Rumor mill… this time it’s true!

The word has gotten out that OES is moving our office space into the Vert Auditorium.  The Pendleton City Council approved this move back in November, and we plan on moving either in early January or late March, depending on how quickly we can get the space ready.

Our primary space will be the old museum, which is the room downstairs next to the Little Theater.  We also will have two small offices, which will serve as our music library/Ken’s office and archives/Janet’s office (Janet Miller is our volunteer grant writer).

We are continuing to negotiate use of the other spaces in the building, particularly for private lessons.  For the time being, Lisa has been teaching at the Presbyterian Church, which has generously hosted us since the fire last March, and Margaret has been using our current office space on the weekends.

We have been quite fortunate to have our current “transition” space donated to us by Betty Brunette and the Tennis Center, but  we are very much looking forward to getting back downtown.

Now all we need is for the Pendleton Coffee Bean to rebuild within walking distance of the Vert!

Young Artist Competition

If you are 25 or younger, and have prepared a concerto or other piece with orchestral accompaniment, mark your calender for the OES Young Artist Competition on Sunday, February 3!

Young musicians will audition for a chance to perform with OES or our preparatory orchestra, A Sharp Players as well as cash prizes.

Panelists will include Ken Woods, Music Director of the Oregon East Symphony; Susan Pickett, Catherine Gould Chism Professor of Music at Whiman College; Reid Kajikawa, Principal Bassoon and board member of the Oregon East Symphon; and David Stabler, Classical Music Critic for The Oregonian.

Holiday Music Festival – Big Success!

Our Holiday Music Festival last Saturday was, by all accounts, quite successful. We had 160 performers, a big audience of about 500, and a wide variety of performances (everything from Britten to jazz to little girls in tutus).

Margaret Mayer (piano), Alan Feves (bass), Georgina McThrow (vocals), and John Wilson (drums) provided jazz interludes during several of our stage set up changes, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about this group. With a few more members, they are known as Georgina McThrow and the Soul Review and have been playing some gigs around town. They volunteered their time to play at the Holiday Music Festival, and definitely were one of the many hits of the evening.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Oregon East Symphony blog!  We’ll be using this space to keep you up to date on what’s happening with the Symphony, Chorale and youth programs.  Be sure to check back frequently to see what we’re up to!