45th Parallel

We are a collective of musicians who come together to celebrate great chamber music with intimate artistic experiences.

Passion for great music is what defines us and Portland is our stage.

Since 2009, 45th Parallel has happily demolished distinctions between old and new chamber music, bluegrass and jazz, fiddle and folk. By bringing fragmented audiences together, 45th Parallel reflects Portland’s surging creative communities in fresh and imaginative ways.

Founded by Greg Ewer, a violinist of insatiable curiosity, 45th Parallel stands apart from the city’s other chamber groups by its borderless and unbounded innovation. Call it 360-degree programming. The city’s finest musicians weave Bach and Beethoven into adventurous programs [...]

We are a collective of musicians who come together to celebrate great chamber music with intimate artistic experiences.

Passion for great music is what defines us and Portland is our stage.

Since 2009, 45th Parallel has happily demolished distinctions between old and new chamber music, bluegrass and jazz, fiddle and folk. By bringing fragmented audiences together, 45th Parallel reflects Portland’s surging creative communities in fresh and imaginative ways.

Founded by Greg Ewer, a violinist of insatiable curiosity, 45th Parallel stands apart from the city’s other chamber groups by its borderless and unbounded innovation. Call it 360-degree programming. The city’s finest musicians weave Bach and Beethoven into adventurous programs of “forbidden” music, or violin wizardry by virtuosos such as Gilles Apap and Kevin Burke. Their far-reaching collaborations also include gospel singers and Persian musicians, embracing Portland’s growing diversity.

But, programming aside, the performers, themselves, bring the highest levels of skill and commitment to each performance.

Teaching the next generation of musicians is also critical to the group’s mission. An experiment to give music lessons to students who couldn’t afford them has blossomed into an urban success story, fostering confidence, community and an appreciation of beauty from both teachers and students.

In the end, it boils down to this: 45th Parallel offers something both simple and complex: Music is nothing less than a marvel of human expression.

45thparallelpdx.org/ @45thparallelpdx Portland