Project Helps Save Portland’s African-American Historical Structures From Demolition

Project Helps Save Portland’s African-American Historical Structures From Demolition

Portland, Or. The Architectural Heritage Center announced an important update on a project that leaders say will protect culturally significant and historic structures within Portland’s African-American community from demolition. The Architectural Heritage Center has completed a draft of the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) form. The MPD will be reviewed at local, state, and national levels in order to protect important landmarks that have had a large impact in communities within downtown Portland and surrounding areas. The MPD form is available for public review and the Architectural Heritage Center encourages readers to contribute with their comments. Pictured above is Royal Palm Hotel, one of Portland’s first facilities to employ and accept African-American guests, which is listed on the MPD form. (Photo credit, Intisar Abioto)

Architectural Heritage Center. Photo provided by AHC’s 

Through a partnership between the Heritage Center and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning & Sustainability (BPS), the Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) form was created. This document is a National Register of Historic places that groups together resources associated with significant historical context so that property owners can easily list their property in the National Register.

The MPD includes a comprehensive list of different buildings and structures that were a part of the African-American community in Portland from 1865 to 1973. Some examples of the buildings are houses, churches, fraternal lodges, and more. Within the MPD record will also include photographs of selected African American properties commissioned from Portland artist, Intisar Abioto.

Golden West Hotel on NW Everett St., Portland
Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library

Previously known as the All Nations Community Church in the 1970s, this church is now known as Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church on NE Rodney Ave

A message from the Architectural Heritage Center: 

The over one-hundred page MPD draft is made possible thanks to the hard work of a team of people over the past three years. In 2017, the Bosco-Milligan Foundation/Architectural Heritage Center was selected through a request for proposals process by BPS to partner on the MPD. This work was led by Cathy Galbraith, our organization’s founding director and known expert on Portland’s African American history. Sadly, Cathy passed away in November 2018, with the study unfinished. However, with assistance from historical consultants and BPS staff—and with financial support from the Kinsman Foundation and from BPS—the MPD draft is now complete.

The Architectural Heritage Center’s mission is to “inspire people to conserve the art, craft, and context of historic buildings and places to promote our cultural heritage as a vital element of livable, sustainable, communities.” We seek to preserve the historic character and livability of our built environment and to promote sustainability through the re-use of period homes and buildings. Owned and operated by the non-profit Bosco-Milligan Foundation, we empower people in the Portland region to preserve both landmark buildings and the regular “vernacular” vintage homes and storefronts that collectively define our neighborhoods, traditional downtowns, culture, history, and quality of life.

Photo by Brian Johnson.

Preservation does not mean being frozen in time. New isn’t inherently “bad,” nor is old inherently “good.” But we believe a vintage building shouldn’t be demolished without careful consideration of its architectural, environmental, and cultural value, or without exploring possibilities for re-use. We also believe that in-fill construction should be compatible with the character, style, and scale of traditional neighborhoods.

Public Review
The MPD and Billy Webb Elks Lodge (Williams Avenue YWCA) nominations are published here for public review As a next step, the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission will review the MPD at its meeting on January 27. They will make a formal recommendation to the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, which will meet on February 28. The State Committee will then make a formal recommendation to the National Park Service to accept the MPD.

2019 Christmas Ships Parade Schedule Brings Wave of Excitement

2019 Christmas Ships Parade Schedule Brings Wave of Excitement

Portland, OR. This December will mark the 65th launch of the Christmas Ships Parade season. Parades on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers will last for 15 nights beginning on Thursday, December 5th through Sunday, December 22nd. There are seven nights where the fleet with be combined. Please click the links below to see the schedules for more details:

Columbia Fleet Schedule and Willamette Fleet Schedule

Making waves in downtown Portland near the Riverplace Marina in 2018.

Christmas Ships in St. Helens at the Columbia View Park in 2018

Christmas Ships on the Willamette near the Riverplace Marina in 2018.

The boats, 14 to 65 feet long, are brightly lit for the holiday season. Up to 60 holiday boats are expected to make up the two fleets. As in previous years, there will be two “Meet & Greet” events at the public dock near Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Riverplace area). The first Meet & Greet will be from 8 pm until 10 pm on Saturday, December 21st, immediately following the parade run to Lake Oswego. The second Meet & Greet will be from 2 pm until 4:30 pm on Sunday, December 22nd, before the last run down to the St. Johns Bridge (Cathedral Park). This year, the nonprofit Christmas Ships Parade Organization is partnering with William Temple House. During each of the Meet & Greet events, William Temple House will have representatives collecting new kids’ winter coats. (Children come in all shapes and sizes, so any new warm coat from children’s small up through adult XXL would be appreciated.)

