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Oregon Mandolin Orchestra

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Portland, OR
Oregon Mandolin Orchestra

28 Orchestra members, playing mandolins (1st and 2nd), mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and one mighty mandobass

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra is dedicated to bringing the beauty of mandolin music to audiences while providing opportunities for local musicians to perform.

The mandolin was the most popular instrument in America in the early 1900s. That love affair fully bloomed when mandolin orchestras sprang up in cities across the country, enchanting concert-goers with a distinctive collective ti**le of mu

sical rain.

Although tastes shifted over the years, appreciation of the mandolin was rekindled during the Folk Revival of the 60s. This set the stage for the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, which was founded by Brian Oberlin and Elizabeth Farrell in 2010.

Today, the nonprofit, all-volunteer Oregon Mandolin Orchestra counts two dozen dues-paying members who play mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mandobass – all the varied voices of the mandolin instrument family. Acoustic guitars and upright string basses occasionally round out the mix.

05/04/2026

Join the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra for a Mother's Day Weekend musical tour of Italy.

Two Concerts – Free for all mothers!

Saturday May 9: 6 p.m. PDT. Doors open 5:30 p.m.
Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 N.E. Alameda St., Portland, OR 97213
Tickets: $15 for adults. $10 for students and seniors. Mothers free!
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Sunday May 10: 3 p.m. PDT. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 S.W. Vermont St., Portland, OR 97219
Suggested donation: $15 for adults. $10 for students and seniors, in-person or livestreaming through Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/OMO-LiveStream Mothers free!

Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org
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“The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra has played plenty of Italian music over the years, but never made a whole concert of it before now,” said OMO Music Director Christian McKee. “We’ll go as far back as the Baroque period with music by Antonio Vivaldi; up to the present day with music by Claudio Mandonico, born in 1957; and share plenty of the wonderfully expressive music of the early 20th century composed for mandolin ensembles.”

The orchestra program’s oldest piece, Concerto Alla Rustica, was composed in the early 1700s by Antonio Vivaldi while juggling other major musical projects. The concerto’s first movement features rapid-fire triplets in shifting harmonies.
Two compositions by Raffaele Calace, Intermezzo (Opus 46) and Tarantella (Opus 18), were penned during Italy’s “Golden Age” of classical mandolin, which ran 1880 and 1910. Both pieces serve up rich tones and clever interplay among the orchestra’s sections.

A piece of similar vintage, Sognando! (Opus 206) was composed by Carlo Munier, capturing the dreamy, romantic nature reflected in its title – “dreaming” in Italian. Meanwhile, Intermezzo Capriccioso (Opus 448), by Amedeo Amadei, evokes a stroll through a dynamic-yet-welcoming garden.

Moving forward in time, Gio Batta Briano’s Andante Mesto speaks to the world of 1944, a time of wrenching upheaval soon followed by peace, however uneasy.

The concert program’s newest piece, Music for Play, composed in 1999 by Claudio Mandonico, captures the drama and tension in modern life, deftly passing the musical themes among the orchestra’s sections throughout three movements.

For more information, please contact:

Christian McKee, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra music director: [email protected]

Michael Tognetti, mandolinist, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra board president: [email protected]

04/10/2026

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra is inviting you to join a Mother’s Day weekend celebration of Italian composers. The concerts – one evening performance and one live/virtual matinee – will explore the diversity and richness of Italian music to the modern day.

The concerts will be free to all mothers!

“The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra has played plenty of Italian music over the years, but never made a whole concert of it before now,” said OMO Music Director Christian McKee. “We’ll go as far back as the Baroque period with music by Antonio Vivaldi; up to the present day with music by Claudio Mandonico, born in 1957; and share plenty of the wonderfully expressive music of the early 20th century composed for mandolin ensembles.”

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Saturday May 9: 6 p.m. PDT. Doors open 5:30 p.m.
Rose City Park United Methodist Church, 5830 N.E. Alameda St., Portland, OR 97213
Tickets: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors
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Sunday May 10: 3 p.m. PDT. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 S.W. Vermont St., Portland, OR 97219
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors, in-person or livestreaming.

Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

12/12/2025

Still plenty of seats at the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra's Matinee Christmas concerts

Two Matinee Concerts!

Saturday Dec. 13: 3 p.m. PST. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98663.
Suggested donation: $15 at the door for adults; $10 for students and seniors.
Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

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Sunday, Dec. 14: 3 p.m. PST. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
Where: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 S.W. Vermont St, Portland, OR 97219.
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors.
Virtual: Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/OMOHolidays
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors through online link.
Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

“OMO will conclude their 15th anniversary year with a pair of Christmas concerts spanning music from the 17th century to the 1960s, from the Baroque-era German Lutheran church to the American silver screen,” said Christian McKee, OMO music director.

