It began innocently enough. Nine cellists got together one night in 2006 in Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge for a night of playing Western classical music in an informal setting. A simple one-off gig? Not quite. This turned out to be the birth of the Portland Cello Project, and it has grown into a nationally known phenomenon that has played in punk rock clubs, symphony halls, street parties and even played at TED Talks. Portland Cello Project: Bach With A Twist marks the ensemble’s return to the Oregon Bach Festival for the first time since 2019, and besides Bach, you can expect to hear music ranging from Led Zeppelin to Taylor Swift. Douglas Jenkins, the group’s artistic director, has expanded the Cello Project’s repertoire to more than 1,700 pieces. All genres are covered, and that’s in keeping with the group’s mission statement to “build bridges between different musical communities through collaborations and community outreach.”
