Creativity is a critical component in helping young people learn and think and yet arts education is often squeezed by tight budgets. This series spotlights programs that are filling that gap. How are they working? How are they sustainable? How are they adapting to a diverse population? What can we learn from them and how can they be replicated?
This series is supported in part by a generous grant from the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation.
Young stagescraft specialists get intensive on-the-job training through the mentorship program, which helps fill a need for a skilled workforce and guarantee a future for performing arts.
PICA’s TBA:24 festival, spreading across the city Sept. 5-22, boasts a busy lineup including Linda K. Johnson’s “PASTfuture,” presented in part by her ongoing “Mycelium Dreams” project.
A Portland writer turns to the harp to ease her fears and endure “the gloom of a life put on pause.”
The two-week residential summer camps offer a unique opportunity for young creatives to advance their artistic interests while connecting with other talented youth.
Tuomi’s impact as a singer, conductor, educator, and advocate has been felt by generations of students from all over the world.
Sitka’s success has inspired a new dance program in the Knappa School District to be taught by Astoria Arts and Movement Center instructors.
The intensive education program for talented string players from around the world includes performances throughout the community, including free showcases, pop-ups around town, and a new mobile concert stage.
As tight school budgets threaten to slash arts classes across Oregon, Rose Lifschutz and her students at the Portland school reveal the creative rewards of a healthy arts program.
A new degree program at PSU by Darrell Grant and Suzanne Savaria will be the only one of its kind in the country.
The choral ensemble workshopped and performed five student compositions in a semester-long mentorship residency culminating in this month’s showcase concert on May 8.
The acclaimed high school dance company surprises and delights with a packed program of original choreography performed with energy, versatility, and joy.
For nearly 60 years, the non-profit program has been offering residential music and arts summer camps where youth can further their artistic interests while forging lifelong friendships.
Portland’s longest running dance company celebrates their 48th season at their annual performance, as artistic director Steve Gonzales marks his 25th year leading the nationally recognized high school dance program.
The Oregon singer-violinist-composer-poet-scholar-storyteller worked with the Camas choirs in cultural and musical workshops, a preview concert and Portland premiere. The entire local artistic team will debut the full work in New York City this May.
The Portland theater company’s Youth Devising Residency program teaches young people stage skills and more. The show they created, “What Brings You Here?,” is at PSU March 7-9.
Bobby Bermea: Promising writer and recent high school grad Evan McCreary gets a weekend of readings at IFCC with talent and a little help from his older friends.
In upcoming workshops in Cannon Beach and Astoria, the self-described “story doula” will help participants hone personal tales of their hero’s journey.
The Louisiana-born, Texas-raised singer and educator, recently named Hinckley Assistant Professor of Music Education and Social Justice at Portland State University, is one of ten finalists for this year’s Grammy Music Educator Award.
Every year, the holiday classic provides aspiring young dancers from the Willamette Valley to Alaska with their first experience of the world of professional ballet.
Creating the special condensed version of the holiday classic, which will premiere on December 19, is part of Artistic Director Dani Rowe’s vision for making classical dance more welcoming to a broader audience.
The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts will provide science, technology, engineering, and math students the opportunity to receive a unique understanding of the world through the arts.
Through annual residencies in local schools, Salem native Caitlin Lynch and fellow artists give music students firsthand experience of how professional musicians collaborate to create a performance.
Two years after the death of founder Ian Mouser, MVM continues to provide education and opportunities for young musicians.
Next spring’s opening will make Corvallis a destination for world-class arts performances, exhibits, and education.
The popular library system is using its bond-funded resources to expand its free arts and cultural opportunities at neighborhood libraries, with the programs offered determined by the diverse communities themselves.
Discussing American and European oboe styles, musical studies, dry halls and the Curtis Sound with the Portland-raised musician.
Committed to excellence through music, the Portland Youth Philharmonic has a winning season every year – for 100 years!
Metropolitan Youth Symphony emphasizes fun and enjoyment in music-making
Art education teacher Cibyl E. Kavan draws on her imagination, current events, and her wide-ranging knowledge of fellow artists to light the creative sparks in her young students.
Musician/educator Mary-Sue Tobin premieres new music based on classroom experiences as she joins musicians Alan Jones, Darrell Grant, Domo Branch, and others at the 10th Annual Montavilla Jazz Festival.
The McMinnville plumber taught himself to paint by watching YouTube tutorials during the pandemic. This fall, he’s teaching classes at Back Door Studio.
The Portland academy’s live multimedia performance tribute to the Talking Heads film incorporates original work by students with disabilities.
The Oregon Bach Festival’s choral education program, now in its 25th year, celebrated last week with a performance of Penderecki’s “Credo.”
In “Pacific Waters” at the Corvallis Arts Center, students composed works for strings to go with Mary Frisbee Johnson’s water sketches.
The pandemic gave the 53-year-old coastal center opportunities to “look at things in fresh ways,” including youth programs, residencies, and Indigenous fellowships.
PSU Opera produces an “enchanting” version of the beloved Mozart fantasy, with vibrant singing and some kids who almost steal the scene.
After a 3-year pandemic hiatus, the event for writers of all levels returns April 29. Festival participants Emily Grosvenor and Lisa Weidman talk about what to expect.
The performances, April 20-22 at the Newmark Theatre, showcase the resilience and versatility of this nationally acclaimed high school dance company.
Portland music ensemble’s unique education initiative celebrates its 25th anniversary with a concert on April 17 featuring new compositions by program alumni.
Oregon’s youth choirs raise their voices in this year’s Music In Our Schools Month theme, “Music is all of us.”
In a new anthology from Portland’s MediaRites, young authors come to grips with living in a challenging and rapidly changing world.
The Reser hosted a nearly sold-out multimedia Valentine’s Day presentation with scientist Larry Sherman, singer Naomi LaViolette, and Portland Chamber Orchestra.
Faculty transitions open up a new position and the opportunity to transform how the department teaches dance at the intersection of social, political, and creative movements.
The Eugene orchestra, which accompanies Eugene Ballet’s “Nutcracker” performances again this month, mixes seasoned professionals with aspiring orchestral musicians.
With an emphasis on technique and also inclusion, new director Katarina Svetlova is leading Oregon Ballet Theatre School in a fresh direction.
Two of Oregon’s premier theater schools, Bridgetown Conservatory of Musical Theatre and The Actors Conservatory, are sharing space in the historic Tiffany Center.
With the aid of major grants, Indigenous Oregonians are reviving knowledge and traditions via videos, apps, and radio waves.
The nonprofit offers two-week immersive classes in everything from print-making to Ghanian drumming to performing in a Shakespearean play.
The 23-year-old cellist’s recent visit to Oregon for Chamber Music Northwest included concerts, a master class, an afternoon with four cellists even younger than him, and “one of the best string recitals” Soovin Kim has ever heard.
The mural, created with the help of the Oregon Coast Children’s Theatre & Center for the Arts, offers a positive message about coming together after the pandemic.
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