Got stung by reality recently?
Dear friends of PPI
As a former journalism major, I don’t readily like to admit that I’ve had an especially hard time following the news (or, quite frankly, “living in the real world”) lately. Even though I sound like a disenchanted fifth grader making such a statement, it just has to be said that reality … kind of sucks. World politics aside, the murky soup of informed adulthood contains bewildering flavors of total social collapse under the threat of AI, irreversible ecological decline, and deep uncertainty about literally everything under the sun. What is a rational, pragmatic person to do?
PPI, if you don’t mind me saying so, provides exactly the antidote to whatever it is that steals your joy. Solo piano recitals like ours at Lincoln Hall are simultaneously intimate and communal, providing personal connection as well as a feeling of strength in numbers. By bringing you hand-picked, brilliant, diverse artists regularly throughout the year, I dare say we really tick all the boxes of healthy and profound escapism: thrilling, exceptional, immersive and restorative, with just the right dosage of wildness and whimsy.
Yes, wildness – for when Charlie Albright steps onto the platform next Friday night, be ready for a sensory sizzle. Charlie’s ability to take passages of music from the House of Respected Repertory (there’s some highly recognizable Bach and Mozart on the program, to orient you in his soundscape, but also bits of rock, pop and jazz) and transform them into brand new, breathtaking moments of wonder is unparalleled, and there’s a reason why we’re bringing him back to Portland for the seventh time! (Fun fact: His first time in Portland was back in 2015, and I still have a program book to prove it. See picture below!) We love him, you love him – and if you bring your friends along to this performance, they are sure to love him too!
On Friday, 8 May 2026, come be carried away from all your troubles. Forget your newsfeed, forget your inbox and forget your zero sugar policy for a moment, and come savor the exhilirating thrill of live improvisation with free ice-cream at intermission. Sounds like the perfect escape to us!
Charlie last shared his artistry with us at 2025's Piano Beach!
PS: On a very tangential note – as my survival strategy recently included falling hard for really old television series – I just have to share this scene from the first season of Little House on the Prairie (1974, S1:4 “The hundred mile walk” – thank you, TikTok, for providing just the right clip!) As a pianist, isn’t this just the stuff of nightmares? So much for escapism! #protectyourhands #avoidinjury
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