Portland Youth Philharmonic exhibit shares 100-year highlights of nation’s first youth orchestra through May at ArtReach Gallery
Posted on April 10, 2024
PORTLAND, OR – Portland Youth Philharmonic, the nation’s first youth orchestra to reach 100 years old, is a Portland treasure that has provided astonishing concerts and excellent music education to area youth since 1924. PYP, as it is called now, was envisioned and developed by pioneering violin teacher, Mary V. Dodge, as the Portland Junior Symphony, starting right after World War I, when Portland was experiencing its first flu epidemic and seeing the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Hired as music teacher at Irvington School, Dodge dreamed of a city-wide youth orchestra that would unite the community with pride in what young musicians could do. Starting in 1924, when the first professional conductor was hired, it did just that.
This exhibit was first displayed at the Oregon Historical Society from November 2023 through January 2024, and is now re-installed at First Congregational Church’s ArtReach Gallery through the month of May. The church is located at 1126 SW Park Avenue, in the block between the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and the Oregon Historical Society. Also on display in the Fellowship Hall is a wonderful exhibit of mixed media visual artwork by residents from Terwilliger Plaza.
Entitled “Sagebrush to Stumptown: Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Astonishing First Century,” this exhibit tells the story of ten decades and only five musical directors. It includes panels documenting significant achievements and provides a peek at a few posters, recordings, and other memorabilia, as well as a ten-minute video, showcasing each conductor, samples of the music and the musicians through the years to the present day.
The public is invited to view this exhibit in the Fellowship Hall chapel room, on Wednesdays, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm or on Sundays when the church is open for worship services, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. The gallery is accessible from the Park Avenue entrance with a lift for anyone who cannot use stairs. Other days and times may be arranged by appointment, with entrance on Madison Street and three steps up. Contact Kristan Knapp, Alumni Relations Manager and exhibit curator, 503-828-0984, for a private tour.
What: Sagebrush to Stumptown: Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Astonishing First Century Where: ArtReach Gallery at First Congregational Church, 1126 SW Park Ave, Portland 97205.
When: Through the month of May
Hours: Wednesdays: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; Sundays: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm; Other days by appointment: Kristan Knapp, 503-828-0984, Kristan@portlandyouthphil.org.
Why: To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of PYP, the nation’s first youth orchestra.
The Portland Youth Philharmonic offers a series of concerts at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall every year, and there is one remaining Season 100 date: Friday, May 31 at 7:30 pm. Both in-person and livestream tickets are available on PYP’s website.
We look forward to welcoming you to our exhibit and our concerts.
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