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Classical Revolution PDX

The professional conservatory trained musicians of Classical Revolution PDX are four inventive, feisty women that are just as ready to perform in a rock club as they are in a traditional concert hall as it is their mission to reach out to audiences that do not typically have exposure to classical music. While the works of Mozart and Haydn are certainly represented at Classical Revolution PDX performances, the quartet’s shared passion is music that is more modern or contemporary. They have performed Shostakovitch at the Holocene, and Philip Glass at PDX Pop Now, and Filippenko (a Ukrainian composer that you have never heard of) at the Woods. To promote current composers, the group founded an annual string quartet competition, where composers — many local — submit works to be performed and judged by a panel. The winning works are recorded and then added to the quartet’s repertoire.

About Classical Revolution PDX movement

Classical Revolution PDX is a Portland-based nonprofit organization founded in 2007 dedicated to enriching and educating our community by making classical music accessible to the public. They have grown into a network of over two hundred musicians that love to play chamber music, and they share a common desire to make classical music a part of people’s daily lives. Classical revolution PDX attempts to broaden the definition of chamber music and make it a vibrant part of Portland’s artistic community.

Classical Revolution PDX will join ORS for:

illuminating the soul in October

passion & resurrectionin April

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Naomi LaViolette

Since 2004, pianist Naomi LaViolette has accompanied the rehearsals, performances and annual events of the ORS Adult Choir. Naomi was born in Portland, and began studying piano at the age of four and singing at the age of thirteen. She earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees in classical piano performance, consecutively from the University of Puget Sound and Portland State University. She also studied jazz piano and participated in the jazz combos program at Portland State University. Her performances with many singers, instrumentalists, chamber and choral groups have included the Vancouver Symphony, Portland Piano International, Choral Cross-Ties, the Tacoma Civic Chorus, Classical Revolution PDX, the Portland Jazz Festival, the Gorge Music Festival, and the Fleur-De-Lis Piano Trio. She has taught and performed within the music faculties of Portland State University, Lewis & Clark College, Clackamas Community College, and the Oregon Episcopal School.

A creative songwriter, arranger, and recording artist, Naomi received critical acclaim for her debut album released on iTunes in March 2012. Self-titled Naomi LaViolette, the album features ten original songs, as well as her arrangements of George Gershwin’s Our Love Is Here to Stay and Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now. Often compared to Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones, LaViolette skillfully weaves her training in classical piano performance and jazz standards with a variety of folk, soul, pop and gospel creating a musical vibe that is both vintage and current. Oregon Music News wrote that she “shines” in her original tracks, and The Portland Tribune has praised her balanced combination of “chops” and “lyricism.” Her music has been featured on KMHD.fm jazz radio, KINK.fm, and KATU’s AM Northwest. An honest and in-the-moment songwriter, the Forest Grove News Times wrote that she “specializes in the kind of music that goes immediately for the heart strings.” Produced and engineered by Dean Baskerville (Sheryl Crow, Everclear, Pink Martini), Naomi fronts the album at the piano with lead and background vocals, synth creations and harmonica. She is actively performing and touring in support of her album at esteemed venues including Jimmy Mak’s, The Alberta Rose Theatre, and The Heathman Hotel in Portland, The Triple Door in Seattle, McMenamins properties, The Bite of Oregon, and The Walnut Room in Denver.

The Oregon Repertory Singers premiered Naomi’s holiday composition for choir, Noel, in December 2010. Noel will be performed again in December 2012 by ORS, the Northwest Repertory Singers and the Central Oregon Mastersingers.