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East Meets West features everything from Bizet's Carmen to Lebanese folk music, with the addition of flamenco and belly dance. It contrasts Western orientalist classical music with authentic "Eastern" music from what was once considered "The Orient"—everywhere from Spain to Africa to East Asia.
Mezzo-soprano and Musica Mixta founder Jessica Blau will be joined by pianist Claire Forstman, violinist Daniel Moltke, and dancer Elena Villa. Scroll down to learn more about the artists!
We are happy to be able to offer this program to the public for free! Please consider tipping the musicians and the wonderful team at Bar Botellón.
Artist Bios
Mezzo-soprano Jessica Blau is a multi-faceted performer working to break boundaries and create dynamic changes in the classical music world. Her passion for both flamenco and classical music has led her to found the genre-bending company Musica Mixta, based in Portland, OR. Locally, Jessica has performed with Portland Opera numerous times with its educational outreach operas and community concerts, including her artistic brainchild “Viva España! From Zarzuela to Flamenco”, which she not only performed in as a singer, but directed as well. In addition to her work as a singer, dancer, and producer, Jessica is also the Managing Director of the acclaimed Portland women’s vocal ensemble In Mulieribus. https://www.jessicablaumezzo.com/
Praised for her “masterful” playing (Bend Bulletin), Claire Forstman is a music director, pianist, and vocal coach currently based in Portland, Oregon. Her 2025-2026 season includes shows with Seattle Opera (Pirates of Penzance) and Portland Opera (La bohème), where she has just finished two seasons as a member of their Resident Artists. A passionate recitalist, she presented a solo program this summer for the Salon Series at Ascension Episcopal Parish, giving her debut performance of Schumann’s Fantasie in C, Op. 17. Claire is a proud transgender woman and is originally from Birmingham, Alabama; she received her Master’s in Contemporary Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and her Bachelor’s in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music. https://claireforstman.com/
Daniel Shaheen Moltke is a Danish-Iranian-American musician, attorney, and legislative director who has performed with the National Arab Orchestra, the Los Angeles Arab Orchestra, the UCSB Middle East Ensemble, and other esteemed groups, bringing a deep cultural perspective to the stage. He serves on the boards of ArtMax Academy of Persian Music and the Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon, where he supports initiatives that preserve cultural heritage, expand music education, and make the arts more accessible to all Oregonians.
Elena Villa is a lifelong dancer who began performing Middle Eastern Music and Belly Dance at age 10. Elena began flamenco studies in 1991 and has pursued flamenco and MENAT dances with equal devotion, studying with teachers from the cultures of origin in the U.S. and abroad. Elena began teaching belly dance in 1996 and flamenco in 2001. She performs with several professional live music groups, including The Bedouin Spice Orchestra of the OCF’s legendary Caravan Stage. Elena has traveled regionally to teach workshops, perform in theaters and at festivals, and work in educational music and dance residencies in schools and colleges with Flamenco Pacifico. She recently collaborated with The Portland Opera in several educational outreach programs to support their 2021 production of Bizet’s Carmen. Elena currently divides her time between studying, teaching, and performing dance, and teaching in the English department at Portland Community College. www.elenavilladanza.net
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Bar Botellón, 134 NE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97232-2904, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