From the nonprofit Christmas Ships Parade:

The privately-owned vessels come from Portland, Vancouver, McMinnville, Salem and Hood River areas.  Some of the owners of the ships have been part of the Christmas tradition for more than 30 years with many being part of the Christmas Ship fleet for over 20 years.  Each skipper is responsible for their own expenses, including fuel and insurance for their vessels over the two weeks. This can run into the hundreds of dollars, which in itself is a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm the Christmas Ship skippers bring to the organization and the community. The organization accepts donations to help cover the cost of maintaining, managing and promoting the organization, but none of these donations go to the skippers, their crews, or their boats. Christmas Ships, Inc. is an all-volunteer organization, with no paid staff or officers, just a large group of friendly individual volunteers/skippers who give back to the community they love.

A full schedule for the Columbia and Willamette fleets, as well as a link for donations, can be found at www.christmasships.org.  For Skipper interviews or other requests, send us a note through the Christmas Ship contact page.

From William Temple House:

William Temple House is a nonprofit social service agency located in NW Portland that supports people in need, especially those who are affected by two major concerns in our area: extremely high rates of mental illness and the affordable housing crisis. Their services include affordable access to mental health counseling for individuals, couples, and families; a healthy food pantry; hygiene items; new clothing for children; dental and vision care; and energy assistance so that families don’t have to choose between paying rent or basic living expenses. William Temple House has been making a difference in the lives of Portlanders for 54 years.

42nd Portland International Film Festival Will Feature Over 130 Films

42nd Portland International Film Festival Will Feature Over 130 Films

Portland, OR. Local cinema fans are gearing up for the 42nd Portland International Film Festival which will run from March 7th through March 21st. The Northwest Film Center is revealing the 42nd Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 42) lineup.

The Opening Night selection is Amateurs from director Gabriela Pichler (Sweden, 2018). Here’s a description: In Pichler’s side-splitting and astute sophomore effort, the lightly fictional small town of Lafors, Sweden is potentially due for a big upgrade as the German megamart chain Superbilly picks their newest location. The Lafors city council, in direct competition with a neighboring town, seeks to differentiate themselves and lure in Superbilly by making a promotional video extolling the quaint hamlet’s virtues. But when local government employee Musse (Fredrik Dahl) has the brilliant idea to enlist local teens to make the video, two young immigrant students, Aida (Zahraa Aldoujaili) and Dana (Yara Ebrahim Eliadotter), take it upon themselves to film their reality and uncover the real Lafors, warts and all. A touching cross-generational comedy, Amateurs gently skewers the provincialism and nationalism running through today’s Europe. (102 mins.) In Swedish, English, Arabic, Tamil, Kurdish, and Bosnian with English subtitles. 

Here’s more information about the Film Festival’s opening night and other special screenings:

Amateurs will screen simultaneously on Opening Night at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Ave) and at Regal Fox Tower 10 (846 SW Park Ave).
Here’s a trailer for the film:

Opening Night Screening times:

March 7 – Thursday 7:30 p.m. (Whitsell Auditorium)

March 7 – Thursday 7:30 p.m. (Fox Tower)

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

The Northwest Film Center and Regal Cinemas invite you to join us for our Opening Night screening of Gabriela Pichler’s Amateurs at Regal Fox Tower or the Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium followed by our Opening Night party in the Portland Art Museum’s Fred and Suzanne Fields Ballroom. Celebrate this year’s festival with Sponsored by Bulleit Bourbon, Ketel One Botanical and Tanqueray London Dry Gin. Co-hosts Elk Cove Winery Adelsheim Vineyard, Pike Road Wines, Rogue Brewery, World Foods, CHEFSTABLE Catering, and XRAY.fm.

Opening Night Film & Party tickets: $25 General Admission. The evening, and all other PIFF and regularly-priced, year-round Film Center screenings—nearly 500 annually— are free for Silver Screen Director, Producer, and Premiere Circle members.

ADDITIONAL FESTIVAL DETAILS

Following Opening Night, PIFF retains a sizable presence downtown and throughout the city with screenings at the Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, located inside the Portland Art Museum (1219 SW Park Avenue), Cinema 21 (616 NW 21st Avenue), Regal Fox Tower (846 SW Park Avenue), the Empirical Theater at OMSI (1945 SE Water Ave.), and Cinemagic (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd.).

