The Portland Lesbian Choir (PLC) performs Draw the Circle Wide Saturday, June 10, 7 pm and Sunday, June 11, 3 pm at the Parkrose High School’s Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature a contrast in styles designed to delight audiences. “Draw the Circle Wide is PLC’s opportunity to explore music that looks at how we draw our circles as individuals and as a community,” said Artistic Director Mary McCarty. “We are featuring music that welcomes all to our table while at the same time challenging us to examine our own biases that limit us in our personal interactions.”
The concert will feature guest artist Ara Lee James, a Portland State University alumni, accompanied by Jamie Stillway, an acoustic guitarist who was praised in Acoustic Guitar magazine. James brings musical influences from both Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin into her new work on Nasty Woman, an anthem in the wake of the #MeToo movement. She was inspired to write it after watching the presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2015. The choir will be performing music by Brandi Carlile, BTS, Carrie Newcomer, Tracy Chapman, Billy Porter and others.
PLC has grown to be an all-inclusive, non-audition choir since its inception in 1986, yet remains one of Portland’s best kept secrets. “It’s amazing how many people I meet who don’t know that our choir exists,” said McCarty. “We hope to change that.” The choir performs twice a year in the winter and spring in Portland, as well as at outreach performances throughout the Northwest, reaching cities that do not have much in the way of live arts.
Visit plchoir.org for advance tickets–$25 general admission and $15 students/seniors. Tickets may also be purchased at the door–$30 general admission, $15 students/seniors and $5 Arts for All. As a 501(c)3, PLC welcomes donations (tax deductible) for those willing and able to give more.Â
Parkrose High School is located at 12003 NE Shaver St., with a separate entrance for the Performing Arts Center. Look for it on the east side of the building (NE 122nd St. side). The lobby opens one hour before concerts; seating begins 30 minutes before the start. The concerts will be ASL interpreted; there is ADA seating on the main floor and all bathrooms are ADA accessible.