Central Oregon’s music scene takes a bold, resonant step forward this spring as a new performing arts series presented by OSU-Cascades and the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts —known as PRAx— continues a new performance series at the Tower Theatre. The April 12 concert, BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging, brings together the Grammy-winning Imani Winds and trailblazing composer-percussionist Andy Akiho for a program that is as socially urgent as it is musically inventive.
At the heart of the evening is Akiho’s BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging, a genre-defying work that blends wind quintet textures with the shimmering, metallic resonance of steel pan. The result is a sound world that feels at once celebratory and unsettling—bright, rhythmic passages give way to darker, more insistent motifs. The piece resists easy categorization, moving fluidly between contemporary classical, jazz-inflected phrasing, and percussive minimalism.
What elevates the work beyond technical achievement is its origin. Developed in collaboration with incarcerated individuals at Rikers Island, the composition channels lived experiences into a deeply human artistic statement. Inspired in part by protests over unsafe conditions at a Brooklyn detention facility, the music carries an emotional weight that lingers long after the final note. As described by presenters such as Lincoln Center, the piece offers “a powerful voice to the voiceless”—a claim that feels earned rather than overstated.
Akiho, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and seven-time Grammy nominee, brings a distinctive physicality to performance. His background as a self-taught steel pannist—honed through years of playing by ear in Trinidad and New York—infuses his compositions with rhythmic vitality and an intuitive sense of structure. Watching him perform is to witness composition in motion; each strike of the pan feels deliberate, kinetic, and alive.
Imani Winds, celebrating nearly three decades as one of the most innovative chamber ensembles in the country, proves an ideal collaborator. Known for redefining the wind quintet format, the group combines technical precision with a fearless approach to programming. Their repertoire spans traditional works, contemporary commissions, and reimagined arrangements, all delivered with what critics often describe as “effortless virtuosity.”
In this collaboration, that virtuosity is matched by cohesion. The interplay between Akiho’s percussion and the ensemble’s winds achieves a remarkable balance—neither element dominates, yet both remain distinct. The musicians navigate intricate rhythmic patterns and sudden tonal shifts with clarity and purpose, creating a unified musical narrative that feels both spontaneous and meticulously crafted.
The broader program aligns with PRAx’s mission to intersect art, innovation, and community engagement. By presenting work that grapples with issues like mass incarceration, the series positions the performing arts as a space for dialogue as well as aesthetic experience. This is not music meant to fade into the background; it demands attention, reflection, and, at times, discomfort.
Yet there is also joy here—moments of soaring melody and rhythmic exuberance that remind audiences of music’s capacity to connect and uplift. It is this duality that makes BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging so compelling. The performance does not offer easy answers, but it does create space for empathy and understanding.
For Bend audiences, the concert represents more than a single evening of exceptional music. It signals the arrival of a series that aims to broaden the region’s cultural horizons, bringing internationally acclaimed artists into conversation with local communities.
In a time when the role of the arts can feel uncertain, this collaboration stands as a reminder of their enduring power: to challenge, to illuminate, and, ultimately, to bring people together.
BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging
Sun. Apr 12 7:30pm
Tower Theatre
835 NW Wall St, Bend
towertheatre.org/events/month
$30 general admission/$5 students
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