Chatter:

1. Incessant trivial talk. (No, that’s not it);
2. A series of quick, high-pitched sounds. (Well, that’s a bit more like it);
3. A Sunday morning series of chamber music concerts plus poetry, coffee, and conversation with musicians and friends that everybody is talking about. (That’s it!)

James Shields recently took time out of his insanely busy schedule to talk to ArtsWatch about partnering with other Portland chamber music groups, his love of chamber music, and, of course Chatter PDX.

Oregon Symphony attendees will be familiar with him as Principal Clarinet, and listeners of the radio station All Classical 89.9 on your FM dial, will know that Shields and his wife, violinist Emily Cole, are Artists in Residence for the 24-25 season. Those of us who frequent the Sunday morning concerts will know him as co-Artistic Director and General Manager (and frequent performer) of Chatter PDX. Cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick, also a member of the Oregon Symphony, is Chatter’s other co-Artistic Director and serves as Operations Manager. See an earlier piece in ArtsWatch by James Bash, which highlights other involvements by this active musical couple.

Partnering in Portland

Lovers of chamber music are lucky to live in Portland. “The chamber music scene in Portland is super vibrant,” Shields observes. He and his wife have contributed to several of these groups as well as the Oregon Symphony. In addition to their positions as Artists in Residence at All Classical radio, they perform with the contemporary music group, Fear No Music, of which Shields is a member, and also Third Angle New Music.

Both Shields and Cole are members of 45th Parallel Universe. “The 45th Parallel is a great model,” Shields says. “It is a democratically run organization, in particular with programming, and it’s made up of constituent ensembles that come together to put on larger shows, like a chamber orchestra. We program everything together as a group, and we run stuff by each other. I think almost everybody is a member of the Oregon Symphony so you know the quality is going to be high.”

All Classical Radio

One of the early contributions by Shields and Cole to All Classical radio was aired on “Thursdays at Three,” a show that they had recorded in New Mexico last March. “That was a fun project,” Shields remembers, “because I had written 10 duos for clarinet and violin for Emily and me. During Covid we ran out of repertoire so I had written a bunch of these duets and recorded them, and we recorded some classical pieces as well. All Classical played about four or five of these duos and I think a lot of listeners liked them.”

Other activities by Shields and Cole for All Classical radio have included playing at volunteer events, writing blogs for their website, and some work with their Young Artist program. In early November Shields will record a session in their new studio with the Overlook Quartet, visiting from New York City. Their time with All Classical will be up at the end of the year, and Shields says, “It was really fun and I would love to do it again sometime when I’m sixty or seventy and they’re ready to have me back. If not sooner.”

Evolutionary Chatters

In addition to a degree from Juilliard, Shields earned a master’s degree in composition at the University of New Mexico, and went to work as principal clarinet of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. This lead to his association with what was then the Sunday morning series, the “Church of Beethoven,” and later “Chatter Sunday” in the morning and “Chatter Cabaret” in evening. And before long, “Chatter North” in Santa Fe. Then, after several seasons with the Oregon Symphony, he started Chatter PDX, which had its first birthday this past June.

Shields still maintains his association with the New Mexico Chatter and flies back to  Albuquerque on a regular basis. He reports that they give 125 concerts a year with 75 different programs — the Sunday morning programs in Albuquerque and the Saturday programs in Santa Fe. They also started a Friday evening program with wine and beer!

James Shields, Composer

When asked about his work as a composer, Shields replies that he’s been composing lately more than ever! “It’s been something that I haven’t really consciously leaned into as much in the past, but I am about to launch a personal website that’s going to have a composition store and I’m going to have scores online for sale.  I’ve written 15 duets for Emily and me, which we’ve played for concerts here and there. I’m almost finished with a woodwind quintet that’s going to be premiered by 45th Parallel in February in the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) planetarium, and there’s going to be visual elements projected with it.”

His OMSI program will have a tie-in with other planetary material, like a woodwind quintet arrangement of The Planets by Gustav Holst. “My dad was an astrophysicist,” he says, “so it makes sense for me. I grew up with that stuff.  We’re also playing a really great piece for woodwind quintet and piano by the English composer, Judith Weir, called Airs from Another Planet, which is a really cool piece.”

Why Chamber Music?

It seems that loyal orchestral musicians often turn to chamber music for a different kind of satisfaction, but which is more than just recreation. Shields loves chamber music for a number of reasons, especially for the democratic aspect. “I have no qualms about how orchestras are run — it’s how they need to be run,” he explains.  He cites the rare example of a successful conductorless orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York, which has its own model for democratic decision making. But he prefers the small ensemble typical of chamber music. “In chamber music we are more often picking the music we play and making meaningful choices about how to play it.”  

