2015 CLUC WAS OUR THIRD FESTIVAL OF FREE CONCERTS

It started with a fundraising event at a supper club, got officially underway with a "Blitz" at the Beaverton Library on April 24 and ended with a grand finale at Bethany Presbyterian Church on May 3:

• 10 full-length concerts and 6 brief pop-up events we call blitzes
• 52 Oregon Symphony musicians sharing their personal favorite chamber pieces 
• Special guests like Pink Martini's China Forbes joining in for love of the Oregon Symphony 
•  $1000 donated to the Oregon Symphony thanks to the generosity of the crowds 
• 1,380 community members hearing great classical music in their own neighborhoods, enthusiastically engaging with the music and the musicians, asking questions (we love the questions!) and some even sitting on stage with the performers. 

This is why we do it! It's a way for us to give back to the community that supports us and a chance to get to know our audiences up close and personal. The appreciation from attendees is palpable. We hear from long-time Symphony-goers that the opportunity to get to know us as individuals is a treat, and we hear from those who haven't taken in much classical music that this was an inviting way to give it a try.

We go all over town. 2015 brought our free full-length chamber music concerts to SE Portland, NE Portland, NW Portland, Hollywood District, Lake Oswego, and Beaverton. The shorter "blitz" events were in even more surprising places than ever: Beaverton Library, American Legion Post #134, Powell's Books, Concordia University, Meals on Wheels, PDX Playdate, Oregon Symphony ticket office, and our first foray into SW Washington with two special concerts for children at the Vancouver City Library! ​