December 27, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OPB RADIO BROADCASTS OREGON SYMPHONY CONCERTS

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Portland, Ore. … The Oregon Symphony, conducted by Music Director Carlos Kalmar, performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral" and The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky on the stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) Radio on Friday, January 7 from 9 to 11 p.m. The broadcast kicks off a series of classical Oregon Symphony concerts that will be aired on OPB Radio the first Friday in each month for the next 10 months.

"OPB is pleased to partner with the Oregon Symphony to make it possible for their performances to be heard throughout the state," said Jack Galmiche, executive vice president and COO of OPB, who announced the plans for the partnership in September. “The Symphony and OPB share a responsibility to provide quality cultural programming to every citizen throughout our region and this partnership provides us with a wonderful opportunity to do that.”

"This is an incredibly important step for the Symphony," said Symphony President William Ryberg. "We are committed to engaging the broadest possible statewide audience with our concerts and education programs, and there is no doubt that this partnership with OPB aids that effort immeasurably. We look forward to exploring other creative means of serving the state together."

In addition to concerts, OPB and KBPS All Classical 89.9 are collaborating to bring listeners interviews with musicians and conductors during the performance intermission, further enlightening the concert experience. The opening interview features Oregon Symphony Music Director Carlos Kalmar. All broadcasts will repeat on KBPS later in the year.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is a statewide network of community-supported learning resources, including OPB Television, an affiliate of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and OPB Radio, presenting local news coverage and the programs of National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). The OPB Web site is opb.org.

For a list of OPB Radio frequencies, log on to www.opb.org.