One of the nation’s longest running chamber orchestras has played its last finale.

The Portland Chamber Orchestra is dissolving after 79 seasons and cancelling its remaining scheduled performances, the board announced Monday. Challenges in fundraising and recruiting new board members were among the factors leading the group to cease operations.

There’s also more competition for audience members, according to board treasurer Mike Nichols.

“Our attendance has been, from time to time, really good,” Nichols said. “And other times, we just can’t bring the people in.”

The Portland Chamber Orchestra’s former artistic director, the late Yaacov Bergman, recruited Nichols to serve on the board. Nichols said that Bergman’s charisma helped garner community support and donations, and the organization struggled to regain stability after Bergman’s 2023 death.

“That kind of took a little wind out of our sails,” Nichols said.

The organization started in 1946 when violinist and conductor Boris Sirpo, who fled Finland during World War II, created a women’s string orchestra at Lewis and Clark College, according to the Orchestra’s website. It’s likely Oregon’s – and the nation’s – longest-standing chamber orchestra.

The Portland Chamber Orchestra, a nonprofit, always made enough money to cover expenses, similar to most arts organizations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and forced closure of in-person events devastated the arts economy in Portland and across the nation.

The pandemic, followed by the death of Bergman in 2023, made it even more challenging for the Portland Chamber Orchestra to rebound financially in recent years.

“It was hard to get enough money to do that kind of advertising that we needed to do,” Nichols said. “We didn’t have an executive director to help us out that knew how to do it.”

By the time the organization was able to find and afford an executive director last July, it was too late. Financial documents show the organization’s 2025 expenses outpacing revenue by more than $2,000. The board has notified the state of Oregon, which keeps a list of active charities, about the dissolution.

Nichols said that at 78 years old, he’s both relieved a decision has been made, although he’s sad to share the news. He and his wife will continue to attend orchestra concerts in the Portland region.

“I was hoping I could have retired from this job before something like this happened,” Nichols said of his time as treasurer of the board. “But on the other hand, I’ve had too many sleepless nights trying to figure out how we’re going to get through all this.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/10/portland-chamber-orchestra-dissolves/