Better Together: Highlighting Placemakers for the Arts
Radical collaboration is core to who we are at Resonance Ensemble. This year marks 15 seasons, made possible in part by the deep partnerships we’ve cultivated across the years with organizations, educators, artists, and community leaders both in Portland and beyond. As part of our special anniversary season, we are highlighting collaborations with 15 of the amazing Portland-based organizations we are proud to call our arts allies. We encourage you to take the time to learn more about each of our partner organizations. As a community, we are better together.
Part Two - These are the placemakers.
In a world where things often get lost in the cacophony, there are those who can stand up and become advocates, amplifying our voices and ensuring we are heard. This week, we shine a spotlight on three incredible partners who are, in their own unique ways, what we are calling placemakers for the arts. Through their missions, position, funding, and platforms, they have provided invaluable opportunities for many of our projects — as well as so many other Portland arts organizations — to be seen and heard. Throughout these 15 years, they have made a difference to Resonance Ensemble and to the Portland community.
Missed part one of our series? Click here.
ALL CLASSICAL Radio
Resonance Ensemble Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon (left) with attendee Katherine Lefever, and All Classical Radio CEO Suzanne Nance right) at the 2018 Resonance Ensemble Giltner House fundraiser (photo by Rachel Hadiashar)
At All Classical Radio, CEO Suzanne Nance and her team have created a platform that celebrates the rich tapestry of Portland classical music talent. Their passionate commitment to the arts and rich and diverse programming have made them champions of classical music. Through their visionary leadership and dedication, they provide Portland-based classical artists – including Resonance Ensemble – a stage (and microphone!) to share their work.
But the impact goes beyond the music; their generous spirit as an organization simply brings arts organizations, arts makers, and audiences closer together.
“Amplifying art that reflects our society, and uplifting the powerful work of composers like Damien Geter, is at the heart of our mission at All Classical Radio.”
This was especially significant for us in 2020, when All Classical Radio made it possible to produce an unprecedented live, bi-coastal broadcast in collaboration with New York’s WQXR of the world premiere performance of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem with the goal of providing greater access to and amplification of this important work. Following the performance and live simulcast which finally happened on March 22, 2022, All Classical syndicated and distributed a free program featuring the premiere, as presented by Resonance Ensemble and Oregon Symphony, to radio stations nationwide.
All Classical Radio is an integral part of the Portland cultural landscape, offering artists the opportunity to be heard.
We are forever grateful to have All Classical Radio on our side. All of us are better, because of the light they shine.
Read More About Our Partnership In Action | Learn More About All Classical Radio
Oregon Symphony
Poet in Residence S. Renee Mitchell, Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon, and Composer Damien Geter with Oregon Symphony’s Scott Showalter at the premiere for An African American Requiem (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, May 2022 - Rachel Hadiashar).
As the state of Oregon’s largest music nonprofit, the Oregon Symphony is a flagship arts institution in downtown Portland. Resonance Ensemble has watched with appreciation as the Oregon Symphony has increased their commitment to new music, including music by composers of color. The Oregon Symphony also brings music to houseless communities, individuals who are currently incarcerated, and schools around the metropolitan area.
We were thrilled in 2020 when the Oregon Symphony agreed to partner with Resonance to produce the world premiere of our commission of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem. In collaboration with Oregon Symphony General Manager Steve Wenig, we created a partnership agreement which allowed us to share production costs and resources, share marketing and promotion of the event (collaborating with Marketing and Strategic Engagement VP Russell Kelban), and develop educational outreach strategy in collaboration with Monica Hayes and the rest of the symphony team.
The impacts of this collaboration have been felt nationwide. The Portland premiere was particularly meaningful as each of our organizations contributed what we’re best known for: the brilliant playing of the Oregon Symphony musicians and the exceptional singing of the Resonance Ensemble artists.
It was a joy to join forces and to bring An African American Requiem to life in partnership with Oregon Symphony, and we are forever grateful.
Learn More About An African American Requiem | Learn More About Oregon Symphony
Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC)
As a recipient of the Cultural Leadership grant from RACC, we were able to take advantage of individual work sessions with internationally acclaimed arts consultant George Thorn, shown here with Katherine FitzGibbon in August of 2018.
The Regional Arts & Culture Council is an organization that has provided Resonance and so many other Portland arts groups invaluable resources, workshops, and opportunities for funding. RACC has fostered a nurturing environment for the arts by supporting the creative economy in greater Portland and providing equitable funding to artists in our region.
“We activate and engage, connecting artists and creatives to opportunity and access.”
Resonance Ensemble received its very first grants from RACC, before we had received our 501(c)3 nonprofit status, which allowed us to develop and realize our mission. Resonance’s leadership team also benefited from participation in the Art of Leadership program and the Cultural Leadership grant, both of which allowed us to build out our strategic planning and growth with input from arts consultants George Thorn and Toni Tabora-Roberts. Now, we are grateful for much-needed ongoing operating support from RACC.
Connecting all of us in the greater Portland area to opportunities and access is what makes RACC a creative placemaker. The RACC team are all Portland arts organizations’ heroes. They continue to be a tremendous advocate and supporter to us, and we wouldn’t be who we are without them.
PHOTO OF GRADUATING CLASS OF 2018 ART OF LEADERSHIP Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon and Director of Marketing and Operations, Liz Bacon participated in a 6-month workshop fostering relationships with business professionals and local nonprofit arts organizations. The series covers topics from finances to fundraising, strategic development to legal issues, helping participants develop leadership skills, network with business and arts leaders, and get matched with arts organizations closely aligned with their own interests and experience. (Can you see Kathy and Liz, in the center of things as usual?)
