Sight Reading: Musical Dialects with Anna Tivel, Willy Vlautin, Wonderly and 45th Parallel Universe

Musical Dialects with Anna Tivel, Willy Vlautin, Wonderly and 45th Parallel Universe

Music is more than just an aural language – it is a multitude of communication modes and literacies. Sight Reading features world-renowned songwriters translating between dialects in real time: the written language of music (usually expressed on staff), oral / aural traditions and “playing by ear” come together to work with Oregon Symphony musicians as they perform newly-created arrangements of songs by musicians who write their music in a variety of ways.

SATURDAY NOV. 7

Anna Tivel

Anna Tivel is a Portland-based songwriter known for her quietly powerful storytelling and deeply human lyricism. Grounded in intimate portraits of everyday life, her songs illuminate small moments of beauty, struggle, and connection with striking clarity.

A keen observer, Tivel brings her characters to life with nuance and compassion, creating work that feels both personal and universal. She has released multiple full-length albums on Portland’s Fluff & Gravy Records and tours extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Her album Small Believer, produced by Austin Nevins, was praised by NPR for its “exquisite balance of the quotidian and the sublime,” highlighting her gift for pairing poetic imagery with grounded storytelling. Her earlier release, Heroes Waking Up, further established her as a singular voice in contemporary folk.

Through both recording and performance, Tivel creates a rare sense of intimacy—inviting listeners into carefully drawn worlds that linger long after the song ends.

Willy Vlautin

Willy Vlautin is an acclaimed novelist and songwriter known for his deeply humane portraits of working-class life. Born and raised in Reno, he is the author of seven novels, including The Motel Life, Lean on Pete, and The Night Always Comes, all of which have been adapted into films. He is also the founder of the bands Richmond Fontaine and The Delines.

Inspired by writers and songwriters such as John Steinbeck and Tom Waits, Vlautin’s work centers on characters living on the margins, told with compassion, restraint, and emotional clarity.

His many honors include three Oregon Book Awards, the Nevada Silver Pen Award, and induction into both the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. He has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, and in 2025 received the Joyce Carol Oates Prize.

Vlautin teaches in the MFA in Writing program at Pacific University and lives near Portland.

“Willy Vlautin is one of the bravest novelists writing. Murderers, cheats, sadists, showy examples of the banality of evil, are easy, but it takes real courage to write a novel about ordinary good people. An unsentimental Steinbeck, a heartbroken Haruf, Willy Vlautin tells us who really lives now in our America, our city in ruins.”

Ursula K. Le Guin

 “No one anywhere writes as beautifully about people whose stories stay close to the dirt. Willy Vlautin is a secular-and thus real and profoundly useful—saint.” 

Lidia Yuknavitch 

 Wonderly

Composers and harmony nerds Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk make up the pan-idiomatic duo known as Wonderly. Composers of the NYT Daily Theme and countless other podcast themes (Sold a Story, Dear Sugar, Aspen Ideas, Marketplace How We Survive and others), their side gig is soundtrack work. But where they really shine is in their words, stories, harmonies, and show.

Ever-adventurous, the Portland, Oregon musicians sound equally at home making epic symphonic soundscapes, twangy americana and bubbly pop, producing and playing just about every instrument along the way. In their nearly three decades of collaboration, they’ve backed up their idols onstage (Smokey Robinson, Van Dyke Parks, Kristin Hersh), and made music with Northwest luminaries like Liz Vice, Laura Gibson, Laura Veirs and Ural Thomas.

“Their songs are very short, intellectual soundtrack pieces… sounds like Elliot Smith with a sense of humor.” – Flow State

 45th Parallel Universe

45th Parallel Universe is a collective of musicians dedicated to celebrating great chamber music through intimate, imaginative performances. Comprised primarily of musicians from the Oregon Symphony, the ensemble brings exceptional artistry and a spirit of collaboration to every project.

Since 2009, 45th Parallel has blurred boundaries between old and new, classical and contemporary, bluegrass and jazz, fiddle and folk. Their programming reflects Portland’s vibrant creative community, drawing together diverse audiences through unexpected and thoughtfully curated musical experiences.

Known for its “360-degree” approach to programming, the ensemble seamlessly weaves Bach and Beethoven alongside adventurous repertoire and cross-genre collaborations. These projects often feature artists from a wide range of traditions, embracing the richness and diversity of the region.

At its core, 45th Parallel Universe believes in music as a powerful and shared human experience—one that is both timeless and ever-evolving.