Oregon Symphony Association

A grant to the Oregon Symphony Association will support "An African American Requiem," a requiem written in honor of African Americans who lost their lives to violence. This work was composed by the professionally trained bass-baritone and Portland-based composer Damien Geter and will be co-presented with the Resonance Ensemble, a Portland-based professional vocal ensemble. The requiem spans 20 movements and is arranged for full orchestra, symphonic choir, and four soloists. Several community choral organizations from the Portland area will collaborate to premiere this work, including the Portland Symphonic Choir, Pacific Youth Choir, Kingdom Sound Gospel Ensemble, and members of African American church choirs from the region.

In May 2018, the Oregon Symphony had a program that featured a world premiere of a commissioned work by Gabriel Kahane reflecting on homelessness. This program was the final concert in the "Sounds of Home" series, which explored, onstage and in the community, the critical social issues of immigration, the environment, and homelessness. The symphony was joined by a choir from the Maybelle Center for Community, many of whom have experienced poverty and homelessness firsthand. The response was striking and led to the opportunity of once again bringing together the original chorus, orchestra, guest artists, and conductor for a free encore performance that would be recorded to CD in late August. This grant supports a nationally important arts performance that connects the onstage symphony to the offstage epidemic of homelessness.