Before the 2025 festival begins! Based on the paradigm-shifting play of the same name, the award-winning film explores the impact of an anti-gay hate crime and murder in a small Wyoming town. Witnessing the power of compassion and love to overcome bigotry. Learn the story and join the conversation before the June 28 performance of Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard. Stay after the film for a panel discussion.

On April 2, 1800, Beethoven self-produced a benefit “Akademie” concert in Vienna showcasing his talent as both composer and pianist. The program featured his Symphony No. 1 and marked his entry into Vienna’s elite music scene. The evening included works from Beethoven’s predecessors, Mozart, Haydn, and Bach. OBF artistic partner, Jos van Veldhoven, conducts the OBF classical Orchestra and Bewick Academy, side-by-side, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the OBF Berwick Academy for Historically Informed Performance.

W.A. Mozart    Adagio – Allegro from Symphony No. 39  J.S. Bach    Prelude and Fugue in F Minor, BWV 534  Beethoven    Prelude in F Minor  Haydn        “Auf starkem Fittiche schwinget sich der Adler stolz” from The Creation Beethoven    Adagio – Allegro con brio from Septet  Haydn        “Holde Gatten, dir zur Seite” from The Creation  Beethoven    Romance No. 2  Beethoven    Symphony No. 1   Berwick Academy Orchestra  OBF Classical Orchestra  Rowan Pierce, soprano  Peter Harvey, bass  Augusta McKay Lodge, violin  Jonathan Oddie, fortepiano  Jos van Veldhoven, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Experience the magical storybook world of the Mother Goose Suite as we celebrate Ravel’s 150th birthday! Join the fun as audiences, #instaballet, and members of the OBF Modern Orchestra work together to create an enchanting journey through the iconic tales of Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, Empress of the Pagodas, Beauty and the Beast, and The Fairy Garden. The event begins at 10:00am with a flurry of exciting lobby activities, followed by the concert. Fun for all ages!

Ravel        Mother Goose Suite Ravel        Bolero

OBF Modern Orchestra #instaballet Deanna Tham, conductor

Among today’s most popular choral musicians, the composer/conductor prepares a choir of community members to participate in “All of Us” – a critical vocal role during the June 28 performance of Considering Matthew Shepard. Registration and administrative fee required. More information coming soon.

Conductor, composer, and OBF artistic partner Craig Hella Johnson offers a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

On October 6, 1998, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die, in what became an infamous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes. Shepard’s murder served as a catalyst for legislation that expanded the definition of a hate crime to include sexual orientation. The Grammy-nominated oratorio, composed and conducted by OBF artistic partner Craig Hella Johnson, is an evocative and compassionate musical response to the murder of Matthew Shepard.

OBF Chorus OBF Modern Orchestra Camilla Tassi, projection designer Craig Hella Johnson, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Bach’s set of six instrumental works composed between 1718 and 1721 showcase his exceptional skill in blending diverse musical textures and styles. Each concerto features unique instrumentation, highlights various solo instruments, and epitomizes the Baroque era’s grandeur and innovation. Volume 1 of the OBF 2025 season includes Concertos 1, 2, and 6, as well as a contemporary concerto from Pulitzer and Grammy winner, Caroline Shaw. Presented in collaboration with Chamber Music Northwest.

J.S. Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 J.S. Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 C. Shaw    Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings J.S. Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 2

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Bach’s set of six instrumental works composed between 1718 and 1721 showcase his exceptional skill in blending diverse musical textures and styles. Each concerto features unique instrumentation, highlights various solo instruments, and epitomizes the Baroque era’s grandeur and innovation. Volume 2 of the OBF 2025 season includes Concertos 3, 4, and 5, as well as a contemporary twist on the iconic concertos from “outright sensation,” (Los Angeles Times) Gabriella Smith. Presented in collaboration with Chamber Music Northwest.

J.S. Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 J.S Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 G. Smith    Brandenburg Interstices J.S. Bach    Brandenburg Concerto No. 4

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change. 

A renowned Bach practitioner and scholar, OBF artistic partner Jos van Veldhoven presents an educational, entertaining, and enlightening look into the life and works of the one-and-only Johann Sebastian Bach.

Five internationally renowned vocal soloists join forces for arias, duets, and ensemble pieces. Enjoy an intimate performance of Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Alma Mahler, Florence Price, Charles Ives, and more.

