Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival

Featuring a kaleidoscopic selection of genres, movements, labels, bands, and solo artists, the annual Reel Music film festival features the latest in music film—from intimate portraits to career-spanning celebrations—alongside archival films ripe for re-discovery. Whether your passion is jazz, blues, folk, rock, electronic, world, classical—or anything between—we hope you find something to discover and inspire…

​Music is medicine. RX Fest is a multi-venue, multi-day festival is a large-scale benefit for organizations vital to our community, all centrally located in downtown Portland at Star Theater, Dante’s, Kelly’s Olympian and Valentine’s.

For centuries, opera has manipulated gender: men playing women, women singing “trouser roles” as men. In this production, contralto Vicki St. Pierre sings roles written for several of the Baroque era’s famed castrati. Monica Huggett leads the orchestra in a new twist of gender in Handel opera, including the captivating “mad scene” from Orlando. “Portland…

The Portland Jazz Festival returns every February with a stellar series of concerts and events celebrating Black History Month.

Celebrating trans and non-binary lives through story and song. All are welcome. ASL interpretation will be provided, complimentary light refreshments served, night market to follow. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.

Celebrate Portland’s annual Brazilian Carnaval Ball. The theme for 2020 is Infinite Light, and this year is the first time that the event will be celebrated at the Crystal Ballroom and as an all-ages event. Kids welcome! Presenting: Bloco Alegria – Authentic Rio Drums Carnaval BandMandela Dance – Presenting and teaching Funk Carioca & AxéMaracatu…

Concertmaster Sarah Kwak takes center stage in opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s sensuous and expressive Violin Concerto. Dmitri Shostakovich’s cinematic Eleventh Symphony depicts the struggle and drama of the Russian Revolution of 1905 in vivid detail. “These concerts feature a pair of mid-century compositions: an American violin concerto and a Russian symphony. Oregon Symphony concertmaster…

For over 50 years, South Africa’s four-time Grammy Award winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with their uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charming onstage banter. With a deep respect for both their cultural and personal history, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is ever-evolving with an eye toward their long musical…

Join Reed College in celebrating its third annual Black Arts Festival! Family-friendly, free and open to all, this festival offers a full concert experience with performances by: BbymuthaMaarquiiZsa ZsaBnickFather FannieHouse of OliverThese musical performances are accompanied by a BIPoC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) Community Marketplace, featuring local vendors and food and drink purveyors,…

Resonance Ensemble performs Safe Harbor, a concert of powerful new vocal music exploring experiences of asylum and exile and what it means to be an immigrant as we celebrate the shared diversity that forms the unique story of the United States. At Safe Harbor, Resonance Ensemble will unveil their newly-commissioned work by the composer and…

Local weirdos Plastic Weather have gone and made a circus, in the tradition of the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, they present to you: The Plastic Weather Circus Spectacular. Featuring musical performances from Plastic Weather, Seance Crasher and Internet Beef. In the spirit of variety, there will also be the comedy stylings of Jay…

Relive the 1920s in all its decadence. The Oregon Symphony will take you through the dark cabarets and speakeasies of New York, Paris, Berlin, London and Atlantic City, featuring the top hits of the decade, from Rudy Vallée to Josephine Baker and from Kurt Weill to King Oliver. This concert will feature vintage imagery and…

The Portland Lindy Society hosts a lively weekend of swing dancing, lessons and live swing bands. Bands featured ta previous events have included Sherri Colby and the Racket Makers, the Casey MacGill Combo, plus several of Portland’s best local bands including The Hot Lovin’ Jazz Babies, The Midnight Serenaders, and Baby and the Pearl Blowers.

Soul Queens & Blues Kings A benefit for HEALTH CARE FOR ALL- OREGON “Healing the Healthcare Blues” This very special showcase will celebrate icons of Soul and the Blues pioneers that helped shape the history of music. Norman “Boogie Cat” Sylvester brings together some of our local R&B favorites: Lenanne Miller, Renato Caranto, LaRhonda Steele,…

Every Fourth of July weekend, the Waterfront Blues Festival takes over downtown Portland’s Waterfront Park.

Every August since 1999, Pickathon draws diverse musical performers to celebrate music and the outdoors at the lush Pendarvis Farm just outside of Portland.

Pump up the jam with Micah and Me, an energetic kids’ band comprised of three stay-at-home dads who know how to throw a good dance party. This 45-minute set will be followed by an instrument petting zoo, where kids will have a chance to strum, shake and roll to their hearts’ content. Open to members…

Presented by Oregon Symphony. Take a thrilling journey through some of John Williams’ most beloved cinematic scores, including Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, as well as his Olympic Fanfare.

Soul on the Rocks, with Strange & the Familiars (Full Band) and Rhythm DeLucca. A night of original funk, soul, jazz, and macabre gypsy music.

From practicing in their family shed as teenagers in rural Australia, to touring the world with Fleetwood Mac, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, King Tuff and King Gizzard, it’s been a strange trip for the four Findlay sisters. As Stonefield, they’ve got three albums and thousands of miles under their belts, plus plenty of perspective on…

Wisconsin-based, hooky alternative pop outfit with a cult following.

This House of Mine (T.H.O.M) is a collaborative zine about reproductive health. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go toward the artists who are contributing to the zine. There will be a uterus piñata, photo booth, body art and print sale. Live music begins at 9 p.m. with Fat Kitten, AC Sapphire and Disassturbator. This is…

An intimate, mostly seated show with Dutch minimalist pianist and composer.

Free live performance from ZZ Ward at the Bloodworks Live Studio. RSVP for tickets at bloodworkslivestudio.com

Infectious, harmony-driven indie-pop-rock from Portland five-piece. With: Schaus, Blue Tomorrows.

