From its earliest days rehearsing under leaky pipes in the old Lutheran church’s basement to performances at Carnegie Hall, recording albums, and tours taking them across the United States and Europe, it is safe to say that things have changed quite a bit over the last 40 years for Oregon Chorale. One of the cornerstones of Hillsboro’s artistic community, the venerable choir has hosted hundreds of events and thousands of singers, survived by online rehearsals over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, and created opportunities for singers of all levels during its long history.
Now entering its 40th season, Oregon Chorale’s artistic director Jason Sabino (only the second person to hold this position) is excited not just for the upcoming special performance ‘Forty and Fabulous,’ but also for a season bringing back old friends and new music.
“We wanted to frame it as a celebration of the Chorale, to honor its journey from where it came and also where it’s going, as well as being a celebration of what it is now,” said Sabino.
Oregon Chorale is putting together two special performances on March 15 and 16 to honor its present, its legacy, and its future. Returning for these anniversary shows is the choir’s founding artistic director, Bernie Kuehn, who retired in 2015. Along with his return to the podium, the show will feature a reunion choir made up of 40 alumni of the Oregon Chorale, stretching across its whole history, who will perform alongside the current 80-person iteration of the choir.
Also returning is internationally acclaimed composer David Walters, who currently lives in Atlanta. Walters, who briefly sang with Oregon Chorale before the COVID-19 pandemic, has composed a brand new piece, “Crave the Light,” which will have its world premiere performed by the chorale this weekend at the Cedar Mill Christ United Methodist Church. The composition, commissioned by his old Portland State University friend Jason Sabino, gets its name from a passage from Walt Whitman’s “Oh Me! Oh Life!”
Walters wanted the piece to not only look back at the Chorale’s storied past, but also look toward the future. “It’s taking stock of where we are, but also about building momentum and getting excited about the future.”
As Walters explains, the text of “crave the light,” also taken from Whitman’s collection ‘Leaves of Grass,’ features a meditation on the meaning of existence. The poem asks how one can reconcile with the weight of a world that rockets around us without our control. The poem answers this question, stating that regardless of what is happening in the world, life still exists, the ‘powerful play’ goes on, and each of us has the opportunity to contribute a verse to it.
“I thought that spoke to what the Chorale has done to this point. They have seen the play going on, and they jumped in. I know it sounds a little like a [motivational] cat poster, but there’s a real power in taking ownership of the agency that’s available to you and using it to make some kind of difference, however small or large,” said Walters.
When asked about what he hopes the future of the Chorale looks like, Sabino points to the organization’s mission statement of inspiring and connecting the community through exceptional choral performances and educational outreach and fostering a lifelong love of music for all. “The arts, more now than ever, are so important to create a stronger community and more empathy in our society. It’s up to us to continue to fight for it. In the next 40 years I hope the chorale continues to be in a position to achieve that mission.”
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