Rowan Pierce, soprano Clara Osowski, mezzo-soprano Ulrike Malotta, alto Thomas Hobbs, tenor Peter Harvey, bass Jonathan Oddie, keyboard

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Join the virtuoso violinist for a glass of wine and an informal chat about his artistic vision and career in music. The event is free to attend, but alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase from Oregon Wine L.A.B.

Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano, Fleur Barron, and Chamber Music Northwest co-artistic director, Gloria Chien, return to OBF for an evening of song and solo piano. Join the powerhouse performers for music from Trenet, Montsalvatge, Mahler, and Robert Schumann, as well as a Bach-inspired Prelude and Fugue from Clara Schumann. Presented in collaboration with Chamber Music Northwest.

C. Schumann     Prelude and Fugue No. 2 R. Schumann     Selected Lieder Mahler             Rückert Lieder Montsalvatge    Cinco Canciones Negras Trenet              Three Songs

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

An outdoor, sunset concert to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the “Prince of Music,” whose works defined the golden age of Renaissance polyphony. The evening also features a transformative reimagining of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne and a world premiere new work by award-winning west coast composer, Derrick Skye. Interwoven throughout the program are readings inspired by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the 17th-century Mexican poet and nun. Conducted by OBF artistic partner, Craig Hella Johnson.

OBF Chorus Shunske Sato, violin Craig Hella Johnson, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Universally considered Bach’s crowning achievement, the profound and astounding Mass is the summation of a lifetime of work. It took decades to complete and remains a testament to Bach’s faith and artistic virtuosity.

OBF Ripieno Ensemble OBF Baroque Orchestra Rowan Pierce, soprano I Clara Osowski, soprano II Ulrike Malotta, alto Thomas Hobbs, tenor Peter Harvey, bass Jos van Veldhoven, conductor

This concert will also be performed at Mount Angel Abbey on July 5 and Kaul Auditorium in Portland on Sunday, July 6. Tickets for Mount Angel are available through Hult Center and tickets for Kaul Auditorium are available through that venue.

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Universally considered Bach’s crowning achievement, the profound and astounding Mass is the summation of a lifetime of work. It took decades to complete and remains a testament to Bach’s faith and artistic virtuosity.

OBF Ripieno Ensemble OBF Baroque Orchestra Rowan Pierce, soprano I Clara Osowski, soprano II Ulrike Malotta, alto Thomas Hobbs, tenor Peter Harvey, bass Jos van Veldhoven, conductor

This concert will also be performed in Eugene on July 3 and Kaul Auditorium in Portland on Sunday, July 6. Tickets for Eugene are available through Hult Center and tickets for Kaul Auditorium are available through that venue.

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Bach virtuoso and “musical force” (South Florida Classical Review), Shunske Sato, leads the Berwick Academy Orchestra through the iconic OBF Discovery Series. The program includes secular works performed during the social gatherings of church and academic musicians in the early 1700s. Sato explores concertos by Bach and Fasch, as well as pieces from Telemann and Heinichen.

Fasch          Allegro from Violin Concerto in D Major  Telemann    Excerpts from Divertimento in E-flat Major  J.S. Bach      Violin Concerto No. 1 Heinichen    Excerpts from Overture-Suite Telemann     Excerpts from Overture-Suite in D Major

Berwick Academy Orchestra Shunske Sato, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change. 

Conductor Stephanie Childress and composer Oswald Huỳnh offer a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

Gabriel Fauré's Requiem is one of the 19th century’s most beloved choral masterpieces. Unlike traditional requiems, it emphasizes peace and solace over fear and judgment. The concert opens with the second annual installment of the OBF “New Transcriptions” Project, featuring composer Oswald Huỳnh, and a signature performance of Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs by “charismatic star” (The Boston Globe) mezzo-soprano, Fleur Barron.

J.S. Bach/Huỳnh    New Bach Transcription Berio            Folk Songs Fauré            Requiem   OBF Chorus OBF Modern Orchestra Fleur Barron, mezzo-soprano Celena Shafer, soprano Elliot Madore, baritone Stephanie Childress, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Explore Claudia Rankine’s poem, “Weather” with composer Rollo Dilworth, as he explains the tonal, rhythmic, stylistic, and expressive elements he employed to amplify the important and timely message to the world through music. Gain insight into the work before it is performed at OBF by Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy on July 8.

A showcase from some of the best high school choral singers in the nation.

Grammy winner and perennial OBF favorite, Paul Jacobs, returns with one of Bach’s final and most enigmatic works. The unfinished collection of fugues and canons is a love letter to counterpoint and all those who adore it.

