Music Festivals in and Near Portland
From blues and jazz to folk and indie pop, the Rose City has plenty to offer any music lover.
Tuck Woodstock
Tuck Woodstock wrote and edited content for Travel Portland from 2014–2020. Read More
Looking for a tuneful way to enjoy your time in Portland? Get your tickets now for these exciting annual celebrations, and browse our events calendar for additional concerts and performances all year round.
Winter & Spring
Chamber Music Northwest Winter Festival – January
Portland’s premier chamber music organization kicks off the year with a week of performances by some of the world’s best classical ensembles at the annual Chamber Music Northwest‘s Winter Festival at Reed College.
Portland Old-Time Music Gathering – January
A dedicated group of volunteers show their love for traditional Appalachian-style string music with the annual Portland Old-Time Music Gathering. This grassroots festival returns to the Tiffany Center every Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend.
Portland Music Month – January
January is Portland Music Month (as officially proclaimed by the City of Portland). To celebrate, MusicPortland has curated 31 days of performances at 12 local venues featuring over 100 music acts.
Biamp Portland Jazz Festival – February
Celebrate Black History Month with the annual Biamp Portland Jazz Festival, hosting dozens of concerts (including several free events) by internationally recognized jazz masters and talented local musicians alike.
Summer
Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival – June
The big sister of CMNW’s winter festival, the Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival is a five-week concert series filling venues across the city with Grammy-winning quartets, world-class pianists, open rehearsals and opportunities to meet composers over a cup of coffee.
Waterfront Blues Festival – July
Every Fourth of July weekend since 1987, downtown Portland’s Tom McCall Waterfront Park plays host to the Waterfront Blues Festival, the country’s second-largest blues festival, featuring midnight blues cruises and headliners like Mavis Staples, Robert Plant and Steve Miller Band.
Cathedral Park Jazz Fest – July
The largest and oldest free jazz festival west of the Mississippi River, the annual Cathedral Park Jazz Festival fills Cathedral Park with three days of world-class jazz, soul, blues and R&B acts beneath the St. Johns Bridge — no admission required.
Harefest – July
Billed as the Northwest’s most nostalgic music festival, the adults-only Harefest music festival in nearby Canby features performances by the region’s best tribute bands. Visitors can expect imitations of Metallica, Heart, Journey and Bon Jovi, to name a few.
Pickathon Music Festival – August
Travel half an hour southeast of Portland to pastoral Pendarvis Farm for three days of independent music and zero-waste camping at Pickathon music festival, led by folk and indie headliners like Andrew Bird, Beach House and Jeff Tweedy.
The William Byrd Festival – August
Founded in 1998, The William Byrd Festival explores the life and work of beloved early English composer William Byrd with a series of concerts, lectures and liturgical services.
Montavilla Jazz Festival – August
Head to the Montavilla neighborhood in Southeast Portland to enjoy the Montavilla Jazz Festival, a weekend of original progressive jazz works composed and performed by skilled Portlanders.
Further Afield
Oregon Country Fair – July
Travel two hours south of Portland to verdant Ventura to join Oregon Country Fair, the state’s preeminent counter-cultural celebration, packed with 45,000 attendees, nearly 1,000 booths and dozens of dance, music and circus performances.
Oregon Jamboree – August
Catch concerts by the likes of Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith and Tim McGraw at the Pacific Northwest’s premier country music festival, Oregon Jamboree, staged in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains 100 miles (161 km) south of Portland.
Upcoming Music Festivals
Discover Portland's music scene at these upcoming festivals.
Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival
Chamber Music Northwest’s annual summer festival combines high-caliber classical music with a laid-back atmosphere.
Latino Cultural Festival
Get ready to immerse yourself in a vibrant celebration of Latin culture at the 17th Annual Washington County Chamber — Unitus Community Credit Union Latino Cultural Festiva. This culturally rich event provides a platform for sharing information, connecting with the community, and promoting local businesses and non-profits to more than 10,000 attendees. The festivities will…
Waterfront Blues Festival
Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.
Cathedral Park Jazz Festival
The Jazz Society’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival is a free concert open to the public and held over three days in mid-July at Cathedral Park at the base of the St. Johns Bridge in the Cathedral Park neighborhood of Portland. Nearing four decades of history, the festival is the longest-running jazz and blues festival west…
Pickathon
Every August, Pickathon draws diverse musical performers to celebrate music and the outdoors at the lush Pendarvis Farm just outside of Portland.
Vanport Jazz Festival
The Vanport Jazz Festival features some of the biggest names in jazz. Grammy winners Patrice Rushen and Esperanza Spalding highlight this year's performers. Come out and enjoy the music, food, and merchandise vendors, as well as Oregon wine and spirits, in an atmosphere that attracts visitors from throughout the United States.
El Grito
Join in the most important holiday celebrated by the Hispanic community in Oregon. El Grito 20th Anniversary immerses the rich traditions of the Latinx community with delicious Mexican cuisine and family-friendly entertainment, folkloric and Aztec dancers, live mariachi, salsa, cumbia and pop music, and interactive and educational community booths. The event also features contests, prizes, raffles,…
OPENING NIGHT: Beethoven, Brahms & Bunch
Opening Night of CMNW’s 54th Summer Festival will be a not-to-be-missed event celebrating Beethoven’s influence on the last two centuries of chamber music. The first concert of the summer features many favorite CMNW artists, including violist Paul Neubauer and renowned pianist Alessio Bax, performing an exquisite Brahms Viola Sonata. Also replaying is the delightful Ralph’s Old…
SONIC EVOLUTION: Mendelssohn, Bernstein & Neikrug
With ear-bending polyphonics, brain-twisting chords, and utterly unpredictable progressions, Beethoven completely redefined what music could sound like. For the second summer concert, beloved clarinetist David Shifrin, violinist Bella Hristova, pianist Alessio Bax, and oboist Frank Rosenwein join forces on three masterpieces that are powered by Beethoven’s unprecedented sonic palette. The program also features a new,…
NEW@NIGHT: Soundscapes of Hartke, Shaw & Penderecki
Netsuke — Japanese miniature carvings — are worlds unto themselves, and Stephen Hartke’s Netsuke explores all their intricacy. Two-time Grammy Award nominee, Jennifer Frautschi, and Portland’s own Monica Ohuchi traverse this captivating work, along with stunning works by Caroline Shaw and Krzysztof Penderecki.
