Reflect and re-think out loud......

Now that the show is over, (Think Out Loud on OPB 91.5) I can't stop thinking about my experience being there. To be honest, I didn't realize that the focus of the show would be so indie-rock oriented, but since this conversation was instigated by the Slate article that describes Portland OR as 'America's Indie Rock Mecca', it makes sense to me now.

I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to better represent the classical scene in terms of a NW 'sound', but suffice it to say that there is a lot of great musical composition that is happening by artists who are part of a NW classical scene. Next season, the Oregon Symphony will give the premiere of a new work by Portlander Tomas Svoboda; David Schiff's works can be heard regularly at Chamber Music Northwest, Third Angle, and Fear No Music concerts. Robert Kyr is doing very interesting work with us and other ensembles such as Cappella Romana, exploring timely themes of living in harmony with nature.

Does this contribute to a NW sound, in terms of 'classical' music? Perhaps.....I feel like I understand our area better when I hear the latest string quartet from Tomas, or participate in David Schiff's latest jazz inflected composition, or listen to John Luther Adams latest musical meditation on NW natural beauty.

On the show today, I talked about how I see Third Angle being the hub of a genre wheel, reflecting a wide variety of styles and new thinking about what music can be. With regard to non-classical music, I don't see any difference between composers and song writers and band leaders...in fact, I'd love for people in the Portland Indie Rock community (or hip-hop, bluegrass, jazz, or whatever; although I'll draw the line at polka) to consider being 'composers' for us. In Portland, we're seeing classical sounds being integrated into rock groups with very cool results (Portland Cello Project, and Talkdemonic, e.g.) I'd love to see our indie artists think of themselves more often as composers, seeing themselves as part of the long history of musical culture that includes Machaut, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Reich, Cage, etc. We're ready for the next big thing, musically; the moment when various streams come together to form a river. These things tend to happen after a century change...... Reason enough to be excited, I think!