Live Music/Performances

We bring the community together by hosting a wide variety of live music events that celebrate our heritage and expose us to new perspectives. You can view a list of past performers below. From Celtic and bluegrass to jazz, blues, world music, and rock & roll, the Pendleton Center for the Arts is a great spot to experience the power of live music. You can keep up with all our Facebook events HERE.

Want to get first crack at purchasing tickets when we book bands? Join our email list below.

Next Up:

Brass Fire

Friday, July 17, 2026
7:00 p.m., Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets $10

When Brad Rozema describes the band Brass Fire, often he first has to dispel the stereotype that those unfamiliar with the group jump to; that it’s a LOUD brass band. The truth is that the group, while sporting a large horn section, features musicians who have spent years honing their craft and the nuance of their instruments. That work will be on display when the group performs a tribute to Chicago, one of the most popular bands of the 1970’s.

Rozema formed the band thirteen years ago with a core group of musicians and over the years other performers have joined in. The group has had members from all over Umatilla County and SE Washington.

The playlist of the band Chicago is particularly suited to the group, as a vast majority of the music was written for three horns – trumpet, trombone, and tenor sax – all of which are featured in Brass Fire. The music is more challenging than traditional pop music, much of which focuses on lyrics or the vocal tonality of the singer, but often relies on simple cords and structure.

“From the standpoint of musicianship, these songs require much more practice and finesse,” said Rozema.

The band Chicago is still touring today, fifty-five years after forming and forty-six years after their first number one song, “If You Leave Me Now,” hit the Billboard charts. Their iconic sound formed the backdrop for the 70s, with songs like “25 and 6 to 4”, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” and “Saturday in the Park.” An incredible 25 of their 32 albums have been certified platinum and they’ve sold more than 100 million records.

For more information contact the Pendleton Center for the Arts at 541-278-9201 or by email at director (at) pendletonarts (dot) org.

Made possible through the generous support of Harriet Isom.

Save the Dates

Thursday, September 17, 2026 – The EOCenes
Presented in memory of Nyla Macomber

Photo Credit Brude deBoer

Wednesday, October 21, 2026 – Joe Newberry and April Verch
Made possible through the generous support of Thompson RV.

Select Past Events

Filippo Gorini

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Thanks to a partnership with Portland Piano International, world-class pianist Filippo Gorini performed a recital at the Pendleton Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 14^th for a sold out audience.

Filippo Gorini graduated with honors from the Donizetti Conservatory in Bergamo and the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He received the “Premio Abbiati”, the most prestigious musical recognition in Italy, in 2022, as well as the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2020 and First Prize at the Telekom-Beethoven Competition 2015. His three albums featuring Beethoven and Bach late works, released on Alpha Classics, have garnered critical acclaim, including a Diapason d’Or Award and 5-star reviews on The Guardian, BBC Music Magazine, Le Monde.

Gorini’s “Sonata for 7 Cities”, set to end in 2027, aims to show a new, responsible and ethical approach to concert life with monthly residencies in Vienna, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Portland, Medellín, Milan and more, centered around performances, outreach, teaching, and philanthropy. The Pendleton performance is an outreach project of the Portland residency. During this project he will also perform seven newly commissioned piano pieces by composers Stefano Gervasoni, Federico Gardella, Beat Furrer, Michelle Agnes Magalhaes, Yukiko Watanabe, Oscar Jockel, Ondrej Adamek.

Filippo Gorini’s musicianship has drawn acclaim in recitals in the major venues in Europe and abroad, ranging from Milan’s Teatro alla Scala to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Konzerthaus, and Louis Vuitton Foundation Paris, as well as with orchestras such as the Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchester, the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the Gyeonggi Philharmonic in Seoul, the Opera Nacional de Chile.

True Blues with Corey Harris & Cedric Watson
Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024
SOLD OUT! 

Hosted by Corey Harris, a powerful singer, accomplished guitarist and MacArthur Grant recipient, True Blues chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues in an evening of music and conversation. Harris will be joined on stage by four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter Cedric Watson, considered to be one of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade.

Seffarine

The musicians of Seffarine, soulful Moroccan singer Lamiae Naki and flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp, supported by master musicians of diverse cultures, embrace and extend this rich legacy. Their exciting performances masterfully combine explosive flamenco footwork, exotic instrumentation and grooving basslines. These diverse backgrounds meld, creating what SoundRoots describes as “an ear-caressing blend of sounds from Spain and North Africa, spiced with a bit of fiery instrumentation and percussion.”

“Seffarine’s music can melt the coldest hearts”
-Chicago Reader

Past Performers