Outdoor concerts by the Oregon Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony

Tonight you have your choice of two outdoor concerts, the Oregon Symphony concert at Waterfront Park in Portland or the Vancouver Symphony concert at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Washington. The musical extravaganza in Portland starts earlier than the event in Vancouver, because the Portland Youth Philharmonic under its new conductor David Hattner takes the stage at 5pm. The Oregon Symphony's concert begins at 7 pm and will feature guest artists from Portland Opera and the Oregon Ballet Theatre, plus Michael Allen Harrison, a local celebrity pianist. You can read the programs for both the PYP concert and the OSO concert here.

I wrote a preview of the Vancouver Symphony concert for The Columbian newspaper. Two young singers, ChristyAnne Hamilton and Amy Cole, who received a lot of their training at Portland State University are featured with Stacey Murdock and Brennen Guillory in this concert of light opera numbers.

Both concerts are a great way to enjoy classical music under the setting sun. And they are free!