“From the Top,” a National Public Radio program that profiles talented young musicians, will come to Portland for a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Merrill Auditorium. Hosted by concert pianist Christopher O’Riley, the program will be recorded for national broadcast. “From the Top” offers serious music, light-hearted skits and informal interviews, and listeners are […]

This week, it’s all about the mandolin, that wonderful teardrop-shaped stringed instrument that gives bluegrass and acoustic music its high notes. Few people are more adept at coaxing beautiful sounds from the instrument than Chris Thile, a 29-year-old plucker from California. Thile is best known for his work in the bluegrass band Nickel Creek, but […]

Art galleries often match their shows to the exhibitions at nearby museums. From the public standpoint, this can be a great thing: Galleries don’t charge admission, staff members answer questions and many people like seeing work they could actually buy. Conversely, museums and their public audiences are often the ultimate beneficiaries of the activities of […]

This week Musicians from the Portland Chamber Music Festival will perform a benefit concert in support of St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cathedral of St. Luke, 143 State St., Portland. New York Philharmonic double-bassist William Blossom, who performed last year with the Portland Chamber, will bring his Cicada Chamber Players […]

A hopping Portland crowd boogies for the benefit Rock Around the World.

And now for something entirely different. The April 6 concert of the Portland Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Alfred Savia, music director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, promises to be a fascinating exploration of the unusual in the company of world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. The polyrhythmic performances on her Web site would make Gene […]