organist, drummer, trumpeter, teacher and bandleader who is one of the most original and compelling jazz artists of his generation. Colligan has released 24 of his own recordings and is highly in demand as a sideman, having worked with performers like Cassandra Wilson, Don Byron and Buster Williams. He is currently a member of Jack DeJohnette’s New Quintet. Colligan was on the faculty of the Julliard School of Music and is currently an Assistant Professor at Portland State University. For more information, go to georgecolligan.com.
Randy Porter has performed internationally with many jazz greats, including Freddy Hubbard, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. He currently performs with Charles McPherson, Madeline Eastman, the New York Voices, bassist David Friesen, Rebecca Kilgore and Nancy King. He was nominated for a Grammy for the CD Porter Plays Porter with Nancy King. Also in demand as an educator, Porter teaches master classes and teaches jazz piano and jazz theory at Lewis and Clark College. Lynn Darroch of The Oregonian states, “Porter has built a reputation as a musician’s musician, a knowledgeable, inventive, and sophisticated player with a remarkable sense of time and gorgeous keyboard facility…” For more information, go to www.randyporter.com.
For more information about the concerts, please contact Jason Palmer at jason.palmer@pcc.edu, 971-722-7869, or view the music program’s website www.pcc.edu/programs/music/rock-creek/ and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pg/rcartsenglish/events/.