“This year, there will be a special stocking stuffer,” McKee said, “The concerts will include performances by the OMO Chamber Ensemble, playing perennial favorite themes from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.”

11/22/2025

Oregon Mandolin Orchestra live/virtual Christmas concerts

“OMO will conclude their 15th anniversary year with a pair of Christmas concerts spanning music from the 17th century to the 1960s, from the Baroque-era German Lutheran church to the American silver screen,” said Christian McKee, OMO music director.

“This year, there will be a special stocking stuffer,” McKee said, “The concerts will include performances by the OMO Chamber Ensemble, playing perennial favorite themes from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.”

Two Matinee Concerts!
Saturday Dec. 13: 3 p.m. PST. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St, Vancouver, WA 98663.
Suggested donation: $15 at the door for adults; $10 for students and seniors.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, Dec. 14: 3 p.m. PST. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 S.W. Vermont St, Portland, OR 97219.
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors.
Virtual: Zoom link: https://tinyurl.com/OMOHolidays
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors through online link.
Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

10/27/2025

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra (OMO) and the Classical Mandolin Society of America (CMSA) are presenting three evenings of free concerts to showcase music that celebrates the distinctive tones of the Mandolin Family of Instruments.

The OMO is hosting the concerts Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 as part of the CMSA’s 39th annual convention – the first in Portland since 2014. All the 8 p.m. concerts will be held at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel’s Mt. Hood Ballroom.

The concert lineup:

 Mandolin and Guitar Night -- Thursday, Oct. 30, featuring duets by Australian mandolinist Fiona Horbach, of the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra (SMO,) and guitarist Werner Ruecker, SMO’s director, and the convention’s composer in-residence. A solo performance by Italian mandolinist Fabio Gallucci, co-founder of the Quintet à Plectres de France, will follow.

 Portland Night – Friday, Oct. 31. The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, celebrating its 15th year, will perform an exciting program of pieces stretching from Classical to Tin Pan Alley and Brazilian choro, along with two compositions specially commissioned for the OMO. French mandolinist and composer Vincent Beer-Demander, art director for the Academie de Mandoline et Guitare in Marseillle, also will deliver a solo performance on octave mandolin and other instruments.

 Symposium Night – Saturday, Nov. 1 -- Featuring a program of duets by Gallucci and Beer-Demander, then closing with the CMSA En Masse Orchestra, 140 strong. Dr. Jim Bates, CMSA music director, will conduct the enormous ensemble comprised of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and basses in a program of music from the U.S., Italy, France, Japan and Australia, including the world premiere of Werner Ruecker’s “Yulugi - Dance of the Earth and Sky.”

Donations to the nonprofit CMSA are happily accepted.

For questions, please contact:

Christian McKee, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra music director: [email protected] or 503-891-1226.

Michael Tognetti, mandolinist, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra board president: [email protected] or 360-521-0255.

10/21/2025

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra (OMO) and the Classical Mandolin Society of America (CMSA) are presenting three evenings of free concerts to showcase music that celebrates the distinctive tones of the Mandolin Family of Instruments.

The OMO is hosting the concerts Oct. 30 – Nov. 1 as part of the CMSA’s 39th annual convention – the first in Portland since 2014. All the 8 p.m. concerts will be held at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel’s Mt. Hood Ballroom.

The concert lineup:

* Mandolin and Guitar Night -- Thursday, Oct. 30, featuring duets by Australian mandolinist Fiona Horbach, of the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra (SMO,) and guitarist Werner Ruecker, SMO’s director, and the convention’s composer in-residence. A solo performance by Italian mandolinist Fabio Gallucci, co-founder of the Quintet à Plectres de France, will follow.

* Portland Night – Friday, Oct. 31. The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra, celebrating its 15th year, will perform an exciting program of pieces stretching from Classical to Tin Pan Alley and Brazilian choro, along with two compositions specially commissioned for the OMO. French mandolinist and composer Vincent Beer-Demander, art director for the Academie de Mandoline et Guitare in Marseillle, also will deliver a solo performance on octave mandolin and other instruments.

* Symposium Night – Saturday, Nov. 1 -- Featuring a program of duets by Gallucci and Beer-Demander, then closing with the CMSA En Masse Orchestra, 140 strong. Dr. Jim Bates, CMSA music director, will conduct the enormous ensemble comprised of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and basses in a program of music from the U.S., Italy, France, Japan and Australia, including the world premiere of Werner Ruecker’s “Yulugi - Dance of the Earth and Sky.”

