B Minor Mass - Portland

Near the end of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach refined and assembled 25 years of his most important musical ideas into one great statement: the B Minor Mass. A summation of his mastery and a testament to his devout faith, the Mass became a milestone of Western culture. Helmuth Rilling, OBF artistic director and one of the work's most astute interpreters, leads the Festival Chorus and Orchestra in our first concert in Portland since 1981.
Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Christopher Cock, tenor; Michael Nagy, bass; OBF Chorus and Orchestra; Helmuth Rilling, conductor

B Minor Mass - Eugene

The monumental summation of Bach's faith and craft, the B Minor Mass is reprised for our 2008 opening night in Eugene, the first annual Founders Concert in tribute to Royce Saltzman and Helmuth Rilling.
Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Christopher Cock, tenor; Michael Nagy, bass; OBF Chorus and Orchestra; Helmuth Rilling, conductor

OBF at the Shedd: Chuang-Levin Piano Duo

Jaqua Hall's warm acoustics will resound with the contrasting styles of this husband and wife team, while oversize video screens give you a close-up view of their dazzling technique.
Ya-Fei Chuang, Robert Levin

Garrison Keillor

The best-selling author and wry host of public radio's Prairie Home Companion humors, harmonizes, and holds forth in a program specifically crafted for the OBF.
Garrison Keillor; Maria Jette, soprano; OBF Chorus and Orchestra; Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy; Philip Brunelle, conductor.

Bowerman: Man of Oregon

In tune with the Eugene 08 Olympic Trials, join in the gala musical tribute to Bill Bowerman. The multimedia concert includes Rebecca Oswald's new symphonic biography (cocommissioned by the Oregon Humanities Center and the Bowerman fmaily), spoken tributes, and a screening of the Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary about the legendary coach and OBF patron.
Distinguished speakers; OBF Chorus and Orchestra; Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy; conductors Anton Armstrong, Philip Brunelle, and Helmuth Rilling

The 5 Browns

Back by popular demand and riding the crest of another hit CD, the all-Juilliard-trained, brother-and-sister concert pianists take the stage in what is sure to be another OBF sell-out.
Deondra, Desirae, Ryan, Gregory, and Melody Brown

Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy

Twelve days of rehearsal and study culminate in an energizing program by 85 of the most talented high school singers from across the U.S. The program features the world premiere of a work by Ralph Johnson, commissioned for the opening of the new Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend.
Maria Jette, soprano; Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy; OBF Chamber Orchestra; Anton Armstrong, conductor

Mendelssohn Octet

The Shanghai Quartet and leading players from the OBF Orchestra offer Mendelssohn's virtuoso Octet and sextets from Strauss and Brahms.
The Shanghai Quartet, OBF String Principals

Magnificat & Holy Mass

Helmuth Rilling conducts a specially-priced choral music spectacular, with Bach's glorious Magnificat and Haydn's jubilant Heiligmesse (Holy Mass), to be recorded live for our next CD release on the Hanssler label.
Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Lothar Odinius, tenor; Michael Nagy, bass; Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy and alumni (Bach); OBF Chorus (Haydn) and Orchestra; Helmuth Rilling, conductor

China Song

Traditional Chinese folk songs and popular music arranged by Shanghai violinist Yi-Wen Jiang, and an American classic by Samuel Barber trace a musical path that mirrors the road from the Eugene 08 Olympic trials to the upcoming Beijing games. The program concludes with Ravel's truly ravishing Quartet, looking forward to the Shanghai's collaboration with OBF wind principals on July 8.
The Shanghai Quartet

Le Salon Français

Colored by the tonal warmth of clarinet, flute, and harp, the night's repertoire creates a vivid impression of France—and the influential music of its great composers.
The Shanghai Quartet; Heidi Krutzen, harp; David Riley, piano; OBF Wind Principals

Schubertiade

It's a Viennese soiree on the stage of Soreng as the quartet and a stellar cast present an all-Schubert chamber-fest of songs and instrumental works, including the Quartettsatz, the Fantasy in F minor for piano duo, Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, Auf dem Strom, and Erlkönig.
The Shanghai Quartet, OBF Soloists, and Schubert Singers of the OBF Men's Chorus

The Four Seasons

Vivid, lively, intense, and dramatic, The Four Seasons is the centerpiece of this refreshing summer concert featuring virtuoso violinist Sarah Chang and Baroque specialist Nicholas McGegan directing from the keyboard. Then, works by modern composers look back to capture the beauty of the high Baroque in Respighi's The Birds and Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite.
Sarah Chang, violin; OBF Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, harpsichord/conductor

Organ Recital

Guest recitalist Douglas Cleveland is the widely acclaimed music director of Seattle's Plymouth Congregational Church. Enjoy his program of Bach and French masters on the magnificent Brombaugh organ of Central Lutheran Church.
Douglas Cleveland

OBF at the Shedd: Trio for Nuevo Tango

Grammy award-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler infuses his performances and arrangements with a deep knowledge of tango, having served as the music director for Argentine master Astor Piazzolla for more than ten years. His trio blends classic rhythms with jazz improvisations, bringing new expressions to the tango lexicon.

"There's no question that Ziegler takes the tango to levels of sophistication and refinement probably undreamed of by Piazzolla." - Chicago Tribune
Hector del Curto, bandoneon; Claudio Ragazzi, guitar; Pablo Ziegler, piano

St. Matthew Passion

OBF 08 concludes with the mighty St. Matthew Passion. Acclaimed Bach expert Helmuth Rilling masterfully builds the arias, chorales and orchestral passages into heights of dramatic power in this monument to Bach's faith and artistry.
Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Lothar Odinius, tenor; Nathan Berg, Michael Nagy, bass; Oregon Festival Choir; OBF Chorus and Orchestra; Helmuth Rilling, conductor