The Portland State School of Music will host their third annual Music Forward benefit concert on Friday, Dec. 5 in Lincoln Performance Hall to raise money for music scholarships. General admission is priced at $25, but student tickets are reduced to $5.
The show will feature performances by all of the university’s large ensemble bands, such as the PSU Chamber Choir, PSU Wind Symphony, PSU Jazz Ensemble, PSU Orchestra and the Taiko Ensemble. This is the first year that the faculty held auditions for students wanting to perform.
Darrell Grant, associate professor of music and one of the board faculty members, said Music Forward was developed three years ago when the school wanted to create something that could simultaneously show off the talent of students and faculty while aiding scholarships.
“To put together the show, we come together as a community and look at what type of repertoire people already have and are interested in, and pick things that will show the diversity of talent within the school,” Grant said.
The committee determines the program, but takes suggestions from the students and really looks at what will highlight everyone’s diverse talent.
Something unique about Music Forward is the staging.
“We try to have it so there is no break in between songs, the music is always going,” Grant said.
Christine Meadows, the vocal area coordinator at the School of Music and fellow program coordinator for Music Forward, said she looks at the show as if it were a full production, where staging is just as important as the programming itself.
“You know in a program like this, you don’t want to watch people adjust and move around chairs. It’s snappy,” Meadows said.
According to Meadows, at least a third of PSU music students are voice students, and the scholarships are needed. Music Forward has done extremely well since its first show, when it garnered nearly $12,000 to go toward student scholarships.
The Portland area is home to an increasing number of arts events, where it is easy to get overshadowed by competition. But Grant said he thinks Music Forward has done a good job of overcoming the noise.
“I hope we get a good audience this year. It creates a fantastic spirit to get everyone involved, and the audience also feels involved in the show,” said Meadows.
Additionally, this is a stellar opportunity to see talented classmates and teachers for an incredibly low price. Faculty members Hamilton Cheifetz, George Colligan, Jeff Baker, Meadows, Bryan Johanson and Grant will also be on the list of performers. One of the group of performers will be putting on an original composition.
“The students really appreciate the faculty, it’s really exciting to do it all together,” said Meadows. Meadows said that while there are already many separate student and faculty shows, it’s especially memorable to see them perform together.
The rehearsal schedule varies for each song. One group might have been working since the beginning of the term while others do personal work before joining together for a couple of rehearsals.
Music Forward is not only a production that joins students and faculty together, but a production that leaves the audience feeling included during a night of raw talent.