Fall Into Music: This Semester’s Lineup Revealed
This semester, Reed’s music scene will reach across campus and cover many genres. Students can catch their peers at a quick lunch recital, a Friday@4 showcase, or attend larger ensemble concerts in Eliot Chapel and Kaul Auditorium. The lineup features a Dolly Parton tribute and a joint Orchestra and Chorus performance of Mozart’s Requiem. For both performers and listeners, these events are more than just calendar dates, they’re a chance to experience the work that students have put in all semester.
“Reed is a place where anyone who wants to make music has the opportunity to do so,” said Monica Ohuchi, Director of Private Music Instruction. “Our department welcomes musicians at all levels and backgrounds, as well as all genre interests.” This welcoming spirit shows in the department’s regular recital series. Friday@4 recitals are more formal student performances. “The Friday@4 recitals are our top-tier performances,” Ohuchi explained. Performers rehearse for about two weeks, and the programs often attract people from the wider Portland community, along with students, faculty, and staff.
Music@Noon is more relaxed and open to everyone. This lunchtime series welcomes musicians with different levels of experience and lets listeners drop in without needing to commit to a full evening concert. Students can stop by between classes, support a friend, or just see what a campus music event is like.
For many students, music provides a way to navigate the intensity of academic life. Ohuchi said that students regularly tell her that making music helps them decompress when coursework becomes overwhelming. “Music is a vital part of the ecosystem at Reed,” Ohuchi emphasized. “I can’t even tell you how many times students with overwhelming academic demands share with me that being able to make music has saved them. They turn to music to relax, to reset, to quell anxiety, [or] to use other parts of their brain.” The restorative power of music is also about community: students find comfort not just in playing, but in making music together. Across the semester, Reed’s ensembles offer different forms of that shared work.
This spirit of collaboration will be especially visible in November, when the Reed Orchestra joins Chorus and Collegium Musicum in Kaul Auditorium for a performance of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, K. 626, and Joseph Bologne’s Symphony No. 2, led by Giancarlo Castro D’Addona. The orchestra has been preparing for a collaboration that Castro D’Addona and Shohei Kobayashi, Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies, have envisioned for a few years. Kobayashi hoped to select “something challenging for both groups,” leading the directors to make Mozart’s Requiem the centerpiece of the program. Castro D’Addona noted that “the orchestra roster is essential when deciding on a specific repertoire,” since each semester’s returning musicians help shape what the ensemble can take on. Still, he said, students meet demanding music with “a great sense of responsibility and concentration.” Castro D’Addona expects the first combined rehearsal with the choral ensembles to be “a great experience for all,” and he believes audiences will find the final performance just as rewarding.
In addition to the orchestra collaboration, the department’s three vocal ensembles give singers different ways to get involved and explore a variety of musical styles. Chorus performs music for large mixed choirs and welcomes students from all majors, as well as staff, faculty, language scholars, alumni, neighbors, family, and friends. Treble Voices sings music for soprano-alto choirs, while Collegium Musicum focuses on smaller mixed chamber choirs. Kobayashi plans to include music from at least four centuries every four years, calling the choirs “a space of musically engaging respite and meaningful community artmaking.” This semester, Collegium Musicum will preview a movement from its current repertoire at a Vocal Friday@4 recital. At the same time, Treble Voices will perform Sydney Guillaume’s Haitian Creole “Chapo Pou Fanm,” which celebrates women around the world, during Black History Month for the Friday@4 program next February.
The American Roots Music Ensemble, or ROOTS, adds a unique sound to Reed’s fall music lineup. In November, ROOTS will perform a Dolly Parton tribute led by Kenji Bunch as part of the Friday@4 series. “ROOTS is a non-audition music class where we play American folk music and bluegrass,” said ensemble member Izzie Biggs ‘28. “We learn songs by reading the chord progression and lyrics and learning the rest by ear, so we don’t use any sheet music.” The group includes musicians with different levels of experience who play guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, double bass, and spoons. Their concert will feature songs by the whole group as well as smaller performances by soloists, trios, and other combinations. This setup lets students join in without needing the same musical background or confidence. Biggs described the group as “fun and very community-oriented,” adding to campus life.
The Jazz Ensemble will perform its main concert in December, bringing together musicians with different levels of jazz experience for an evening focused on listening, improvisation, and collaboration. For guitarist Eli Wolfe ’29, who balances the ensemble with a chemistry major, rehearsals are a welcome break from coursework and a chance to make music with friends. “I need to play music so that I don’t lose it and go crazy from just doing schoolwork,” Wolfe admitted. Even though rehearsal schedules can be tricky to work around, Wolfe always looks forward to them, saying, “it’s like a place where I can relax, learn, and play with some fellow musicians.” He said that sense of community is central to jazz: “One of the most important things about being a musician is listening to the people around you, communicating, and respecting others.”
Needless to say, this semester’s lineup of events isn't limited to a single genre or ensemble. These events are a chance to hear the musicians’ work outside the classroom and support the people who make music part of the campus life. Whether you have twenty minutes between classes, want to hear a friend perform, or are looking for an evening concert, this semester’s calendar offers everyone something worth showing up for.
All events are free! Please check Reed’s events calendar at reed.edu/events/ for the latest times, locations, and program details before attending.
OCTOBER:
October 14, 7-8 p.m. | Tucker Forbeck Senior Thesis Listening Party | PAB 128
October 17, 7-9:30 p.m. | An Evening with John Hollenbeck's GEORGE | PAB 320
October 23, 7-9 p.m. | PNW Butoh Festival Presents a Collaborative Movement + Music Showcase | PAB 128
October 30, 4-5 p.m. | Friday@4 Recital Featuring Solo Performances | Eliot Chapel
NOVEMBER
November 6, 12-1 p.m. | Music@Noon Recital | PAB Atrium
November 6, 4-5 p.m. | Friday@4 Recital Featuring Vocal Performances |Eliot Chapel
November 13, 4-5 p.m. | Friday@4 Recital American Roots Music Ensemble | PAB Atrium
November 13, 7-9 p.m. | FearNoMusic Recital | Eliot Chapel
November 19, 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Fall Orchestra & Chorus Concert: Mozart Requiem in D minor K. 626 | Kaul Auditorium
DECEMBER:
December 4, 12-1 p.m. | Music@Noon Recital | PAB Atrium
December 11, 4-5 p.m. | Friday@4 Recital Featuring Chamber Music Ensembles | Eliot Chapel
December 16, 7:30- 9:30 p.m. | Winter's Voice | Eliot Chapel