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Conductor Anton Armstrong offers a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

For more than 25 years, Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy has been a flagship educational and training program for the nation’s most talented high school choral singers. Led by Dr. Anton Armstrong, SFYCA performs various works including Weather – a musical reflection of the 2020 murder of George Floyd – and a performance of J.S. Bach’s festive Cantata 129.    J.S. Bach              Cantata 129: Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott  Dilworth              Weather: Stand the Storm  Keane/Faulkner    Mouth Music R. Powell             To Sit and Dream C.H. Johnson        “All of Us” from Considering Matthew Shepard Parker                 On the Common Ground R.M. Johnson        Listen Gabriel                I Sing Because I’m Happy

Stangeland Family Youth Choral Academy  OBF Modern Orchestra  Pascale Beaudin, soprano  Clara Osowski, alto  Jonathan Woody, bass Anton Armstrong, conductor  Therees Hibbard, conductor  Craig Hella Johnson, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Rahel Rilling, daughter of OBF co-founder Helmuth Rilling, returns to the festival! Rilling and an ensemble of first-class musicians offer a diverse crossover performance of music from J.S. Bach and Ravel to Sting and Dizzy Gillespie.

J.S. Bach       Violin and Harpsichord Sonata No. 3 Ravel           Violin Sonata No. 2 Piazzolla      La Muerte del Ángel and La Ressurección del Ángel Fauré           Pavane Bonfá           Manhã de Carneval Gillespie       A Night in Tunisia Sting            Fragile Rainhardt      Minor Swing Santamaría    Afro Blue Romero         Pajarillo

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Conductor and OBF artistic partner Craig Hella Johnson offers a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

Explore the complicated relationship between peace and conflict. Internationally renowned pianist Awadagin Pratt joins the OBF Chorus and Modern Orchestra for a thrilling and haunting performance of Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds, as well the Vaughan Williams “Dona nobis pacem,” and music from J.S. Bach. Conducted by OBF artistic partner, Craig Hella Johnson.

Pärt                       Credo J.S. Bach                 Largo from Concerto No. 5 in F Minor Montgomery            Rounds Barber                    Adagio for Strings/Agnus Dei Vaughan Williams    Dona nobis pacem

OBF Chorus  UO Chamber Choir OBF Modern Orchestra Awadagin Pratt, piano Celena Shafer, soprano Elliot Madore, baritone Craig Hella Johnson, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change. 

An afternoon of free music on the acclaimed Brombaugh organ.

Conductor Julian Perkins offers a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

In addition to his well-known Passions based on the Gospels of John and Matthew, Bach wrote a Passion setting for the Gospel of Mark. After his death in 1750, Bach’s Markus Passion was hand-delivered to a Leipzig publisher. By the time the centennial complete works of Bach’s music were compiled in 1850, the work had gone missing. The lost Passion was reconstructed in 2019 by Malcolm Bruno, and in 2025, a new OBF-commissioned stage production tours the US and UK featuring beloved TV/film actor Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). The “pocket passion”—which includes four singers and single strings —gives the world what it never should have lost. A production by Concert Theatre Works.

OBF Baroque Orchestra Joseph Marcell, narrator Pascale Beaudin, soprano Cody Bowers, alto James Reese, tenor Jonathan Woody, bass Julian Perkins, conductor and harpsichord

This concert will also be performed at First United Methodist Church in Portland on Saturday, July 12, and at Town Hall, Seattle on Sunday, July 13. Tickets for those performances are available through their respective venues.

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.

Acclaimed poet and music critic, A.B. Spellman, offers a morning of poetry readings and discussion about his life, work, and involvement in the Grammy-winning Passion for Bach and Coltrane project with Imani Winds – presented by OBF on July 12.

A culminating performance from the highly skilled participants of the OBF Organ Institute.

Jeff Scott’s Grammy-winning oratorio is full of inspiration from two giants of music – Johann Sebastian Bach and John Coltrane. The innovative and surprising confluence of classical and jazz features the spoken word poetry of A.B. Spellman, and offers an intimate perspective on Imani Wind’s most personal recording in their 25-year history.

Imani Winds  Harlem Quartet  Alex Brown, piano Edward Pérez, bass Neal Smith, drums Spoken word by A.B. Spellman

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Conductor Ken-David Masur and Eugene Ballet artistic director Toni Pimble offer a pre-concert talk to enhance your listening experience.

