In our 23rd season, Pacific Youth Choir presents Elements—a musical exploration of the fundamental forces that shape us: resilience, innovation, tradition, and transformation. Just as the elements of nature interact to create new landscapes, our voices come together to forge a choral experience that is both deeply rooted and ever-evolving.
This season, we honor the rich traditions that have guided us while embracing bold, genre-defying works that push the boundaries of choral artistry. Elements invites us to reflect on the forces that sustain and inspire us, revealing the limitless possibilities of collective song.
We will journey through:
Fire: Music of Passion and Resilience – Works that ignite the spirit, from powerful spirituals to anthems of perseverance, carrying voices through struggle and triumph.
Water: Fluid and Transformative Soundscapes – Genre-blending compositions that weave classical, jazz, contemporary, and experimental elements into a dynamic musical current.
Earth: Reimagining Tradition – Choral masterworks and folk music reinterpreted through fresh arrangements, honoring our musical roots while embracing evolution and renewal.
Air: The Boundless Future of Choral Music – Ethereal, visionary works that challenge expectations and open new sonic landscapes.
Through Elements, we celebrate the foundation of our past while embracing a future where choral music is as vibrant and ever-changing as the world around us. Join us for a season of discovery, transformation, and artistic exploration—where voices, like the elements, come together in powerful and unexpected ways.
Featured Concerts
Frost and Fire: Resilience in Song
This concert will set the stage for the Elements season, harnessing the transformative power of Fire to explore the passionate and resilient spirit of the holidays. Bold reinterpretations of classic holiday music blend with stirring anthems and spirituals, capturing both the warmth of cherished traditions and the spark of choral innovation. The program fuses timeless seasonal favorites with exciting new works that reflect a forward-looking future.
Program Highlights:
Resilient Spirituals and Anthems that embody the strength of perseverance.
Reimagined Holiday Classics in bold, contemporary styles, honoring tradition while embracing innovation.
Progressive Choral Works that push the boundaries of the choral repertoire.
December 17, 2025
Convergence: Fluidity and Timelessness
In this unique collaboration with the Choral Arts Ensemble of Portland, Pacific Youth Choir will unite with another talented youth choir to explore the elements of Water and Earth. Together, the choirs will create a seamless flow of sound, blending works that embody forward thinking innovation with grounded, evolving interpretations of tradition. This concert celebrates the power of collective voices and the strength found in collaboration, as both choirs push the boundaries of choral music.
Program Highlights:
Water: Modern and/or Genre-blending choral works that evoke fluid, ever-evolving soundscapes of the choral repertory.
Earth: Reimagined folk songs and choral masterworks, honoring tradition while embracing new interpretations.
Collaborative Work(s): The choirs unite for breathtaking pieces that highlight unity, strength, and creative exploration.
February 28 & March 1, 2026
The Essence of the Soul
The season will culminate with a concert that explores the limitless possibilities of choral music through the element of Air. Featuring innovative, ethereal works that challenge the boundaries of the choral tradition, this concert will embrace avant-garde sounds and innovative compositions. Focused on the future of choral artistry, the program will delve into new sonic landscapes and visionary compositions, pushing the expectations of both singers and audience alike.
Program Highlights:
Genre-Defying Compositions that explore new textures and vocal techniques.
Collaborations with Contemporary Artists and Composers to bring fresh perspectives to the choral stage.
Ethereal Arrangements that defy traditional structures, crafting a new vision for the future of choral music.
May 17, 2026
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Chanticleer Youth Choral Festival
February 22, 2025
Pacific Youth Choir and Friends of Chamber Music are honored to host with the GRAMMY® Award-winning Chanticleer! They will share the stage with PYC, as well as talented choirs from Lincoln, Lakeridge, Tigard, and Westside Christian High Schools. This concert is a culmination of a full day of workshops with the members of this highly-acclaimed ensemble.
The public concert begins at 7:00 PM at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th St., Portland).
This community event is free. Seating is general admission. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Alumni Concerts
December 21, 2024 & June 8, 2025
Don’t miss Portland’s best kept secret – our Alumni Concerts feature graduates from across our 21-year history, many of whom have continued their musical pursuits professionally and recreationally across the country.
This full-length concert features conducting from both our Artistic Director, Chris Maunu, as well as Founding Artistic Director, Mia Hall Miller. Each concert continues our season theme of Reflections, examining the internal and external perspectives that come further on in life.
Choral FX Honor Choir Concert
October 4, 2024
Pacific Youth Choir and the professional Choro in Schola ensemble are proud to host the annual Choral FX Honor Choir! Established by the legendary conductor Dr. Bruce Browne, this concert will be the culminating performance of the hard work of high school honor choir singers from across the Portland metro area.
This community event is free. Seating is general admission.
Guest Appearances
Dr. Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Pacific Youth Choir is honored to be invited back to participate in Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church of Portland’s annual interfaith service to honor and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and dream of peace and unity.
The event features music and gifted speakers that will leave you feeling hopeful and encouraged as we continue to advance Dr. King’s dream as a community.
This community event is free. Seating is general admission.
January 19, 2025
Metropolitan Youth Symphony
March 2, 2025
Metropolitan Youth Symphony is featuring Pacific Youth Choir in concert at the beautiful Newmark Theatre.
This concert will showcase the stunning “Waloyo Yamoni” from The Drop that Contained the Sea by Christopher Tin.
Don’t miss this special event that brings together the powerful forces of these two legendary organizations!
Mahler 3: Nature Finds a Voice
June 14-16, 2025
"In it the whole of nature finds a voice," Mahler wrote of his Third Symphony. A work of immense scope and profound emotion in which the composer realizes his goal to "embrace everything" in his music, Mahler's Third is an expansive hymn to the primal life force that animates every flower in the meadow, animal in the forest, and the divine love that forever unites nature and humankind.
The performance will feature multiple groups, including Pacific Youth Choir, and is sure to be a very special experience.
Tickets on sale through Oregon Symphony beginning August 1, 2024.
Oregon Symphony Orchestra Family Concert Series
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Melodies of the Animal Kingdom
November 10, 2024
Explore the vast and fascinating animal kingdom with your Oregon Symphony! Join us for a toe-tapping, tail-wagging experience as we explore the enchanting world of animals through music. Featuring Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate’s Spirit Chief Names the Animal People, Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee, selections from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, and more, this interactive concert will be a roaringly good time for the entire family.
Featuring Pacific Youth Choir
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The Sounds of Science
February 16, 2025
Discover the science of music! With the help of several popular compositions from Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture to Debussy’s Clair de lune and onstage demonstrations by Oregon Symphony musicians, young scientists and curious minds will learn all about vibrations, pitch, volume, sound waves, and more! Put on your lab coats and get ready for an educational and interactive concert all about what makes music possible.
Featuring Pacific Youth Choir
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Adventures in the Great Outdoors
April 27, 2025
The Oregon Symphony is going on a hike, and we want you to come along! Help the musicians stay on track as we journey through forests, mountains, lakes, and beyond. Featuring selections from Beethoven’s "Pastoral" Symphony, Handel’s Water Music, and more, this interactive concert is perfect for young music lovers and nature explorers.
Featuring Pacific Youth Choir
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Peter & the Wolf
June 1, 2025
Discover the instruments of the symphony through Prokofiev’s beloved children’s work Peter and the Wolf — the tale of a young boy who confronts a menacing wolf with the help of his animal friends! Experience the Oregon Symphony play the delightful score that cleverly introduces young audience members to the different musical instruments while the charming story is narrated live.
Featuring Pacific Youth Choir