Over the past 41 years, the Festival has populated its schedule with diverse and innovative films for an audience of more than 40,000 annually from throughout the Northwest.  As Oregon’s largest, most culturally diverse film event, the Portland International Film Festival pulls together a multi-faceted experience with over 130 films (88 features and 48 shorts) and special events presenting a full spectrum of features, documentaries, and shorts – featuring works by both returning masters and emerging talents.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

ASH IS PUREST WHITE

Dir. Jia Zhangke

China | France | Japan, 2018

Jia’s 11th feature is a piercing tale of lost love, following Qiao (Zhao Tao, in one of the year’s fiercest and most heartbreaking performances) and her mob-boss boyfriend Bin (Liao Fan), rulers of the Datong underworld at the turn of the 21st century. When a rival gang threatens Bin’s life, Qiao acts in defense, setting off a series of life-changing events that see her traveling hand-to-mouth across the country—and notably through Jia’s familiar Three Gorges Dam region—in search of Bin and the life she left behind. Spanning decades and moving across vast swaths of China’s diverse physical and psychic landscape as seen through the eyes of one woman scorned, Ash is Purest White is “Zhao’s finest showcase to date—for the way she uses grace, intelligence, and humor with a dexterity that’s perfectly suited for the register of Jia’s aesthetically and thematically diverse film.”—Sam C. Mac, Slant Magazine. (137 mins.) In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/SOCpXuHQAZQ

 

MAYA

Dir. Mia Hansen-Løve

France | Germany, 2018

In this gently-plucked-from-the-headlines, warmly intimate film, war reporter Gabriele (Roman Kolinka) returns to France, along with his colleague Frédéric (ever-reliable Alex Descas), after being released from a hostage situation in Syria. Unable to resettle comfortably after his harrowing experience, he travels to India, meeting with family friends including Maya (Aarshi Banerjee in a winning, breakout performance), a young woman searching for her next step in life. Gabriele’s family has a history in Goa, including their dilapidated rural home where he settles, while his estranged mother lives in a seaside town; past and present meet in the search for his future. Shot on luminous 35mm by star cinematographer Hélène Louvart, Hansen-Løve’s latest is a tender ode to life’s chance meetings and the ways they affect our future selves in unexpected and invigorating ways. “Beguiling…sinks deep under your skin because of how adamantly it refuses to get stuck in place.”—David Erhlich, Indiewire. (107 mins.) In French and English with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/gZSi6NMmZHg

 

NON-FICTION

Dir. Olivier Assayas

France, 2018

Assayas’ (Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils Maria) latest is perhaps best explained by its original French title, which roughly translates to “double lives.” Set in the book publishing world, this funny, insightful film follows Alain (Guillaume Canet), a publisher broadly past his prime, and his wife Selena (the ever-charming Juliette Binoche), a well-known film and television actress, as they navigate changing methods of the public’s artistic consumption. An almost-washed-up novelist (Vincent Macaigne) wants to publish his latest book with Alain, but larger forces intervene in many ways, causing the two men to reexamine both their places in the world and the necessity of storytelling in an increasingly fragmented artistic landscape. Finely tuned to the dynamics of change, Assayas crafts a warm, empathetic film about the anxiety of the unknown. (108 mins.) In French with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/osqw349H9zE

 

THE WILD PEAR TREE

Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Turkey | Republic of Macedonia | France | Germany | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Sweden, 2018

Continuing in the long-take, deeply intimate and conversational vein of much of his previous work, Ceylan’s latest is one of the year’s most beautifully-shot films. Sinan (Dogu Demirkol), an aspiring writer fresh out of college, returns to his childhood village in search of inspiration, grounding, and funds as he tries to write and publish his first novel. But returning home unearths a complex web of emotion, as Sinan’s addict father (Murat Cemcir) coaxes forth the personal struggle between familial responsibility and creative freedom—plus the hard work that goes along with both, even when telling your own story. A deeply perceptive and engaging film, with The Wild Pear Tree “Ceylan delivers what might be his funniest, most politically poignant work yet. It also happens to be achingly personal.”—Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice. Turkey’s foreign-language Oscar submission. (188 mins.) In Turkish with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/306041386

 

