Schedule Announced for Opening of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

Patricia Reser Center for the Arts Opening Nears

Beaverton,OR. Patricia Reser Center for the Arts has unveiled its opening season, and announced a March grand opening week of events. Members of the media were given a sneak-peek tour of the facility as it nears completion. The opening week will begin with a performance by Nobuntu on March 8th in commemoration of International Women’s Day, and continue with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra on March 12th and Shine the Light: A Community Celebration on March 13th. The Reser Presents: Grand Opening Spring Season will host performances from March through June, with many additional shows from regional visiting presenters from across the metro area.

The exterior of the new Patricia Reser Center for the Performing Arts which is near The Round between SW Cedar Hills Boulevard and SW Hall Boulevard.

“As we announce our Opening Spring Season, we are led by our mission to bring the very best of the world to our stage, and to foster joy, connection, and understanding in our community,” said Chris Ayzoukian, Executive Director for The Reser. “After many years in development, the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts is now complete, and it’s stunning. We are incredibly excited to welcome everyone from the region into this beautiful facility safely and with open arms. Performances like Nobuntu, NASSIM, Lea Salonga and DakhaBrakha will showcase the breadth of talent, artistry, and diversity patrons will come to expect from The Reser.”

The Reser features a 550-seat theater.

The Reser features rehearsal, workshop and meeting space.

The lobby of the Reser is finished with Douglas Fir panels.

From the lobby, windows overlook a small creek that before construction was mostly obscured.

Backstage dressing rooms are spacious and modern.

Here’s more information about the first performances:

On March 8, The Reser will welcome Nobuntu, a five-part a cappella vocal ensemble composed of young women from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The name Nobuntu is an African concept that values humbleness, love, purpose, unity and family from a woman’s perspective.

The Reser’s opening week will continue with a performance by The Count Basie Orchestra on March 13. Pianist and bandleader William James “Count” Basie is an American institution that personifies the grandeur and excellence of Jazz. The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards, performed for royalty, appeared in several movies, television shows, at every major jazz festival and major concert hall in the world.

On Sunday, March 13, The Reser will welcome friends and neighbors to experience the new center. This free day-long event will feature free performances and fun engaging activities for the entire family.

With tickets for all performances going on sale Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 10 a.m., the complete The Reser Presents Opening Spring Season schedule includes:

March 8 – Nobuntu
March 12 – The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra
April 8 and 9 – NASSIM
April 13 – Lea Salonga
April 15 – Oregon Symphony: Be As Water
April 18 – DakhaBrakha
April 21 and 22 – Sea Sick
May 3 – Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
May 14 – Mariachi Garibaldi De Jaime Cuéllar
May 22 – Kenny Endo
June 4 – Okee Dokee Brothers and Sonia De Los Santos

The Reser will also host numerous visiting presenters from across the metro area, including many arts and culture presenters and nonprofits. A complete list of performances can be found here: thereser.org/shows-and-events. For further details, continue to check The Reser’s website: theeser.org.

Out of an abundance of caution, The Reser has implemented strict preventative policies. For entry, all ticket holders are required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a medically administered negative test taken within 72 hours prior to the performance. In accordance with state and local guidelines, face masks are required for entry and must be worn at all times, except for eating and drinking. The Reser has improved air circulation and filtration across all spaces, with hand sanitizing stations positioned throughout the center.

The Reser’s design and construction team includes Skanska USA Building Inc., Gerding Edlen and OPSIS Architecture.

About the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts

The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (“The Reser”) unites artists, enthusiasts, individuals and communities, linking each with a sense of shared purpose and a touch of the sublime. The Reser is the cultural heart of a flourishing community centered in Beaverton, Ore. It continuously enhances the cultural life of the region, bringing people together in a space that’s warm and welcoming, and where the art presented invites discovery, wonder and flights of imagination. The center eliminates barriers and thrives on access, shared experience and open hearts. The Reser honors the cultures and customs of its diverse community and, using the awesome power of the arts, creates opportunities for deeper understanding and authentic connections between people. For more information, please visit: https://thereser.org/.

The Reser Visiting Presenters will include the art organizations listed below:

BodyVox and Chamber Music Northwest

Akropolis Reed Quintet & BodyVox: NINETEEN • TWENTY

Portland Baroque Orchestra, Voices out of the Darkness: Bach Cantatas

Portland Gay Men’s Choir, Learn to Fly

Kalakendra Presents, An Evening of Indian Classical Instrumental Music TRIVENI with Zakir Hussain, Jayanthi Kumaresh and Kala Ramnath.

White Bird, White Bird Presents Versa-Style Dance Company

Beaverton Symphony Orchestra

Chamber Music Mashup

PDX Jazz, John Scofield’s “Yankee Go Home”

Friends of Chamber Music, Tambuco Percussion Ensemble

ISing Choir , Stuck in the Americas

Portland Piano International, Sublime; Never Ridiculous—Magical piano sonatas of Franz Schubert with Paul Lewis

Portland Piano International, Americana! Dramatic piano classics and a Wizard of Oz fantasy with Jon Kimura Parker

The Immigrant Story, I am an American

Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Steven Byess, conductor, Rainer Eudekis, cello

Portland Youth Philharmonic, Camerata with piano soloist

Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Origins

Portland Chamber Orchestra, Celilo Falls: We Were There

Beaverton Community Band, Our National Pastime

Chamber Music NW

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.