Reflecting on 25 Years at PBO

I started playing in Portland Baroque Orchestra in 1998, a few months after getting married. I had just moved back to the US from Germany the year before, after years of a high-intensity life traveling the world with Musica Antiqua Cologne, and in 1998 I was living in Santa Cruz, CA, enjoying the ocean, the sunshine, the mountains, and the company of family. Curtis Daily called me that summer and asked if I wanted to play. I had driven past Portland once, but I had never seen the city. Why not, I thought. It’ll be fun!

Kelly Thorsell met me at the airport on a Monday morning that fall. I saw the iconic Portland Airport carpet for the first time, and my journey with PBO began. My stand partner was Leo Whitlow, who had the largest viola I had ever seen, at least 19 inches. Some of the musicians were familiar: Rob Diggins, Joli von Einem, and Carla Moore. The first cellist, Sarah Freiburg, was an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in more than a decade. We had spent a summer together during college, studying in Fontainebleau, France. The world was feeling small and promising.

Those first few years, I was one of the out-of-towners, flying up and staying in a board member’s home. Many of us became friends with our hosts—Randy Zasloff remains a good friend. I enjoyed shopping sprees in NW Portland with my fellow out-of-state colleagues, trips to museums, runs in Forest Park with Randy, and lots of restaurant food. Then, when I moved to Portland near the end of 2001, I no longer had that free time that came with being a traveler. I was now a resident, a regular, who had students to teach during non-rehearsal hours, and a house to clean. I spent more time between concert sets getting to know my Portland colleagues, the founders of the orchestra: Holly Stern, Lori Presthus, Laura Migliori, Robin Dubay, Curtis Daily, Sue Jensen, and Karen Vincent. Sometimes I played chamber music with them, wedding gigs with Lori Presthus, an occasional fundraiser, or concerts at Sue’s church.

Many wonderful artists have worked with us during the years since I joined PBO. If asked what my favorite program was, I’d be at a complete loss; there were so many amazing concerts. I remember playing a chamber piece with Carla, Joli, Andrew Lawrence King, and Lori, and it was one of those performances in which we felt transported. At the end of the piece, we just looked at each other, trembling a bit, holding on to that state of mind as long as possible, and whispered thank you. Playing Bach’s Brandenburg 6 with Rob Diggins, and on another occasion with Monica Huggett, was another highlight. I’ve had the chance to play the viola d’amore a few times, the most fun being a Vivaldi concerto for viola d’amore and orchestra, and a Biber piece for two violas d’amore (with Rob Diggins).

We’ve lost a few people during my time with PBO, Lori Presthus and my dear friend Dennis Godburn come to mind. Many of us had children, some of us got divorced, some have left the orchestra for something else far away, and others have retired. I’ve stopped traveling for other work. Every few years we take new orchestra photos.

And the world has changed. A lot. The arrival of COVID-19 signaled the end of what seemed in hindsight a carefree era. Now, we were afraid of catching something, and we had to take a long break from making music together. In the summer of 2020, I crushed a finger under a huge rock and nearly had to quit playing altogether. Portland exploded with protests, and crime seems to have increased. The level of anxiety that many of us are experiencing has also increased. Wars are raging in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and inflation causes stress here at home. A contentious presidential race begins.

But Portland Baroque Orchestra is still here. We survived the pandemic. We’re still going to rehearsals and bringing beautiful music to life. The orchestra has two new directors, and we’re embarking on new adventures with them. For the first time, we have an artistic director (as opposed to a guest artist) who is a renowned harpsichordist and early music scholar, and I’m thrilled. I expect to learn a lot from him. PBO has provided me with an exquisite antidote to some major changes and hard times, and I am grateful for the opportunity to step into its world of beauty. The world needs beauty, and Portland Baroque Orchestra provides it.