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Donations

Chatter PDX presents 52 performances each year in downtown Portland. Our mission is simple: bring people together around live music and poetry every week. As we grow, we are committed to building — and ultimately exceeding — competitive compensation for the musicians and artists who make this work possible.

Ensemble Music Oregon, DBA ChatterPDX, is a registered 501(c)(3), tax ID 99-2281043. All donations are fully tax-deductible.

Annual Fund

Support weekly music and poetry in Portland
Marcus Lattimore reads poetry

The Annual Fund sustains the core of our work: weekly performances featuring exceptional musicians, poets, and composers. Annual gifts keep ticket prices accessible and build toward competitive pay for all artists involved.

Your support provides:

  • Weekly concerts open to everyone
  • A path toward exceeding locally competitive artist compensation
  • A lean and effective administrative operation
Support our Annual Fund

Day Sponsor

Dedicate a Sunday performance
Emily Cole plays violin

Day Sponsors underwrite a Chatter PDX Sunday performance in honor of a person, milestone, or memory.

Sponsorship includes:

  • A 250 character dedication of your choosing in your performance’s printed program
  • Reserved front-row seats for you and a guest
  • A Chatter PDX pin

Day Sponsorship for 2026 is $300.

Become a Day Sponsor

Capacity Building Campaign

Invest in the people who work daily to make Chatter happen
James Shields pontificates

Chatter PDX is scaling into a permanent weekly arts institution. To support this growth, we are raising $100,000 to invest in staff and artistic leadership over the next three fiscal years.

Your gift supports:

  • Administrative staff salaries
  • Artistic leadership
  • A sustainable organizational structure for producing weekly programming

Composer-in-Residence Program

Supporting the voices of today
Darrell Grant's head

Our Composer-in-Residence program champions new music by supporting composers financially and creatively, while connecting them directly with Portland audiences.  Chatter PDX goal is to move beyond one-off premieres, and engage three composers in residence at a time, each with three-year terms.  This allows emerging and recently established composers to have consistent performance opportunities and for audiences to develop long-term relationships with a composer's work.  We are exploring partnering with Chatter in New Mexico to increase the reach of this program, giving composers the opportunity to have multiple performances of their works performed in Portland, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque.

Planned Giving / Endowment

Secure Chatter’s future
Allison Howard feeds the hungry

Legacy gifts help ensure that weekly music, poetry, and community continue for generations. Planned gifts help sustain and grow Chatter’s commitment to strong, equitable compensation and accessible programming.

We work with donors and advisors to structure meaningful legacy contributions.