Opera in the Park and Portland Festival Symphony take music to the … – Here is Oregon

It’s time to celebrate summer with a picnic basket, blanket, a libation, and lawn chairs (low profile, of course) and then head to the park where you can hear live classical music for free. That’s right – free!

Portland’s annual Opera in the Park will take place in Washington Park on Sunday, Aug. 13, with a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” one of the greatest operas in the canon. To top that off, you can also enjoy the Portland Festival Symphony the following weekend at Foothills Park in Lake Oswego on Saturday, Aug. 19, and at Washington Park on Sunday, Aug. 20. All concerts begin at 6 p.m., and it is highly recommended that you arrive at least 30 minutes early to find a spot.

Opera in the Park – ‘Rigoletto’ gratis!

A Portland tradition for the past 21 years, Opera in the Park usually draws at least 5,000 people to the amphitheater in Washington Park. Conductor Keith Clark, who has led Opera in the Park every year except one, has packed the lineup with top-tier singers. You’ll hear acclaimed baritone Luís Ledesma in the title role, soprano Aubry Ballerò in her Oregon debut as his daughter Gilda, and Mexican tenor César Delgado as the licentious playboy, Duke of Mantua. The cast also includes bass DeAndre Simmons, who sang in “Aida” last year, and Portland favorites mezzo Hannah Penn soprano Jocelyn Claire Thomas, and baritone Richard Zeller.

“Rigoletto” will be sung in Italian, and programs will be available. Clark will also provide a brief synopsis of the plot as the story progresses. Newcomers to Verdi’s beloved masterpiece should know that “Rigoletto” is a tragedy that contains many spectacular arias, including one of the most popular songs of all time, “La donna è mobile,” which has been used in countless movies, commercials, and even video games.

“I have conducted ‘Rigoletto’ many times along with most of the standard Verdi operas, save a few early ones,” said Clark. “The catchy tunes, the great orchestration, the dramatic arc of the story – it’s a powerful opera that immediately connects with audiences. People who experience it for the first time will want to hear more Verdi, guaranteed.”

The acoustics of the outdoor setting is compensated with excellent amplification. The tiers of the amphitheater allow for excellent sightlines.

“I love the informality of the setting,” said Clark. “The family picnics especially contribute to the relaxing atmosphere, and the striking beauty of the Rose Garden nearby just makes everything even more special.”

Opera in the Park is a work of passion that maximizes every dollar. According to Clark, the board and volunteers work all year to raise up to $80,000 to make this event possible. There are no paid staff.

“We offer a high-quality experience and perform from the heart,” added Clark. “People love it. Come and you’ll find out!”

Portland Festival Symphony – two free outdoor concerts

Why stop with opera? You can double your fun by hearing the Portland Festival Symphony at Foothills Park in Lake Oswego and at Washington Park.

Lajos Balogh, the orchestra’s Founder and Music Director Emeritus, will conduct Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” two of Brahms “Hungarian Dances,” and Liszt’s “Gaudeamus Igitur” (“So Let Us Rejoice”). Cameron May, Music Director Designate, will take the podium for Berlioz’s “Hungarian March,” Coleridge-Taylor’s “Danse Nigre,” Vaughn Williams’ “Sea Songs,” Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty Waltz,” and two of Dvořák’s “Slavonic Dances.” To top that off, Haydn’s “Toy Symphony” will offer participation for kids to make a joyful noise.

“I think that the Portland Festival Symphony is a great way to bring music to the people,” Balogh said. “They can bring food, their children, and their dogs, on a leash, of course.”

Lajos and the orchestra have been taking it to the people for the past 42 years.

“I started the orchestra in 1981 when I became a U.S. citizen,” said Balogh, who emigrated from Hungary. “I wanted to celebrate and give something back to whole community. The first concert was a huge success. According to the park bureau, seven thousand people attended. Afterwards I had many requests to do it again and keep it going.”

Now at age 92, Balogh feels that it is time to hand over the baton.

“It is my intent that this is my last year as music director,” said Balogh. I hope that Cameron can continue doing this, because I would like it to be a tradition.”

May conducted the orchestra last year, when it offered only one concert. May is the Music Director of Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia and conductor of the SPSCC Symphony Orchestra at South Puget Sound Community College. He has a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“I played violin in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for nine years and my senior year in high school was Lajos’ last year of conducting that orchestra,” said May, who is 29 years old. “I owe him my career because he handed me a baton when I was in MYS, and then he walked out of the room. You can imagine how scared I was! Now, I love conducting, and the festival orchestra is wonderful. It’s fast cooking because we have one rehearsal and boom, we are on!”