Returning to normal. I’m hearing that a lot lately, hopeful bits of optimism that are perhaps spurred by the feeling that spring is just around the corner. Maybe it’s less naïve this year to allow ourselves to see a small light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. One can only hope that we really are, in the words of an infamous hyperbolist (who shall remain nameless), “rounding the corner.”

For 45^th Parallel, the new normal means we will keep working like hell to present exciting, innovative concerts every Friday at 6PM, showcasing our virtuoso musicians as we create our way through this calamity. March continues our string of awesomeness with four great concerts that definitely fit the bill.

• On March 5th, we’ll present Zach 2.0, featuring all-star flutist/piccoloist/singer Zach Galatis playing a bit of classical music, and singing some great Broadway classics.

• On March 12th, Across the Pond will feature musicians in PDX, London, and Bratislava, performing as a unified ensemble in a program of piano quartets by Schumann, Godar, and Piazzolla.

• March 19th will feature the Pyxis Quartet in an innovative collaboration with drummer Cristián Tamblay, who will be joining Pyxis from Boston in a special arrangement of Bartok’s 4th String Quartet with percussion. The program also features music of Caroline Shaw and Joseph Haydn.

• We finish the month on March 26th with the debut of Les Boreades, a special screening of the video of our last performance before the pandemic shut everything down last year. This innovative project was a collaboration between artist Brad Johnson, Glowbox, and 45^th Parallel, and featured incredible visual imagery, accompanied by brilliant French music.

Really, who wants “normal” anyway? We now have the chance to reinvent our art form by adopting the best of the adaptive strategies that have emerged under the shadow of this pandemic. For us, EVERYTHING is an opportunity for creativity. To paraphrase the great Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, “Art always finds a way.”

See you all next Friday ;)

Ron Blessinger
Executive Director, 45^th Parallel Universe