OREGON REPERTORY SINGERS OPENS 2026–2027 SEASON WITH HYO-WON WOO’S POWERFUL ORATORIO CREO (Photo) - 08/17/26
Oregon Repertory Singers joins Portland Youth Philharmonic Camerata for a monumental work exploring creation, humanity, and our place in the world.
PORTLAND, Ore. — August 17, 2026 — Oregon Repertory Singers (ORS) opens its 2026–2027 season with Creo, a sweeping contemporary oratorio by South Korean composer Hyo-Won Woo, performed October 17 and 18 at The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in collaboration with Portland Youth Philharmonic Camerata. Woo herself will be in residence, offering audiences a rare opportunity to encounter her music in direct conversation with its creator.
Written for chorus and instrumental ensemble, Creo offers a vivid and expansive retelling of the story of Creation. Across 11 movements, Woo traces the emergence of the universe, earth, living creatures, and humanity, culminating in a vision of wholeness and rest. The work brings together ancient stories and contemporary musical language in a work that is at once spiritual and deeply human.
“Creo breathes new life into the old story of Creation,” wrote the International Federation for Choral Music in its program notes for the work’s 2014 world premiere. “The piece’s majestic scope is deeply spiritual but revealed simply through iconic images.”
For Dr. Ethan Sperry, Gil Seeley Artistic Director of ORS, bringing Hyo-Won Woo and her Creo to Portland is an opportunity to introduce audiences to a compelling voice in contemporary choral music while exploring one of humanity’s oldest stories from a fresh perspective. Woo, one of South Korea’s leading composers of choral music, incorporates elements of Korean musical traditions alongside Western contemporary techniques.
Oregon Repertory Singers is joined by Portland Youth Philharmonic Camerata, one of the region’s leading youth orchestras, for this momentous performance.
“MUSIC CARRIES US BEYOND OURSELVES — BEYOND WHAT DIVIDES US, BEYOND WHAT LIMITS US, BEYOND WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW. NEXT SEASON, OREGON REPERTORY SINGERS INVITES YOU ON A JOURNEY TOWARD SOMETHING GREATER: GREATER THAN ANY SINGLE TRADITION, ANY SINGLE CULTURE, ANY SINGLE MOMENT IN TIME. FROM A KOREAN VISION OF CREATION TO THE SOUL-STIRRING ENERGY OF GOSPEL TO THE TOWERING GRANDEUR OF MOZART, THESE THREE CONCERTS SHARE A SINGLE CONVICTION — THAT WHEN WE SING TOGETHER, WE ARRIVE SOMEWHERE THAT NONE OF US COULD REACH ALONE.”
– ETHAN SPERRY, GIL SEELEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ORS
The 2026–2027 season continues ORS’s commitment to presenting both celebrated choral repertoire and music that expands the possibilities of the choral art form. Creo launches a season that moves from contemporary creation mythology to beloved holiday traditions and, ultimately, to one of the great monuments of the classical repertoire.
Following Creo, ORS will present its annual Glory of Christmas concerts December 6, 12, and 13 at First United Methodist Church of Portland, continuing a cherished holiday tradition with music for the season, and with a twist! We are thrilled to welcome back gospel stars LaRhonda Steele and JerMichael Riley to join Oregon Repertory Singers for a celebration rooted in community, warmth, and the kind of joy that fills a room and refuses to leave. Beloved classical and seasonal favorites meet the electrifying energy of gospel music in a concert that reminds us why we gather, why we sing, and what we mean to each other.
The season concludes in May 2027 when ORS joins the Oregon Symphony at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, paired with Portland-born composer Lou Harrison’s La Koro Sutro (The Heart Sūtra), May 15 and 16.
Creo
Oregon Repertory Singers & Portland Youth Philharmonic Camerata
Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts
12625 SW Crescent St., Beaverton, Ore.
About Oregon Repertory Singers
Founded in 1974, Oregon Repertory Singers is a premier choral arts nonprofit dedicated to creating beauty, evoking emotion, inspiring thought, and enriching the community through powerful choral performances and accessible music education. Under the direction of Dr. Ethan Sperry, ORS presents music ranging from the newest generation of composers to celebrated choral masterworks. ORS is uniquely distinguished as the region’s only choral nonprofit offering equally robust adult and youth programs, creating opportunities for singers of all ages to learn, perform, and connect through music.
For more information, visit ORSingers.org.
