Lullaby Project
Together with musicians from the Oregon Symphony and local singer-songwriters, parents and parents-to-be experiencing homelessness and other challenging life situations create personal lullabies for their children each year.
Education & Community
Community Programs
From classrooms to concert halls, from correctional facilities to retirement homes, the Oregon Symphony strives to create a stronger and more vibrant community through music. Through these projects, we use music’s transformative power to inspire our youth, foster life-long learning, and bring healing and joyous music to all parts of our community.
Northwest Community Gospel Chorus
The Northwest Community Gospel Chorus (NWCGC) is an audition-based community chorus formed to bring Gospel music to the audiences of the Oregon Symphony. The NWCGC joins the Oregon Symphony every holiday season to present the annual Gospel Christmas concerts.
Artist-in-Residence
We foster a long-term connection between our performers and our community by bringing a special guest artist to Portland for extended residencies of educational visits, free public performances, and concert appearances over the course of three years.
Rizzo-Cummings Emerging Composer Fellowship
The Rizzo-Cummings Emerging Composer Fellowship offers an annual residency with the Oregon Symphony to a college- or graduate-level student in music composition. The Fellow receives institutional support, including a stipend, mentorship, and a reading session of the piece, as they compose a new work. The fellowship culminates in a finished piece of new music performed onstage by the Oregon Symphony.
musicNOW
Oregon Symphony musicians partner with Earthtones Northwest Music Therapy to bring interactive, music therapy-informed experiences to memory care facilities, senior living residences, and centers serving adults with disabilities. Through beautiful live music, gentle movement, and meaningful connection, these sessions foster moments of joy, engagement, and well-being. Explore the photos below to see the impact of this inspiring work.