Photo by Sara Duncan

Have Steinway, Will Travel

A Portland pianist takes classical music to rural areas

The 9-foot Steinway grand piano sits on a simple stage or a flat-bed trailer — a bit out of place, perhaps, in forests, national parks, calderas or historical sites for classical music concerts.

Then Hunter Noack, the founder of In A Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild, sits down at the piano and the wonder of classical music shines from beautiful and remote locations that range from San Francisco’s Botanical Garden to Wallowa Lake State Park in Joseph to Discovery Point at Crater Lake National Park. 

In 2022 alone, In A Landscape’s seventh season will feature 60 outdoor concerts in six states, including Oregon. It was last in Lane County in 2019. In A Landscape will not be in our county this year, but Noack will perform a week’s worth of concerts in central Oregon — La Pine, Bend and Sisters — in July.

Its selling point is the landscapes, which offer a stunning backdrop for concert goers in a relaxed atmosphere, complete with wireless headphones for attendees so that they can wander or just lie down and close their eyes while listening.

That easygoing atmosphere is a trademark of In A Landscape. Noack, who was raised in Sunriver and lives in Portland, had studied in London, the University of Southern California and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and he has noted that he was looking to move away from formal concert halls and bring classical music to people who otherwise may not be able to hear it live.

So see the wonder of landscapes that are an easy drive from Eugene and hear some glorious music as well.

Schedule and ticket information for In A Landscape: Classical Music in the Wild is at InaLandscape.org.