TRANSIT

Dir. Christian Petzold

Germany | France, 2018

Adapted from Anna Seghers’ 1944 masterpiece novel, with Transit Petzold transports the story of those fleeing the Nazis during WWII to modern-day Marseille—with a crucial twist. Franz Rogowski turns in a career-making performance as Georg, an average man trying to escape France. Asked to deliver papers to a subversive author, Georg instead becomes caught in an existential cat-and-mouse game, taking on the identity of a presumed-dead doctor and becoming involved with the doctor’s mysterious lover Marie (Paula Beer), who also longs to escape the increasingly claustrophobic confines of wartime France. Petzold, the unofficial leader of the “Berlin school” of filmmaking, delivers perhaps his finest work to date with the taut, crystallineTransit. “White-hot…lean, rigorous filmmaking.”—Steve Macfarlane, Slant Magazine. (101 mins.) In German, French, and French Sign Language with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/R15ekRCq-eY

 

ASAKO I & II

Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Japan | France, 2018

Hamaguchi’s feature filmmaking career started with a bang with 2015’s incredible Happy Hour, but his latest is no sophomore slump; rather, it’s full of invention. Asako I & II follows the titular 21-year-old Osaka woman (Erika Karata) who falls in love with the charmingly vacant Baku (Masahiro Higashide). One day, Baku mysteriously vanishes, but when, two years later, Asako meets what appears to be his look-alike in Tokyo, her world is thrown upside-down. Crisply shot and beautifully acted, Asako I & II plays like a strange kind of contemporary ghost story, one in which ghosts of the recent past appear in the most unexpected of ways. “Intoxicating. Hamaguchi’s mastery is making you hang on every moment to see how he undercuts or develops on his thesis. It’s thrilling to try and guess where he’ll take the story next.”—Davey Jenkins, Little White Lies. (119 mins.) In Japanese with English subtitles.

Clip: https://youtu.be/1OYoAoJWZqI

 

TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG

Dir. Dominga Sotomayor Castillo

Chile | Brazil | Argentina | Netherlands | Qatar, 2018

In this angular, sun-faded coming-of-age drama, Sotomayor Castillo excavates a certain feeling of youth in a teenage girl on the verge of adulthood: too old for naivete, too young for the hurt that comes with fledgling romance just outside the bounds of playground love. At a gathering of families seeking utopian, communal living in the mountains outside Santiago, 16-year-old Sofia (newcomer Demian Hernández) undergoes profound changes—her father increasingly distant, her mother nowhere in sight, and her slightly older love interest just out of firm grasp—scaffolding into a familiar feeling of tender malaise. As the harshness of the Pinochet regime began to fade from view in the early 1990s, Sofia—and so many like her—became an adult. Winner, Golden Leopard for Best Director, 2018 Locarno Film Festival. (110 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/288244523

 

THE SILENCE OF OTHERS

Dir. Robert Bahar | Almudena Carracedo

Spain | US | Canada | France, 2018

Under General Francisco Franco’s fascist military dictatorship in Spain, lasting from 1939 until his death in 1975, the Spanish people endured unspeakable atrocities, with dissidents regularly tortured and killed and the country held in the thrall of state violence. Over six years of painstaking work, Bahar and Carracedo focus on the victims of this violent history, following groundbreaking legal proceedings in Argentinian courts geared toward bringing some of Franco’s most notorious lieutenants—many of whom still have streets and other public spaces named after them—to final justice. A film by turns an excavation, a deeply emotional journey to justice, and a vital portrait of a country coming to grips with its fascist past, The Silence of Others is a necessary affirmation of the will to live and the fight for lives free from violence. (96 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/beqRVfwBydg

 

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?

Dir. Astra Taylor

Canada | US, 2018

The question posed by the title of Astra Taylor’s (Examined Life, Zizek!) latest documentary is undoubtedly a huge one with massive implications for contemporary global society—but this piercingly forthright and wide-ranging film is surely up to the task. Shot over several years, What is Democracy? seeks to answer some of civilization’s most pressing questions, using illuminating interviews with such luminaries as Silvia Federici, Wendy Brown, Cornel West, and many others to expand our knowledge of this well-spread political system and give us some sense of its future in the age of Trump and Brexit. Beyond the experts, however, Taylor’s focus expands to the immigration crisis currently gripping Europe and the US, fashioning a brilliant film that will leave your mind churning with ideas. What is Democracy? “serves as a sharp reminder to pay attention to politics and to remember that the personal and the local are political.”—Charlie Phillips,The Guardian. (117 mins.) In English.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/266692157

 

VIRUS TROPICAL

Dir. Santiago Caicedo | Paola Gaviria (Power Paola)