ZZ Ward didn’t have to look far for inspiration on her second full-length album, 2017’s The Storm. Equally evocative of blues grit and hip-hop bounce, the Los Angeles-based vocal powerhouse and multi-instrumentalist leapt forward by taking a deeper look at some of her earliest inspirations—including Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Johnson, Vera Ward Hall and Big Mama…

Chicagoan Ezra Furman’s second solo album Day Of The Dog has finally gained him the attention that he deserves. Two BBC 6 Music sessions with Marc Riley and Marc’s enthusiastic support have helped spread the word. Extensive touring with his band the Boy Friends in the U.K. and Europe in 2014 has built up a…

To say The Glorious Sons have been playing bigger stages these past few years is a serious understatement. Since the release of their 2015 debut The Union, the band has shared bills in North America and Europe with everyone from The Rolling Stones and The Struts to Greta Van Fleet and Twenty-One Pilots. Their headline…

The Life After Tour. With: Janet May.

When a couple begins to understand each other’s unique attitudes and behaviors towards money, they can take action to align their values and practice wise financial habits. The result is a life that is more content, confident and generous together. Thrivent Member Network – Pacific Cascade Region presents a special event: Love & Money. Enjoy…

Pianist, producer, DJ and all round musical maverick Mark de Clive-Lowe blends cutting-edge electronics, live beat-making, classic funk and global influences with a distinctly jazz-inspired approach. At this PDX Jazz Festival concert, Clive-Lowe is joined by Jaimie Branch. A mainstay of the Chicago jazz scene and an active recent addition to the New York scene,…

Colorado’s Trout Steak Revival has announced the release of their fifth studio album in the winter of 2020 and will kick off its album release with a tour through the Colorado mountains, Montana and the Pacific Northwest. The album includes an array of original songs crafted over the last several years by the individual songwriters…

Born in Chattanooga and now based in Johnson City, Amythyst Kiah’s commanding stage presence is matched by her raw and powerful vocals—a deeply moving, hypnotic sound that stirs echoes of a distant and restless past. Accompanied interchangeably with banjo, acoustic guitar, or a full band, her eclectic influences span decades, finding inspiration in old time…

Performing their albums The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most & A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar in full.

Led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Joseph Mount, Metronomy grew from a scrappy, lo-fi side project into one of the more creative acts mixing rock and electronic music. Drawing on influences ranging from Devo and David Bowie to N.E.R.D. and Pavement, Mount established Metronomy as an equally catchy and off-kilter act with 2006’s Pip Paine (Pay…

An evening of local no-wave and lo-fi garage rock to celebrate Yuvees’ music video premiere. With: Nick Normal, Spoon Benders.

Based out of Venice, California, the Dustbowl Revival are a large string and brass ensemble whose colorful combination of swing, bluegrass, jazz and Americana have earned them a national following. Known for their rowdy, energetic live shows, the group’s lineup has swelled to as large as 15 members including various horns, mandolin, banjo, accordion, clarinet…

Headed by Snarky Puppy’s multi Grammy–winning percussion duo of Robert Sput Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note promises an explosion of sound at its PDX Jazz Festival performance. With an expansive roster of next-level musicians (representing members of Prince, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar, Marcus Miller, Toto, Justin Timberlake and more) —the band…

Kendall Concerts: Music Under the Dome is a monthly planetarium concert series combining live performances with stunning visuals in riots of color, shape and movement, enveloping the audience into an adventure of the senses without ever having to leave their seat. Die Robot is an American alternative rock, electro-Industrial band. This is future rock in…

Daniel Goldstein, better known by his stage name Lane 8, is an American musician, electronic music producer and DJ. Currently residing in Denver, Colorado, he is signed to English deep house label Anjunadeep. With: Paraleven.

Equal parts psychedelic pop, soft rock and primitive synth pop. With: Gary Wilson & the Blind Dates, Bryson Cone.

Nineteen-time Grammy nominee, four-time Grammy winner and all-time guitar great Larry Carlton is joined by guitar viurtuoso Stanley Jordan at this PDX Jazz Festival performance. Carlton has 38 albums to his credit and has performed on over 100 albums that have gone Gold or Platinum. Jordan has performed in over 60 countries on six continents,…

Portland’s homage to the luscious dance bands of a bygone era launches into its fourth year of producing dances every month. The 11-piece ensemble painstakingly recreates the sounds of the large society dance bands that were so prominent in the 1920s and ’30s, found performing on ocean liners and in the grand ballrooms of Art…

With a high-energy mix of funk, rock, electronica and jazz, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong has made their mark as a band that will always bring a good time. With: Goose.

One of the finest fiddlers Scotland has ever produced and his California-born music partner bring their Celtic magic.

Singer and saxophonist Karl Denson fronts his band the Tiny Universe as if he’s preaching the gospel. Merging funk, soul, rock, jazz, blues and more, his energy and spirit are contagious, while his songwriting serves a larger message of fellowship — across generations, genders, religions and cultures.

A Texas two-step of energetic, orchestral Americana and soulful blues-rock. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with help from the London Symphony Orchestra, Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold is Mike and the Moonpies’ most adventurous record to date – an album that diversifies the band’s honky-tonk roots by adding lush strings, cinematic arrangements and collaborative…

Portland boy band from 2005 with a global agenda of sexiness returns for a reunion tour. With: Internet Beef, Rap Class.

Dancy Australian indie rock four-piece. With: Little Image.

Enjoy the sounds of Terry Riley (composer, pianist, vocalist) and his son, classical guitarist Gyan Riley, at this PDX Jazz Festival performance. Riley launched the minimalist movement with his classic IN C, composed in 1964, a seminal work, which was to have an enormous impact on the course of Western music. In addition to his…