Fear No Music performs Cascadia Composers’ first concert at the Old Church concert hall in Portland, Oregon.

Members Cynthia Gerdes, Lisa Marsh, Bonnie Miksch and Jennifer Wright form Crazy Jane Composers — inspired by the feminist literary character developed by W.B. Yeats — to provide additional visibility for the organization’s female members. Cascadia Composers represents the largest number of women composers, comprising approximately 30% of its membership, of any NACUSA chapter. Also this year, Cascadia hosts NACUSA’s annual National Conference for the first time, as members feature in presentations and performances.

Founding member David Bernstein begins one of the group’s flagship programs, “In Good Hands,” which provides original, new works for student pianists. Members’ compositions include aspects of the graded Oregon Music Teachers Association (OMTA) syllabus exams, and local piano teachers choose from a selection of works annually for their students. Jan Mittelstaedt soon takes over leadership of the program.

Cascadia participates in its first collaboration with another arts organization, Portland Vocal Consort. (It won’t be the last.) In March, Cascadia again hosts the annual NACUSA national conference, calling it “In Just Spring”. The conference concerts are also part of the first March Music Moderne. In September, the inaugural concert of Crazy Jane Composers draws a large crowd.

Crazy Jane Composers’ second concert, the multimedia “Crazy Jane Collaborates”, packs Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church — our biggest audience by far, so far.

Cascadia collaborates with Resonance Ensemble for two concerts in May. Our spring showcase concert goes on the road to Eugene. It’s a particularly rich year for Cascadia’s member-produced, or “independent curator” concerts. Jay Derderian, Jackie T. Gabel, Mike Hsu, Art Resnick, Paul Safar, Jeff Winslow, Linda Woody and Jennifer Wright all produce concerts of their own and others’ works — and Daniel Brugh produces two, including one performed entirely in the dark. Cascadia Composers grows to be NACUSA’s largest chapter, and has remained so to this day.

A particularly full year of collaborations, with Agnieszka Laska Dancers in “Body Sung Electric”, with Raphael Spiro String Quartet in concerts to benefit local hospitalized children, and in the 2015-2016 season, our first of many with Choral Arts Ensemble.

Cascadia Composers takes part in a historical cultural exchange between Cuban and American composers, the first in more than 50 years. At the invitation of Guido López-Gavilán, Director of the Festival de La Habana, de Música Contemporánea, Cascadia Composers presents a concert of six members’ works at their 29th annual festival, performed by many of Cuba’s leading musicians. Cascadia Composers in turn hosts a group of Cuban composers and produces a public performance of their works in Portland, Oregon, and performed by Fear No Music (2017). View the press release.

In March, Cascadia presents “Concert of Remembrance” in partnership with the Oregon Nikkei Endowment and the Oregon Historical Society, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the presidential order for the internment of Japanese-American citizens during WWII. In May, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra performs the winner of Cascadia / PCSO’s first joint contest. In June, Cascadia helps Portland State University in a “CeLOUbration” of the centennial of the birth of Lou Harrison in Portland.