Star Percussionist Colin Currie Plays Our Studio —

The Oregon Symphony welcomes Colin Currie back to the stage Oct. 22–24. We talk with Curry about how he’s pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music, as a soloist and through commissioning new works for percussion and orchestra. Then we give him an assortment of office goods (think recycling bin, bucket, vase, Dragon Boat oar) and ask him to play a tune.

Bravo Youth Orchestra —

Oregon Art Beat brings us this profile of the first Oregon program based on a world-famous Venezuelan method of music instruction. El Sistema is the program that has brought high-quality musical education to hundreds of thousands of kids in Venezuela. Bravo is replicating El Sistema in metro Portland’s underserved communities.

Tin House Fiction Contest Plot Prompt #1 —

Ready to grind out 500 words of flash fiction in Tin House’s Plotto: The Master Contest of All Plots? Without further ado, here is the first prompt:

“Character A, proceeding about his business and caught in a crowd, is confronted suddenly by a strange person, character B, who thrusts a mysterious object, X, into his hand and, without a word, disappears.”

How to Succeed on Broadway With Lake Oswego–Native Brisa Trinchero —

What do the hit Broadway shows "Hamilton," "Matilda," "Hedwig and the Angry Itch," and "Pippin" have in common? Lake Oswego native Brisa Trinchero. After working her way up to running the Broadway Rose theater in Tigard by her mid-20s, she made the big jump to Broadway itself. Now she splits her time between Portland and New York, where she produces plays, runs a boutique publishing company, and is working on a ticketing start-up.

State of Wonder’s Aaron Scott caught up with her during a recent trip to the Big Apple to talk the business they call show, including the hottest ticket on Broadway (#YayHamilton) and her involvement in the touring production of "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical."

Beirut Wedding As A Model for Change —

Local theater veterans Bobby Bermea and Jamie Rea talk about the company they founded to tell stories of women and people of color. Beirut Wedding World Theatre Project produces its first production Oct. 28–Nov. 10: Zayd Dorhn’s "Reborning” — a spooky-yet-sexy tale of a young doll maker who’s latest commission is pushing her over the edge.

Between The World And Me: Artists Respond —

A lot of northwest towns have community reading projects, but the University of Oregon is taking it one step further this year. Incoming undergrads were encouraged to read Ta-Nehisi Coates’ best-seller “Between The World And Me” — a meditation about being black in America. In tandem, the University’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is showing contemporary art that works in conversation with the book. Some real A-listers are represented: Kehinde Wiley, Theaster Gates, Kara Walker, and many others.

Eastmoreland Controversy: Who Says It’s Historic? —

Our columnist-in-residence Randy Gragg turns us on to an oddity of Oregon law that allows people to lobby for historic protections for whole areas, whether the people who live there want them or not. Catch is, once your house is designated historic, your abilities to change it become tightly restricted. The southeast Portland community of Eastmoreland has become the latest flashpoint for how this plays out.

Woody Guthrie's Voyage through Oregon —

In the spring of 1941, Woody Guthrie came to Portland to work on one of the most iconic public art projects of the West. The Bonneville Power Administration hired him to write songs for a movie about the virtues of dams, irrigated land and hydropower. Author Greg Vandy tells the story in his book, “26 Songs in 30 Days.”