Donations to the nonprofit CMSA are encouraged.

For questions, please contact:

Christian McKee, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra music director: [email protected] or 503-891-1226.

Michael Tognetti, mandolinist, Oregon Mandolin Orchestra board president: [email protected] or 360-521-0255.

10/13/2025

Boo!

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra (OMO) is happily handing out free musical candy on Halloween Night.

The OMO is putting on a free concert Oct. 31, performing an exciting program of pieces stretching from Classical to Tin Pan Alley and Brazilian choro, including two compositions specially commissioned for the OMO.

The concert, at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, is part of the Classical Mandolin Society of America's 39th annual convention.

The concert also will feature a solo performance by French mandolinist Vincent Beer-Demander, entitled “Come Bach.” A renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist, Beer-Demander serves as a member of the convention faculty and is art director for the Academie de Mandoline et Guitare in Marseille.

Meanwhile, free concerts also will be performed:

 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, featuring duets by Australian mandolinist Fiona Horbach, of the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra (SMO,) and guitarist Werner Ruecker, SMO’s director, and the convention’s composer in-residence. A solo performance by Italian mandolinist Fabio Gallucci, co-founder of the Quintet à Plectres de France, will follow.

 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, featuring a program of duets by Gallucci and Beer-Demander, and closing with the CMSA En Masse Orchestra, 140 strong. Dr. Jim Bates, CMSA music director, will conduct the enormous ensemble comprised of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and basses in a program of music from the U.S., Italy, France, Japan and Australia, including the world premiere of Werner Ruecker’s “Yulugi-Dance of the Earth and Sky.”

Who: Oregon Mandolin Orchestra
What: Free concert (Donations happily accepted!)
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Where: Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, 8235 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97220
Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

Donations to the nonprofit CMSA are encouraged.

10/04/2025

Catch the Oregon Mandolin Orchestra’s free Halloween Night concert near Portland International Airport

The OMO will headline the Oct. 31 concert while hosting the Classical Mandolin Society of America’s 39th annual convention.

Who: Oregon Mandolin Orchestra
What: Free concert (Donations happily accepted!)
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31
Where: Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel, 8235 NE Airport Way, Portland, OR 97220
Information: www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org

“We’re excited about this opportunity to play,” said Christian McKee, OMO music director. “It’ll be an honor to have so many members of the Mandolin Family in the audience along with Portland’s loyal mandolin fans.”

The OMO will share the concert with French mandolinist Vincent Beer-Demander, presenting a solo performance of a program entitled “Come Bach.” A renowned composer and multi-instrumentalist, Beer-Demander serves as a member of the convention faculty and is the art director for the Academie de Mandoline et Guitare in Marseille.

Meanwhile, free concerts also will be performed:

 8 p.m. Thursday, featuring duets by Australian mandolinist Fiona Horbach, of the Sydney Mandolin Orchestra (SMO,) and guitarist Werner Ruecker, SMO’s director, and the convention’s composer in-residence. A solo performance by Italian mandolinist Fabio Gallucci, co-founder of the Quintet à Plectres de France, will follow.

 8 p.m. Saturday, featuring a program of duets by Gallucci and Beer-Demander, and closing with the CMSA En Masse Orchestra, 140 strong. Dr. Jim Bates, CMSA music director, will conduct the enormous ensemble comprised of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars and basses in a program of music from the U.S., Italy, France, Japan and Australia, including the world premiere of Werner Ruecker’s “Yulugi-Dance of the Earth and Sky.”

Donations to the nonprofit CMSA are encouraged.

06/17/2025

Bonjour!

The Oregon Mandolin Orchestra is celebrating the change of seasons with two "Summer in Paris" concerts June 21-22, honoring French composers while leading a musical journey through the City of Light.

OMO Music Director Christian McKee has crafted a concert program that explores French music over four centuries, from enduring symphonic masterpieces to songs made famous on both sides of the Atlantic by Edith Piaf and Bobby Darin.

What you need to know:

June 21
What: Summer in Paris Concert
When: 3 p.m. Saturday, June 21. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
Where: First Presbyterian Church, 4300 Main St., Vancouver, WA 98663
Tickets: $15 at the door; $10 for students and seniors

June 22
What: Summer in Paris Concert – live or virtual
When: 3 p.m. PST Sunday, June 22. Doors open 2:30 p.m.
Live: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 2201 S.W. Vermont St., Portland, OR 97219
Tickets: Suggested donation $15 at the door; $10 for students and seniors.
Virtual: Zoom link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87530908286
Suggested donation: $15 for adults; $10 for students and seniors through online link

Hope to see you there!

Address

Portland, OR
97207

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.oregonmandolinorchestra.org/

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