Join OBF and Eugene Ballet for a thrilling performance of one of classical music’s most electrifying works. From the instantly recognizable opening chorus, “O Fortuna,” to its evocative tales of love, nature, and fate, Orff’s masterpiece delivers raw emotion and dazzling energy. An unforgettable tribute to Eugene Ballet artistic director Toni Pimble. The concert opens with violinist Rahel Rilling—daughter of OBF co-founder Helmuth Rilling—soloing with OBF violinists Sarah Kwak and Suzanne Leon on Bach’s Concerto for Three Violins.

J.S. Bach    Concerto for Three Violins Orff          Carmina Burana   OBF Chorus Resonance Ensemble UO Chamber Choir Pacific Youth Choir OBF Modern Orchestra Eugene Ballet Rahel Rilling, Sarah Kwak, and Suzanne Leon, violins Celena Shafer, soprano Andrew Haji, tenor Elliot Madore, baritone Ken-David Masur, conductor

Artists, dates, times, repertoire, and venues are subject to change.  

Kick off the year right at the Graduate Student Welcome Lunch and Resource Fair! Come hang out with fellow new and returning grad students, explore the resource fair, and (best of all) enjoy some seriously delicious FREE food. You don’t want to miss it!

At the fair get connected with:

• UO Health Services
• Housing
• Student Funding
• Identity support groups
• Career Services
• Graduate student resources and more!

Auditions for the 2025-26 academic year for University Singers and UO Chamber Choir. Auditions are scheduled over three days; interested students need only to sign up for one audition slot.

Auditions for the 2025-26 academic year for University Singers and UO Chamber Choir. Auditions are scheduled over three days; interested students need only to sign up for one audition slot.

Auditions for the 2025-26 academic year for University Singers and UO Chamber Choir. Auditions are scheduled over three days; interested students need only to sign up for one audition slot.

Schubert         ‘Rosamunde’ Quartet Andres             Machine, Learning Beach            Piano Quintet

Are you interested in exploring or finding a position in industry?

The Graduate Student & Postdoc Industry Recruitment Event (GSPIRE) is the perfect opportunity for individuals with advanced degrees and training to connect with various industries and organizations. The GSPIRE will take place virtually on October 23. We invite you to join us and connect with top employers and organizations seeking bright minds like yours.

All individuals, from first-year graduate students to postdocs and alumni, are welcome to participate in GSPIRE fairs. Whether you are considering a career in academia or industry, this event will provide valuable networking opportunities and the chance to explore and secure internships or professional employment in the industry. Sign up coming soon!

Graduating soon?

Individuals who are due to graduate in Dec 2025 or May/August/Dec 2026 are strongly encouraged to submit a resume (not a C.V.). It's valuable to submit a resume even if you are unable to attend the career fair, as all industry partners will receive all resumes submitted. Submitting a resume is not mandatory for event registration, but it is recommended for individuals pursuing a career in industry, as it allows industry partners to track your progress over the next few years.

The deadline for resume submissions is Monday, September 8 at 9:00pm Pacific Time. It is advised to submit resumes early to account for any potential technical difficulties. Adding a resume on Handshake is also recommended, as it is a useful platform for job searching and applications at your level.

Ravaei                       Gulistan Brahms (Arr, Ravaei)    Two Songs for Voice, Viola, and Piano Price                          Selected Songs Simone                       Selected Songs Coleman                     Commission Ho                              Commission

Celebrate the season with the glorious sounds of Messiah! Handel’s beloved oratorio comes to life once more, performed on exquisite period instruments just as it was meant to be heard. From the triumphant Hallelujah to the soaring arias and stirring choruses, this is Messiah in its full, breathtaking splendor. Featuring Jos van Veldhoven and Portland Baroque Orchestra.

Rameau        Gavotte et six doubles Lasser            Twelve Variations on Chorale by J.S. Bach J.S. Bach        15 Sinfonias

Holst                    The Evening Watch McDowall              Standing as I do before God Pott                      The Souls of the Righteous C. Shaw                 and the swallow Bennett                  A Good-Night Vaughan Williams     Rest Thompson               A Prayer for Deliverance Tavener                   Song for Athene Vaughan Williams     Valiant for Truth Pearsall                   Lay a Garland Sullivan                   The Long Day Closes Howells                   Requiem Harris                      Bring us, O Lord

Lefebvre           Le lever de l’Aurore Corelli             ‘La Folia’ Sonata Handel             Mi palpita il cor Scarlatti           Sonata in D Minor, K. 213 Rameau            Le Berger fidèle