Colombia | Ecuador, 2017

Based on beloved Colombian-Ecuadorian artist Power Paola’s graphic novel of the same name, Virus Tropicalis a brilliantly line-drawn, gorgeous black-and-white film covering roughly twenty years in the life of Paola, born to an average middle-class Bogotá family. Paola is a mischievous, spirited girl, blossoming into a headstrong young woman who’s something of an outsider. The filmmakers beautifully capture Paola’s—and her family’s—travails including new children, domestic dramas, upheavals, and the normal stuff of life, crafting a film of subtle power and nuanced emotional intelligence. “An amazing look at a life that feels both familiar and exotic, and if we look inward, perhaps all of our own adventures have the potential to fascinate in the same way.”—Josh Hurtado, Screen Anarchy. Winner, Audience Award, 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Ages 16+. (97 mins.) In Spanish with English subtitles.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/240558114

 

In addition to the Opening Night film, the festival will host a Focus on Lucrecia Martel. Lucrecia Martel is the most important woman director in Latin America and among the finest directors in contemporary world cinema. Her already-storied career consists of four features spanning 16 years and numerous short films mostly made in the 1990s and early 2000s. Her first three features—La Ciénaga (2001), The Holy Girl (2004), and The Headless Woman (2008)— are all set in her native Argentina within a middle-class milieu and concerned with alienation, desire, and trauma as they play out specifically for women in this culture which Martel knows intimately. Her most recent feature, Zama (2017), an adaptation of the Antonio Benedetto’s novel, concerns the travails of a mid-level colonial bureaucrat in 18th-century Paraguay, and has appeared

on myriad best-of-2018 lists. All four of Martel’s features have premiered at the

world’s most prestigious film festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, and Venice, and her precise, exacting use of cinematic framing, sound, and uncanny acting make her

work uniquely thrilling in the broader landscape of the festival circuit. Marked by inconsistent funding, perhaps owing to her unique stylistic concerns, Martel’s relatively scant output (in the wider scheme of film production trends) is illustrative of the hurdles women directors often face when getting their work made and presented on screen, at festivals, and in distribution. Despite this, Martel has become one of international cinema’s most important and treasured voices.

As in past years, the festival features an abundance of short films. This year’s lineup features over 50 memorable snapshots from around the world and here in Oregon.

FULL SCHEDULE
The full PIFF42 Program is available to peruse now via ISSUU: https://issuu.com/northwestfilmcenter/docs/piff42_2019_final

 

TICKETS AND FESTIVAL PASSES ARE ON SALE NOW: https://nwfilm.org/festivals/piff42/

 

ADVANCE TICKET OUTLET

Mark Building, Portland Art Museum, 1119 SW Park Avenue

Opens February 25 — daily from 12-6 p.m. (through March 21)

Advance tickets by phone at (503) 276-4310

 

ADMISSION PRICES

General $14

Portland Art Museum members, students and seniors $12

Children (12 and under): $10

Silver Screen Club Friend & Supporter or New Wave Members: $9

Opening Night: $25

 

FESTIVAL SPONSORS:

include LAIKA, The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Travel Portland, The Oregonian, and many others.

 

The Northwest Film Center is a regional media arts organization offering a variety of exhibition, education programs, and artist services throughout the region.  The Center presents a program of foreign, classic, experimental, and independent works year-round at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum.  For more information, visit www.nwfilm.org.

 

 

The Circus Project Celebrates 10th Anniversary

The Circus Project Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Portland, OR. The Circus Project, a Portland non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the circus arts, celebrated its tenth anniversary with Change(d) Together, a multi-media event incorporating storytelling and performances by world-class aerialists and acrobats. Circus Project coach and dancer Alicia Cutaia performed on an aerial bungee during the cocktail hour. The event took place on October 11th at Peter Corvallis Warehouse on North Randolph. The Circus Project converted the expansive venue into a heaven for trapeze, silks, lyra and acrobatics. The Circus Project was created with the mission of empowering homeless and traditionally underserved youth and young adults through the development of innovative, skilled circus productions.

Performer Ty Vennewitz entertains guests.

Featured artist Zoe Stasko, who also presented the ask, performs on aerial straps.

Circus Project students and invited guest performers perform in the final bows.

Circus Project coach and aerialist Alison Lockfeld pours champagne for guests from an aerial trapeze.

Guests were welcomed with a cocktail hour during which they could have their champagne poured by an aerialist upside-down on a trapeze. Entertainment included circus classics like a stilt-walker and juggler, alongside unusual images such as a bouncing aerial dancer and a giant aerial birdcage. Guests also had the opportunity to experience feats of strength by professional strong-woman Tera Nova Zara for a small donation.

