Oregon Chorale
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Chorale is an American concert choir
based in Hillsboro
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Founded in 1985 as the Washington County Chorale, the 60 person group performs in the Portland metropolitan area
, as well as tours in Europe
. The group presents music ranging from classical
and opera music to folk and contemporary numbers.
Chorale in 1985 as a 50 member choir. A German immigrant, he also directed choirs at Pacific University
, Hillsboro High School, and Gaston High School
. Beginning in 1989 they presented a musical or comedy in the spring every few years. In September 2002, Anne Avery was hired as the executive director of the group. The group teamed with both a Scandinavia
n and a Polish
dance group in March 2003. Held at Hillsboro High School, "Many Voices, One World" featured folk songs sung by the Oregon Chorale with the two dance groups performing traditional dances.
In April 2005, the group premiered a musical comedy written by Linda Needham entitled "The Great Lewis & Clark Extravaganza of 1905 or Paddle Your Own Canoe". The musical was set at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
in Portland
. The group’s Christmas concert in December 2005 featured songs in Czech, Polish, Russian, and Latvian in addition to English. To prepare for a tour in Europe, the Oregon Chorale performed folk songs from Ireland
and Scotland
for St. Patrick’s Day in 2007.
By 2008, the group grew in size to include 60 singers. The chorale’s spring concert revolved around William Shakespeare
in a concert titled as "The 409th Annual Night at the Globe Awards". That June and July the group toured in Europe with concerts in Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
, including a performance at the Belfast Maritime Festival. The tour was the fifth for the group in Europe.
. A symphonic choir, they require auditions in order to join. Most members reside on the west side of the metro area, specifically in Hillsboro, Tigard, and Beaverton. The Oregon Chorale presents a holiday concert each December. Music performed by the group ranges from classical music from Johann Sebastian Bach
, Antonio Vivaldi
, and George Frideric Handel
, to folk and other varieties of music from around the world. They have also presented a vocalise concert where no words are sung, and instead singers use vowel sounds. Performances are held at a variety of venues including Pacific University in Forest Grove
, St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro, United Methodist Church in Tigard
, and Liberty High School
among other locations in the Portland metropolitan area.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
based in Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Founded in 1985 as the Washington County Chorale, the 60 person group performs in the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
, as well as tours in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The group presents music ranging from classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and opera music to folk and contemporary numbers.
History
Bernd R. Kuehn founded the group as the Washington CountyWashington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
Chorale in 1985 as a 50 member choir. A German immigrant, he also directed choirs at Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
, Hillsboro High School, and Gaston High School
Gaston Junior/Senior High School
Gaston Junior/Senior High School is a public high school in Gaston, Oregon, United States.-Academics:In 2008, 78% of the high school's seniors received their high school diploma. Of 45 students, 35 graduated, 5 dropped out, and 5 are still in high school....
. Beginning in 1989 they presented a musical or comedy in the spring every few years. In September 2002, Anne Avery was hired as the executive director of the group. The group teamed with both a Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n and a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
dance group in March 2003. Held at Hillsboro High School, "Many Voices, One World" featured folk songs sung by the Oregon Chorale with the two dance groups performing traditional dances.
In April 2005, the group premiered a musical comedy written by Linda Needham entitled "The Great Lewis & Clark Extravaganza of 1905 or Paddle Your Own Canoe". The musical was set at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition
The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portland, Oregon, United States in 1905 to celebrate the...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The group’s Christmas concert in December 2005 featured songs in Czech, Polish, Russian, and Latvian in addition to English. To prepare for a tour in Europe, the Oregon Chorale performed folk songs from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for St. Patrick’s Day in 2007.
By 2008, the group grew in size to include 60 singers. The chorale’s spring concert revolved around William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
in a concert titled as "The 409th Annual Night at the Globe Awards". That June and July the group toured in Europe with concerts in Ireland, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, including a performance at the Belfast Maritime Festival. The tour was the fifth for the group in Europe.
Details
The Hillsboro based group is made up of 60 people from across the Portland metropolitan areaPortland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
. A symphonic choir, they require auditions in order to join. Most members reside on the west side of the metro area, specifically in Hillsboro, Tigard, and Beaverton. The Oregon Chorale presents a holiday concert each December. Music performed by the group ranges from classical music from Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, and George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
, to folk and other varieties of music from around the world. They have also presented a vocalise concert where no words are sung, and instead singers use vowel sounds. Performances are held at a variety of venues including Pacific University in Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, St. Matthew Catholic Church in Hillsboro, United Methodist Church in Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, and Liberty High School
Liberty High School (Hillsboro, Oregon)
For schools with similar names, see Liberty High School.Liberty High School is located in Hillsboro, Oregon, just west of Portland. It opened in 2003, with only freshmen, sophomores and juniors...
among other locations in the Portland metropolitan area.
External links
- “Oregon Chorale to perform Northwest composers' work”, – The Hillsboro ArgusThe Hillsboro ArgusThe Hillsboro Argus is the twice weekly newspaper for the city of Hillsboro, Oregon. Published on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Argus has a circulation of 9,532 copies distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States...
- "Songs of the season", – The Forest Grove News-Times