The Oregon Symphony’s Waterfront Concert and Festival Returns Labor Day Weekend

The performance will feature everything from Tchaikovsky to John Williams.

Waterfront Concert and Festival (Oregon Symphony )
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson

The largest free community concert in Oregon is back.

On Saturday, Sept. 3, the Oregon Symphony’s Waterfront Concert and Festival will return, featuring everything from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture to John Williams’ Oscar-winning theme from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

“Waterfront Concert and Festival is a summer musical tradition for all Oregonians,” stated Scott Showalter, Oregon Symphony president and CEO, in a press release. “It’s a unique opportunity for people to gather outside and experience an extraordinary array of local artists of diverse backgrounds and share the joy and power of a live Oregon Symphony concert.”

The festival will last the entire day and feature the talents of Portland Taiko, jazz ensemble MYSfits, vocalist Alonzo Chadwick and Zoulful, blues and gospel vocalist LaRhonda Steele, Jan Michael, and Looking Wolf with Indigenous flutists and Orquestra Pacifico Tropical. The symphony will take to the stage at Tom McCall Waterfront Park at 7 pm, under the direction of music director David Danzmayr and newly selected assistant conductor Deanna Tham, who will be making her Oregon Symphony debut.

Yet again, the concert will feature jumbotron screens to increase visibility (the press release asks audience to “bring only low-profile chairs or blankets for seating to preserve sight lines for those behind them”). Alcoholic beverages are not allowed, but COVID-19 tests, masks or vaccination cards will not be required to attend.

For the full performance schedule, go to orsymphony.org/waterfront.

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