December 06, 2023
Page 7
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Second Ensemble Teen Uses Talent to
Leaders Fellow Support Local Libraries
Student Illustrates
Announced!
Libraries’ Winter
Moving the art
form forward!
Portland Opera is pleased to
formally announce that Alexis
Walker is the company’s second
Ensemble Leaders Fellow, hav-
ing joined the company in Sep-
tember 2023, for the 2023/24
season. The Ensemble Leaders
Fellowship was developed to
move the art form forward by
providing career advancement
opportunities for individuals who
have been historically underrep-
resented in the world of opera, in
both administrative and artistic
roles. The pilot year took place
during the 2021/22 season with
Jasmine Johnson named as the
first Ensemble Leaders Fellow.
She returned for the 2022/23 sea-
son and has since joined the Port-
land Opera staff.
Each fellowship is unique
and based on the goals,
strengths, and leadership jour-
ney of the chosen candidate.
Since joining the company in
September, Walker has been
working as part of the External
Affairs team for the first months
of her fellowship. She is work-
ing with the company to define
her program and areas of focus
for the remainder of the season.
"The experience so far has
been so eye opening!” shares
Walker. “As a performer my-
self, I didn’t fully understand
all the work it takes to run an
arts organization. In just the
few months I have been here,
my understanding has deepened
as I continue the fellowship
program. I am grateful for the
people I have met, and what I
am being taught every time I
step into the building."
“We are delighted to be
working with Alexis Walker
this season,” says Sue Dixon,
General Director of Portland
Opera. “We learned so much
from our initial pilot program
with Jasmine Johnson that has
allowed us to continue to cus-
tomize this program for each
individual participant. We be-
Reading Challenge
Alexis Walker, Ensemble
Leaders Fellow
lieve strongly in this program
and look forward to supporting
new leaders through hands-on
professional development and
mentorship in our field.”
Alexis Walker earned her
Bachelor of Arts degree with a
focus in Vocal Performance at
Pacific University, where her
mentors and teachers includ-
ed Dr. Scott Tuomi, Mrs. Judy
A. Rose, and Professor Anne
McKee Reed. She is a current
member of Pacific University’s
Chamber Singers, who had the
honor of performing for the
American Choral Directors As-
sociation (ACDA) in Spokane,
Washington in 2022, and at the
Oregon Music Educators Asso-
ciation (OMEA) Conference in
Eugene, Oregon earlier in 2023.
Alexis was a featured soloist
in “A Gospel Mass” by Rob-
ert Ray for All Classical Radio
and Pacific University Chamber
Singers’ performance of “Wade
in the Water,” arranged by Mo-
ses Hogan, in April 2023.
Alexis also enjoys working
in theater and was the Stage
Manager and Assistant Produc-
er in “The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee,” pro-
duced at Pacific University in
March 2023. Currently, Alex-
is is a vocal instructor and the
Voice Program Director at Bach
to Rock in Hillsboro, Oregon.
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At the age of sixteen, Sunset
High School student, Sophia You
is already an accomplished artist
who is using her talents to benefit
local libraries.
In addition to sorting and
shelving materials each week as
a volunteer at Cedar Mill Library,
You create illustrations for use
in promoting library programs.
The teen started out designing
coloring sheets that the libraries
delivered along with books to lo-
cal childcare sites as part of their
Bookshare Program.
The libraries’ Teen Services
Manager, Mark Richardson
says, “Sophia has been volun-
teering at the library since 2021.
She has created artwork for our
NaMoWriMo program and our
Spring Crosshatch reading chal-
Talented Sixteen Year Old Artist, Sophia You
lenge and has even designed
buttons for us. We’re thankful
for all her contributions!”
You’s latest artwork supports
the libraries' Winter Reading
Challenge with designs featuring
the challenge’s 2023 theme, “Bun-
dle Up with a Book”. Cedar Mill
and Bethany Community Librar-
ies are encouraging readers of all
ages to participate in the Winter
Reading Challenge, which runs
from December 1 to January 15.
The libraries’ goal is 10,000
hours of community reading.
Randomly chosen participants
will win gift cards donated by
Piccolo Mondo Toys. Readers
can participate by picking up a
reading log at the Cedar Mill or
Bethany Libraries, downloading
the Beanstack app, or by signing
up online at library.cedarmill.
org/read-now.
The Minidoka Swing Band
Minidoka Swing Band Concert
Music of The
Harmonaires
The Minidoka Swing Band
was formed in 2007 to remem-
ber the music and big bands that
were popular inside World War
II Japanese American incarcer-
ation camps to help make life
more normal for the imprisoned
incarcerates. The Oregon Histor-
ical Society is thrilled to host the
Minidoka Swing Band for a con-
cert on Pearl Harbor Day in our
pavilion at noon. Admission is
free and all are welcome.
The Minidoka Swing Band
was formed by the late Roberta
(Robbie) Tsuboi for a 2008 pil-
grimage to the Minidoka Intern-
ment Camp. The band consists
of 17 musicians and two vocal-
ists, three of whom were incar-
cerated during WWII. Relatives
of several band members were
also incarcerated. The band con-
nects audiences to the time when
all internees needed something
to uplift them and help them feel
typically American.
The Minidoka Swing Band
continues to play the music
of The Harmonaires, a Seat-
tle-based band formally known
as the Mikados of Swing, as
a tribute to Minidoka and all
the internees who suffered a
great loss during those diffi-
cult years. This performance
will include narration between
songs by Nola Sugai Bogle,
who was incarcerated with her
family at Minidoka. The Mini-
doka Swing Band Concert is
Thursday, December 7, 12pm
to 1pm.