MUSIC

From classical to country and western, blues to bluegrass, cool jazz to hot punk rock, there is music for every taste in Central Oregon.  Venues range from huge outdoor amphitheaters to small, intimate clubs and coffee houses - with a few high school and college auditoriums thrown in.  Wherever your passion takes you, you’ll find a congenial crowd of fellow aficionados in a friendly atmosphere.

If classical appeals, Cascade Festival of Music will satisfy your sensibilities.  A full week of concerts is presented in late summer, as well as the traditional Nutcracker Ballet during the Christmas season.  

Central Oregon Symphony Orchestra presents a series of concerts throughout the year.  Click the preceding link for schedules and programs.  World famous artists showcase their talents in these outstanding presentations.

On a lighter note, Redmond Community Concert Association brings unique entertainment throughout the season at the Redmond High School auditorium.  For details and tickets, click the preceding link.  There’s real variety in this popular concert series.

Sunriver Music Festival will tempt you to the southern part of Deschutes County for an evening of melody.  The Sunriver Festival is presented in August in both outdoor and indoor venues.  The Fireside Series is held indoors, either at Sunriver or in the Tower Theater in Bend.  Click the link for details about artists and programs.

Swing into summer with Dixieland Jazz in the Canyon, featuring more than 40 outstanding Dixieland musicians performing at Crooked River Ranch.  Call (541) 504-4673 for more information.

Then wind up summer at the Sisters Folk Festival in September, featuring American music from blues to bluegrass.  Click the link for more information.

And no summer is complete in Central Oregon without checking out the concerts presented at Les Schwab Amphitheater, on the riverfront in Bend.  You’ll find such familiar names as Diane Krall, Willie Nelson, Chris Isaak and Allison Krauss.  Visit the website (above) for ticket information, times, dates, and general information about this wonderful venue across the beautiful Deschutes River from Bend's Old Mill District.  

The Athletic Club of Bend also presents an outdoor summer concert series.  Click the club's link above for information.

Two additional events enhance the music scene in Sisters.  Each year in the spring, Sisters Starry Nights presents a concert series featuring nationally renowned musical headliners.  To drop just a few names:  Kenny Loggins, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, LeeAnn Womack, Gary Morris, Kathy Mattea, Kim Carnes and Kenny Rankin.  The event is a benefit for the Sisters School District Foundation, so if you go, it’s for a good cause as well as great music.  Click the "Starry Nights" link above then check the "Calendar of Events" section.  And in September, Sisters Jazz Festival fills a whole weekend with the sound of Dixieland and cool jazz at four venues throughout the town.  Click the "Jazz Festival" link above for dates and reservations.  Things are festive indeed in Sisters.

Small clubs, large clubs, coffeehouses, and private organizations fill out the year in music with many and varied presentations.  For the best listing of the venues, try www.bendbulletin.com and check their Friday “GO” magazine.  Another resource to try is www.centraloregonjazzsociety.org.  Happy listening.

Three venues present popular music concerts in a family-friendly atmosphere.  Beginning in July of each summer, Munch and Music free concerts are held on Thursday nights in Bend’s Drake Park.  See www.c3events.com for details on this and several other events.  In Redmond, Music on the Green concerts are held on Wednesday evenings at scenic Sam Johnson Park.    

Billed as the “only Oregon opera company east of the Cascades,”  Obsidian Opera Company provides outstanding vocal music performances along with educational outreach to aspiring performers.  Founded in 1997, Obsidian has for the past decade presented both classical opera and traditional favorites like “Fiddler On the Roof.”  Visit the Obsidian Opera Company website for information about venues and performances.