About Angela Allen
A longtime Portland, Ore., journalist and reviewer by day, poet by night, and photographer when the light is good, I write and shoot pictures with sharpness and candor, keeping the colors in mind.
Latest News, Events & Clips
“Hold Fast”: A poetry and music collaboration
May. 16, 2026:Darius Wallace and Jasnam Daya Singh reunite for a spoken-word program accompanied by jazzy music honoring Langston Hughes' poetry as the first offering of the Siletz Bay Music Festival on the Oregon Coast. See Angela's story. Photo by Norm Eder
BodyVox and WindSync
Apr. 29, 2026:"Drawing on the Walls," a springtime collaboration of BodyVox's always surprising dancing backed by contemporary chamber music performed by WindSync, proved exhilarating. See Angela's review. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert
A Mozart mash-up
Apr. 21, 2026:Portland State University opera students put on a refreshing, if long, Cosi fan tutti. See Angela's review in Oregon ArtsWatch. Photo: Chad Lanning.
PDX Jazz Fest glance
Mar. 19, 2026:Madeleine Peyroux, Shelly Rudolph, and Brandon Woody's Upendo band showed up at the two-week jazz festival with mixed results. Read Angela's Oregon ArtsWatch reviews.
`Fellow Travelers‘
Mar. 6, 2026:The opera recounts a heartbreaking gay love affair amid the 1950s Lavender Scare. It played back-to-back in Seattle and Portland. See Angela's take published in Oregon ArtsWatch. Photos: David Jaewon Oh.
Jazz singer Cecile
Feb. 15, 2026:All you have to know is her first name. The French-America singer shows off her creative versatility at Portland's Alberta Rose Theatre. See Angela's review. Photo by Norm Eder (@normederphoto).
Tines returns with a message
Feb. 12, 2026:Operatic baritone Davóne Tines and Ruckus make a call for action in these troubled times. See Angela'a review in Oregon ArtsWatch. Photo: Joe Cantrell
Amazing Meyer & Co.
Jan. 16, 2026:Bassist Edgar Meyer's new world-class trio performs "chamber" music without a note of music at the Reser in Portland. See Angela's review. Photo by Nicole Lane.
Critics’ Bash, Allen take lead on MCANA board
Jun. 13, 2025:James Bash and Angela Allen have taken leadership roles in the Music Critics Association of North America. Read more.