Shields points out that chamber music also allows more spontaneity. “It’s a lot easier to be spontaneous as a performer when there are only 2 to 8 of you than when there are 100 of you. All chamber music concerts are full of moments where the performers are really just on the edge of time with each other! You get the kind of feeling that things slow down and you can tell where somebody’s going and you can support their idea or you can offer something. It’s more like dancing, you know, where you can kind of follow the lead and you can do a delicate dance. I like that!”

He also likes the fact that chamber music groups like Chatter are more nimble. “I feel like there’s such a great ethos — like what if we programmed this seemingly strange combination of pieces together? Or what if we play this movement in a particularly different tempo just to see what happens?” He appreciates the opportunity to pick more challenging chamber music pieces. “I don’t want to be super stressed out all the time,” he admits, “but I tend to do better when the pieces are challenging enough to be really engaging.” And Chatter presents a lot of challenging music!

Shields also likes the interactions with the audience. “Some musicians want to just get in and get out, and that’s fine because people have busy lives. I understand that. But I like to be close to the audience.” It seems like all the musicians at Chatter feel that way.

Good Neighbors

Shields and his partners at Chatter want to be good neighbors to the other chamber music venues in Portland. “In Albuquerque Chatter is kind of like the cool, insurgent group. There are other groups there, but there aren’t a lot of other chamber music groups that are primarily local musicians.” Instead, chamber music in Albuquerque consists of touring groups and individual musicians coming from more established organizations like Chamber Music at Lincoln Center in New York. 

While New Mexico Chatter presents Friday night concerts focused on contemporary music, before venturing into something like that Shields wants to make sure that Chatter PDX doesn’t conflict with programs that Third Angle or Fear No Music might present. “The Sunday morning thing is unique,” he says. “There isn’t anyone else doing concerts in that format. We’re mostly focused right now on getting really solid and established as a Sunday morning show, but I think in a year or two we will probably do some experiments with some other series and venues where we might present one or two larger chamber orchestra programs. For now, 52 concerts on Sunday mornings is certainly keeping us busy.”

The Oregon Symphony has been a good neighbor to Chatter. Housed on the first floor of the Pacific Building, just a block from Pioneer Square and right on the Max Line, the space comfortably holds more than 100 people, with plenty of room for conversation and coffee (and cookies) before the performances. “We are very grateful that the Oregon Symphony has invited us to use this space,” Shields acknowledges. “They have been very supportive.” Tickets for $20 may be purchased on line or at the door, with students under 30 for $10 and children under 13 for $5. Concerts usually last about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Chatter’s Program

Unlike most chamber music concerts, Chatter’s program includes two other aspects: Poetry and Silence. About half way through the program there is a pause where someone will dim the lights, and for two minutes busy Portlanders will sit in silence, reflecting on the music just heard, their personal mantra, or on nothing at all, and emerge refreshed to listen to poetry.  Chatter’s poetry editor is the poet and English teacher Justin Rigamonti. Some of these published poets will offer their books for sale.  On Sunday, Nov. 9, Chatter has partnered with the Literary Arts Portland Book Festival to present the well known poet Patricia Smith along with former professional football player Marcus Lattimore.

November Highlights

• Nov. 2: Chatter will partner with the Oregon Symphony’s Sounds Like Portland Festival (read the Oregon ArtsWatch preview series here) and feature New York City’s Overlook Quartet performing Say by Shelley Washington and Cookbook for Clarinet and String Quartet by Kenji Bunch. James Shields, clarinet, Monica Davis and Yezo Woo, violin, Angela Pickett, viola, and Laura Metcalf, cello. Cookbook is the world premier of this arrangement. The poet will be Kevin Sampsell.
• Nov. 9: W.A. Mozart Piano Quartet in Eb Major and Elliot Carter Cello Sonata. Emily Cole, violin, Deanna Mustain, viola, Emily Brausa, cello, and Teddy Robie, piano. Poets Marcus Lattimore and Patricia Smith. 
• Nov. 16: L.v. Beethoven, Grosse Fugue, Op. 133 and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Clarinet Quintet, Op. 10. James Shields, clarinet, Ling Ling Huang and Margot Schwartz, violin, Amanda Grimm, viola, and Marilyn de Oliveira, cello.  Poet Cindy Williams Gutiérrez.
• Nov. 23: J.S. Bach/Kurtag Sonatina BWV 106 “Actus tragicus” and Igor Stravinsky, Five Easy Pieces for Piano 4-hands, Claude Debussy, Petite Suite, György Ligeti, Mysteries of the Macabre. Madeline Ross, voice, Rachel Modlin, piano, and Rebecca Stager, piano. Poet Makayla Terrell.
• Nov. 30, Sergei Prokofiev, Overture on Hebrew Themes, and Grażyna Bacewicz, Piano Quintet. James Shields, clarinet, Emily Cole and Ling Ling Huang, violin, Laura Steiner, viola, Trevor Fitzpatrick, cello, and Judith Gordon, piano. Poet Carmen Barroso.

See you there!