Chamber Music Northwest’s Summer Festival

Name: Chamber Music Northwest’s Summer Festival
Start: 2025-06-23
End: 2025-07-27
Location: Various Locations

Live classical music and laid-back vibes meet at this annual summer festival.

Oregon Arts Watch

Classical Music in Portland

Classical music in Portland isn’t just the classics. Classical musicians offer new and innovative works, and an ongoing lineup of inspiring performances, from timeless works to modern interpretations.

History of CMNW Summer Festival

The festival was created by violinist Sergiu Luca, who served as artistic director until 1981 when he was replaced by clarinetist David Shifrin. Before becoming a professor of music at Yale University and artistic director of the Chamber Music Society at Yale series, Shifrin was artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 1992 to 2004. Those connections have kept the pipeline of excellent musicians flowing to Portland, summer after summer. These include young musicians and ensembles chosen for the Protégé Project, who receive coaching from great musicians before rehearsing and performing with them at the festival.

Over the years, the summer festival has evolved, spreading out from its Reed College base to clubs and concert halls across the city. The music has changed, too, extending to include music from the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring musical Americana like classic jazz standards from artists like Dizzy Gillespie and a composer’s take on 1960s rock-n-roll fantasy.