Sunday, March 22, 2009

24/7 Beethoven finale the coolest thing

I've just returned from singing in the final concert of the 24/7 event at the Weiden + Kennedy headquarters. That was a terrific event! The audience was packed in like sardines from the rafters to the concert floor, the orchestra played at full throttle, the soloists sang as if it was their last chance ever, conductor David Hattner had extra mojo in his baton, and the choir left everything on the floor! To top it off, this performance occurred at the tail end of 24 hours of continuous music making by a wonderful blend of Portlanders. Bill Crane, Thomas Lauderdale, and Howie Bagadonutz Bierbaum put this event together with about two weeks notice. But due to the spontaneity of it all, there's even more talent in Portland that went untapped. It is certainly possible that Portland could present a week of continuous music without breaking a sweat. The 24/7 performances really makes this town unique. I hope that we can rally again to do an event like this someday in the future, because it elevates people and music in a positive way.

Kudos to soloists Lisa Mooyman, Angela Niederloh, Carl Halverson, and Richard Zeller, members of the orchestra (mostly from Oregon Symphony), and chorus (mostly from the Portland Symphonic Choir).

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