Oregon Symphony / Submitted PhotoPink Martini will perform with Oregon Symphony in Portland, and independently at The LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis and McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale.

Need a cocktail? Pink Martini is on the menu at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, The LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis and McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale.

Pink Martini was founded in Portland in 1994 by Thomas Lauderdale, who was trying his hand at politics at the time.

Unimpressed by the musical entertainment at the many political fundraisers he attended, Lauderdale decided he wanted to make music mixing classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop that appealed to conservatives and liberals alike and that would provide a type of music fit for political fundraisers.

The group features a dozen members: Thomas Lauderdale (piano), China Forbes (vocals), Storm Large (vocals), Robert Taylor (trombone), Gavin Bondy (trumpet), Nicholas Crosa (violin), Pansy Chang (cello), Dan Faehnle (guitar), Phil Baker (upright bass), Timothy Nishimoto (vocals and percussion), Brian Lavern Davis (congas, drums and percussion) and Anthony Jones (drums and percussion).

In 2014, Pink Martini was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

The “little orchestra’s” first Oregon stop will be at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland with the Oregon Symphony. Under the guidance of music director Carlos Kalmar, Oregon Symphony and Pink Martini will put a salsa twist on Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” and more.

Born in Ukraine in 1891, Prokofiev’s music spanned genres, including symphonies, film music, operas, ballets and program pieces.

Prokofiev composed “Peter and the Wolf” in Russia in 1936. The composition tells the story — a Russian folk tale — of a boy and his animal friends capturing a wolf. Prokofiev assigned a musical instrument to each character as well as a spoken narrator. “Peter and the Wolf,” which Prokofiev wrote for children’s theater, has been used to teach children about classical music and to help them recognize the distinct sounds of various instruments in an orchestra.

Pink Martini’s shows with Oregon Symphony are May 19 and 20 at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland. Prices start at $35. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.orsymphony.org or call 503-228-1353.

Pink Martini will perform May 22 at The LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis. Tickets range from $50 to $70. For more information and tickets for this show, visit www.oregonstate.edu/lasells.

The group will also perform August 28-29 at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale. Tickets are $35 general admission, $89 reserved seating. For more information and tickets, go to www.mcmenamins.com/events.

— Reporter: 541-383-0350, 
kmccool@bendbulletin.com