Student diary… Salem concert, Monmouth, WOU

Dear Diary,

Normal day. Woke up and resisted urge to skip classes. Remember the good old days when we could do that? College kind of requires attendance. Notes to take, things to remember

Rachel called—thinks she might be getting back together with the ex. Whatever.

Wanted to do something tonight. Maybe go to concert. Too bad all Salem concerts expensive or boring. Checked Western Oregon University website and found there was something going on—a guest artist or something. Didn’t even know Monmouth had concerts. Thought only Salem did. Free, too. Seriously good price. Dragged Owen along. He likes music, too. Was actually a lot of fun. Was some singer/songwriter guitarist. Very talented. Cute hair. Nice that we didn’t even have to drive to Salem, which totally saved on gas. (Seriously, prices getting ridiculous.) Have decided to stay in Monmouth whenever I need a music hit. Salem concert has got nothing on us now.

PS. Rachel called afterward. No reunion with ex, thank goodness.

Top Ten Reasons to See a Jazz Concert at WOU

Top Ten Reasons to See a Jazz Concert at WOU

10. Concerts at Western Oregon University are extremely affordable, sometimes even free. So there’s no strain on your wallet.

9. The musicians are all extremely talented and some (like Gordon Lee) are very well known within the jazz studies community.

8. You’re helping support the music school at Western Oregon University.

7. Its local. Finding the Rice Auditorium is simple and there is no shortage of parking.

6. Trying to impress someone? Take them on a date to an Oregon jazz concert. It not only makes you appear cultured, but it will also be fun.

5. No reservations are required! Tickets can be purchased at the door, making spur of the moment visits easy.

4. There is a lot of variety within the concerts—there are many different combos and musicians playing. They can be professionals or even students at Western Oregon University.

3. Rice Auditorium (the place where all concerts are held) is a relatively new building. It can hold large audiences without feeling crowded and smaller audiences can sit close to the stage.

2. Remember, it is affordable.

1. It is more enriching than watching another episode of “Desperate Housewives.”

Eugene Concerts… chat room dialog…

(Owen_02 has entered chat room)

Owen_02: Um, hello?

(Rach-Rach has entered chat room)

Owen_02: About time.

Rach-Rach: Hey—I’m not late. Right on time. Not my fault you’re freakishly early.

Owen_02: I’ve got other homework to do. I want to get this done. Tara isn’t even on yet.

Rach-Rach: Really? Why not?

(Tara13 has entered chat room)

Tara13: Sense of self-preservation. Hey guys.

Owen_02: Finally.

Tara13: Is he being freakishly punctual again?

Rach-Rach: Yep.

Owen_02: Okay, lay it on me. What have you found?

Tara13: This is what I get for taking a marketing class. Fine, fine. I’ve been looking into ways to advertise Eugene, Oregon, and all I keep getting are concerts.

Rach-Rach: What kind? Rap? Pop?

Tara13: Think older. Symphony Orchestras and choral music choirs and some Bach festival.

Owen_02: We can work with that. Go on.

Tara13: First there are choir concerts—we’ve got the Eugene Jazz Concert Choir…

Rach-Rach: Kind of a self-explanatory name.

Tara13: Tell me about it. Then we’ve got the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble. That one has a wide variety of concerts, everything from opera to classic rock.

Owen_02: What about the Bach thing?

Tara13: Happens every summer and put on by University of Oregon. It began in 1970 and has continued on since then. It’s apparently one of Eugene’s biggest events of the year.

Rach-Rach: Like the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Tara13: Exactly.

Owen_02: So in our pamphlet, we should focus on music.

Rach-Rach: More original than football.

Tara13: Sounds good to me, as long as someone else does a bit of research. I’m tired.

Owen_02: I’ll look for more stuff in the area. Continue the concert theme, only find places in Corvallis, Monmouth, and Salem. There’s got to be more…

(Rach-Rach has left chat room)

Owen_02: And maybe we could attend an Oregon orchestra concert or something…

(Tara13 has left chat room)

Owen_02: …Or the choir. Sounds interesting to me.

Owen_02: Wait, guys? Guys? Tell me you didn’t log out.

Owen_02: I need better project partners.

(Chat room is empty)

Oregon Concerts

When you think about Oregon, the first things to come to mind are usually fir trees, the Oregon Trail, and large areas of rural land. But what you should think is music, music, music. Oregon is home to many musical communities, ranging from jazz to classical. There are countless concerts and musicians performing at all times of the year in many Oregon cities, especially those with universities.

Perhaps the most famous is the Portland Jazz Festival. As its name would suggest, it occurs every year in Portland in February, celebrating both Black History Month as well as the vibrant jazz community in Oregon. Also in Portland are the Portland Baroque Orchestra and the Oregon Symphony.

In mid-summer, the Oregon Bach Festival is held in Eugene; concerts showcase the work of Bach, Purcell, Handel, Haydn, and Mendelssohn. Eugene itself is also home to University of Oregon, which has a superb jazz studies departments.

In Monmouth, Western Oregon University’s musical department is responsible for concerts going on year-round. The concerts themselves vary from soloists to combos and student performances to professional. Tickets are extremely affordable and sometimes even free. There are also concerts nearby in Salem. In the state capitol, there are both the Salem Chamber Orchestra and the Salem Symphony, playing in Salem and other close by venues.

So the next time you’re booking a trip to the Pacific Northwest, take a moment to check out what concerts are playing in Oregon. Because while Oregon does have fir trees, the trail and lots of rural land, there are also concerts, music and festivals.