A live band led a parade to bring the guests into the main dining area, where Crown Paella provided family-style paella. The entertainment continued, with roving entertainment such as a special bottle delivery by jugglers and a maître’d on rollerskates. Live Brazilian music was provided throughout dinner by POPgoji.

After opening remarks, the main program began. The show included video interviews with students sharing how their lives have changed through their time at the Circus Project, and complemented those with live circus performances by the video interviewees. A lively raise-the-paddle ensued, including a dramatic game of last-man-standing and a celebratory moment of strongwoman Tera Nova Zara breaking a wineglass with just her voice when the group reached a matching grant!

After the raise the paddle, we returned to the circus show, where a collection of national and international professional circus artists performed high-level, innovative acts and took the event out with a festive bang.

The event was the first fundraising gala the team had put on in seven years, and raised over $100,000.

From the Circus Project:

The Circus Project believes in art as a powerful vehicle for transformation, which cuts across social barriers to inspire new perspectives and creative solutions to conflict.  We believe that art is most relevant and evocative when the process through which it is created reflects the diversity of our community.

Thus, the Circus Project strives to foster an atmosphere of diversity, creativity, and respect in which people feel able to participate, express themselves, and be heard independently of their gender, race, religion, physical abilities, mental diagnosis, national or ethnic origin, social status, income, age, size, sexual orientation, or gender identification. 

Further, the Circus Project strives to cultivate a deeper level of dialogue and inclusiveness that makes space for all people as well as various and competing views, tensions, feelings, styles of communication, and earth spirits – in a way that supports awareness of relative rank, power, and privilege, and the potential of these forces to marginalize other views, individuals, groups, and species. 

Through outreach to underserved and marginalized populations, attention to imbalance, acceptance of people from all walks of life, and a commitment to eradicating both internalized and externalized oppression, the Circus Project strives to expand the definition of art beyond that of the various disciplines to encompass a way of looking at the world, appreciating diversity, and building sustainable communities. 

Portland SummerFest Presents: Puccini’s TOSCA at Opera in the Park

Portland SummerFest Presents: Puccini’s TOSCA at Opera in the Park

Portland, OR. The Washington Park Amphitheater was packed when Portland SummerFest Opera in the Park presented an abridged version of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca. Singing the title character was acclaimed soprano Angela Brown, for whom “Tosca” is a signature role. (She posed for a photo with Portland baritone Richard Zeller.) Her successful Metropolitan Opera debut in the title role of Aida captured international attention. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus)

Angela Brown (soprano) as TOSCA, Maestro Imre Palló, Dear Guidi (bass-baritone) as SCIARONE, Tom Cilluffo (tenor) as SPOLETTA

Joining Angela Brown in the July 28th production were two other veterans of the Metropolitan Opera: tenor Allan Glassman as the painter “Cavaradossi” and Portland’s baritone Richard Zeller as the villainous chief of police “Scarpia.” Singing the roles of “Sacristan” and “Sciarrone” was local bass-baritone Deac Guidi. They performed with the SummerFest Chorus and Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Keith Clark.

Allan Glassman (tenor) as CAVARADOSSI, Angela Brown (soprano) as TOSCA

 Artistic Director & Conductor Keith Clark is Principal Guest Conductor of the Siberian Chamber Orchestra in Omsk, Russia, Conductor of the Amadeus Opera Ensemble in Salzburg, and Founding Conductor Laureate of the Pacific Symphony in Southern California. He is also the Founding Music Director & Conductor of the Astoria Music Festival.

Soprano Angela Brown with friends from All Classical Portland and board member Sharon Buckmaster

From Portland SummerFest’s Opera in the Park:

Portland SummerFest is a non-profit organization dedicated to the enrichment of cultural life in Portland which believes “Opera is for Everyone,” and is committed to presenting annual free operatic performances at the outdoor Washington Park Amphitheater as part of Portland Parks and Recreation’s annual Summer Festival.

Portland SummerFest’s Opera in the Park presents annual free operatic performances at the beautiful outdoor Washington Park Amphitheater in southwest Portland. The performance at Washington Park has been presented since 2003 as part of Portland Parks and Recreation’s annual Washington Park Summer Festival.

Audiences of all ages and backgrounds come to Washington Park to enjoy this unique contribution to the cultural life of Portland. Presented in concert format with full orchestra and lively narration, these concerts have introduced thousands of Portlanders to the world of opera and been avidly attended by a growing number of loyal fans.