FINALE CONCERT: 2024 Young Artist Institute
Come, be astounded, and witness the next generation of virtuoso musicians performing highlights of four Beethoven String Quartets, and four World Premieres of short Beethoven-inspired mini quartets by young composers from Portland. This ensemble concert is the culmination of an intensive three-week program focused on offering promising young musicians the opportunity to hone their musicianship…
PROTÉGÉ SPOTLIGHT: Bassist Nina Bernat
2024 CMNW Protégé Artist Nina Bernat is emerging as one of the most exciting double bassists in a generation. Acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, expressive depth, and technical clarity, she steps on to the world stage as a recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the 2019 International…
World Premiere of “Prophecies of Fire”
Be among the first to experience Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams’s final major work for chamber ensemble. Prophecies of Fire, co-commissioned by CMNW, will be premiered by the mesmerizing Sandbox Percussion, remembered for their stunning CMNW performances of George Crumb’s American Songbook II and Andy Akiho’s Seven Pillars two summers ago. NOTE: A shuttle from downtown to Reed…
MUSIC ON FIRE: Beethoven, Brahms & Fagerlund
Beethoven’s incendiary and revolutionary Grosse Fuge forever changed music. The almost incomprehensible genius of his “Great Fugue” has powered every genre of music since — from classical to jazz, Motown to heavy metal. We’ll explore equally fiery works by Brahms and Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund, inspired by the musical bonfire Beethoven ignited. After the Grosse Fuge, music would…
INCANDESCENCE: Blazing Works by Joan Tower, Bartók & the “Kreutzer”
Few artists creating music today embody the passion and fire of Beethoven quite like America’s greatest living woman composer, the incomparable Joan Tower. From the World Premiere of her dynamic To Sing or Dance for Violin and Percussion — featuring Artistic Director Soovin Kim and the exhilarating Sandbox Percussion — to Beethoven’s passionate “Kreutzer” Sonata, this concert…
NEW@NIGHT: Elemental Keyboards
Few realize that the piano is, technically, a percussion instrument. Tonight, explore percussive musical innovations inspired by Beethoven’s piano, including marimba, percussion, keyboard, piano, and even percussive cello. Experience these unique works by Keiko Abe, Clancy Newman, Juri Seo, and our CMNW Co-Commissioned World Premiere of Kyle Rivera’s new music for multiple keyboards and percussion…
PREEMINENT PIANO: Beethoven, Ligeti & Goodyear
Four all-star performers take on three exceptionally thrilling works for their instruments. World-renowned horn master Radovan Vlatković tackles Ligeti’s devilishly difficult Horn Trio. Portland’s own revolutionary flutist Amelia Lukas, with the astounding pianist/composer Stewart Goodyear, premiere his stunning The Torment of Marsyas. Then, Busoni and Geneva Piano Competitions winner Chloe Mun conquers Beethoven’s monumental “Hammerklavier.”
KEYBOARD CONVERGENCE: Quintets, Quartets & Solos
Beethoven propelled the piano to the forefront of classical music, challenging both the instrument and pianists as never before. Bold and powerful, subtle and sublime, Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Igor Stravinsky’s three powerful piano showpieces capture the piano’s full versatility in the hands of the world-renowned pianists Artistic Director Gloria Chien, Stewart Goodyear, and…
PROTÉGÉ SPOTLIGHT: Claire Wells & Chloe Mun
Not one, but two of the world’s most acclaimed emerging musicians take the stage for this Protégé Spotlight Recital. Pianist Chloe Mun is the winner of both the prestigious Geneva International Competition and Italy’s Busoni Competition. Joining her is violinist Claire Wells, the 2021 winner of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition. Already in demand from…
NEW@NIGHT: The Genius of Jörg Widmann
Mirroring Beethoven’s multifaceted mastery, revolutionary German composer, virtuosic clarinetist, and leading conductor Jörg Widmann is one of today’s greatest inheritors of Beethoven’s legacy. Widmann is considered one of the most versatile and intriguing artists of this generation, with his works ranging from chamber to symphonic and operatic. Experience Widmann’s impressive versatility, including the U.S. Premiere…
SOARING SOLOISTS: Clarinet, Cello & Piano
More than any previous composer, Beethoven challenged musicians to reach new heights, redefining musical virtuosity. Tonight’s program features soaring soloist masterworks, including Beethoven’s Cello Sonata No. 3, Jörg Widmann’s clarinet Fantasie, and Weber’s epic Clarinet Quintet arranged for chamber orchestra — performed by some of the world’s finest on their instruments.
Project Pabst
Project Pabst is a two-day, two-stage festival featuring some of the best acts in live music. The event will be an outdoor blowout with access to both stages, food, beverages and more. The event is 21+. No minors.
FESTIVAL FINALE: Celestial Virtuosity
The stars align for the final concert of our Summer Festival, celebrating Beethoven’s profound influence on the evolution of music. Messiaen’s transcendent Interstellar Call and Ravel’s heroic and nearly orchestral Piano Trio capture both the grace and power he brought to music. Beethoven’s masterfully entertaining Septet in E-flat Major — arguably the greatest septet ever written…
Annual Music Events
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