Resonance & ONN Stand United as NEA Withdraws Support
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Joint Statement from Resonance Ensemble and Orchestra Nova Northwest
PORTLAND, OR — May 9, 2025 | Following the recent performance of Resonance Nova—a collaborative concert rooted in themes of truth, equity, and peace—Orchestra Nova Northwest (ONN) and Resonance Ensemble were informed that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has retroactively withdrawn a major project grant that helped fund the concert.
(L to R) Shohei Kobayashi, Resonance Ensemble, Kathy FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble, Steven Byess, Orchestra Nova Northwest
This decision reflects a disturbing national trend: the targeting of public arts funding – including for projects that confront injustice.
“Resonance Nova highlighted the challenges of our time, but also called all of us to action—reminding us of music’s transformative power to inspire empathy, demand justice, and instill compassion,” said Kevin Irving, Executive Director of Orchestra Nova Northwest. “It was everything the arts should be: deeply connected to what makes us human—the need to care for one another, to listen, to reflect, and to act. To lose public funding for this kind of work is alarming—but it won’t stop us.”
In a gesture of solidarity, Resonance Ensemble will donate 50% of ticket sales from its upcoming We Are Still Here performance (June 1) to Orchestra Nova Northwest over the next week. This act of support underscores the strength of Portland’s artistic community—and the importance of standing together when the value of art is challenged.
“We will continue to raise our voices,” said Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon, Artistic Director of Resonance Ensemble. “We stand with our partners at ONN and with everyone who believes in the power of music to tell the truth and move people to action. This is at the core of our values as an organization and why we do this work.”
ONN continues its season with TESTIMONY (May 17 & 18), a concert featuring acclaimed pianist Yaron Kohlberg in a program that speaks to resilience and resistance through powerful works by Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
Together, Resonance Ensemble and Orchestra Nova Northwest reaffirm what the arts community has long known: art is essential, not optional—and in the face of growing resistance to truth-telling in the arts, solidarity will always be louder.
Both organizations urge the public to continue supporting the arts in all its forms: donate to local organizations, buy tickets, amplify this message—and take action. One powerful step anyone can take is to contact their members of Congress through the Arts Action Fund—an easy tool to advocate for public funding for the arts.
For more information about ONN’s TESTIMONY head to novanw.org
For more information about RE’s We Are Still Here, head to resonancechoral.org
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Note to Journalists: Kevin Irving and Kathy FitzGibbon are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information on our season or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at media@novanw.org, info@resonancechoral.org, or by calling 971-212-8034.
About Orchestra Nova Northwest (ONN) —Playing a critical role in the artistic landscape of the Portland Metro area, ONN provides affordable and comfortable concert environments for audiences of all kinds, while also providing competitive, creative jobs and opportunities for the area’s leading freelance professionals, music educators, and newly established conservatory-trained musicians. As the only orchestra that performs regularly in East County, ONN continues to invest in communities and areas in our region that have been historically under-represented and complements its concert programming with multiple educational and outreach initiatives aimed at enlarging the audience for symphonic music in our region. Read more here.
About Resonance Ensemble — Now in its sixteenth season, Resonance Ensemble is a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, known for curating bold, thematic concerts that inspire social change. Led by Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance champions underrepresented voices—amplifying composers, poets, and collaborators too often excluded from the stage. Described by Willamette Week as “one of the Northwest’s finest choirs,” Resonance brings emotional depth and technical excellence to programs that span genres and generations. The ensemble regularly commissions new work that reflects the complexity of today’s world, with recent collaborators including Jasmine Barnes, Kenji Bunch, Joe Kye, A. Mimi Sei, and Caroline Shaw. Read more here.