This is THE SOUND OF US
Resonance Ensemble’s 17th season centers music as a force for identity, justice, and connection.
PORTLAND, OR—What does it mean to be part of a community—as a Portlander, as an American? Resonance Ensemble’s 2025–26 season doesn’t offer easy answers—it opens up conversations. Through four bold programs of new and newly-imagined vocal music, the award-winning ensemble explores themes of identity, solidarity, and belonging, presenting works that respond to the world we live in and the stories we carry as a community.
This is Season 17: The Sound of Us—a season of world premieres, landmark collaborations, and voices rising for justice, compassion, and truth.
“Artistic excellence is at the core of who we are—but music can do more than simply sound beautiful,” says Resonance Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “It can stir hearts, open minds, and create space for change—and that’s exactly what we set out to do this season.”
Bora Yoon
Sounds Like Portland
The season opens October 24 with The Sound of Us, part of the Oregon Symphony’s Sounds Like Portland festival. Presented at Benson High School Auditorium, this concert showcases bold works by composers living and creating in Portland today, including Stacey Philipps, Sydney Guillaume, Cecille Elliott, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw.
The program also features special guest Bora Yoon, whose genre-defying performances blend classical voice, electronics, and immersive media. Musicians from Fear No Music join the celebration, creating a rich, collaborative soundscape—a musical snapshot of Portland right now.
In partnership with Portland Public Schools, this concert will serve as an access point for young audiences: Resonance will provide free tickets for PPS students and families, and work with educators to develop curriculum and artistic engagement opportunities connected to the concert’s themes and creators.
Sweet Honey in the Rock Returns
In January, Resonance welcomes back the iconic a cappella ensemble: Sweet Honey in the Rock, known for their singular blend of vocal power, spiritual grounding, and deep-rooted calls for justice. These matriarchs of musical resistance return for two special performances—featuring the world premiere of a brand new work by Sweet Honey in the Rock, commissioned by Resonance Ensemble to perform together. The program opens with Resonance Ensemble, followed by a featured set by Sweet Honey in the Rock, and concludes with the debut of this powerful new collaborative piece.
The North American Indigenous Songbook
In March, Resonance partners with acclaimed conductor and pianist Timothy Long to present the West Coast premiere of the North American Indigenous Songbook. A citizen of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town of the Muscogee Creek and Choctaw nations, Long is Artistic and Music Director of Opera at the Eastman School of Music and assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. He has been a leading voice in expanding the canon of Native art song—bringing forward powerful vocal works by Indigenous composers from across the U.S. and Canada. Following a celebrated New York debut, this Portland performance marks only the second-ever presentation of the Songbook.
Also featured is Portland composer/conductor Danielle Jagelski (Oneida Nation and Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe), who will conduct the premiere of her newest choral work, Holy Ground, alongside other pieces that reflect themes of cultural resilience, ancestral memory, and Indigenous identity.
A Grain of Sand, Revisited
The season closes in June with A Grain of Sand, Revisited—a poignant reflection on Asian American political formation through music and storytelling.
In collaboration with A Thousand Tongues—a Minneapolis-based arts organization dedicated to uplifting Asian American voices—this concert blends past and present, featuring selections from the seminal 1973 protest album, A Grain of Sand, alongside choral works by contemporary Asian and Asian American composers including Shruthi Rajasekar, Tracy Wong, and Saunder Choi.
The program is co-curated and conducted by ATT Artistic Director Paolo Debuque, Adrianna Tam, and Resonance Associate Conductor Shohei Kobayashi.
Resonance, Everywhere
This season, Resonance Ensemble sharpens its focus on what makes the musical experience truly meaningful—both on and off the stage. With the highly-anticipated release of Safe Harbor–a new album of commissioned works by 11 composers and poets, alongside pop-up performances, post-show happy hours, and intimate gatherings–the ensemble reaffirms its role as a creative force throughout the city. Every element is intentionally designed to extend the impact of the music and deepen audience connection.
This is the Sound of Us.
Make it yours.
Subscribe now at resonancechoral.org/subscribe-to-season-17
Single tickets on sale September 2, 2025
Note to Journalists: Katherine FitzGibbon, Shohei Kobayashi, and featured guests 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 liz@ohcreativepdx.com or by calling 971-212-8034.