The Five Best Music Events in Portland This Spring

Felisha Ledesma and Maximiliano
Since it started in 2017, floater concert series Wifi has offered an intriguing mix of film and ambient, experimental electronic music. The bill for Wifi's next show includes two musicians who, much like Wifi itself, exist in the overlap between Portland's art and music scenes—S1 founding director Felisha Ledesma and Maximiliano, who's a founder of DIY fashion line Cvllejerx and curatorial duo Nat Turner Project. Eric Fury and Tabor Dark, Wifi's resident DJs and founders, will also perform sets, so the show will be a mind- and genre-bending blend of beats and sounds. Work by Harun Farocki will also be screened, so this could be your only chance in life to see a German Marxist film while listening to trap and deep house. Chingada Gallery, 328 NW Broadway, No. 117, wifi-pdx.tumblr.com, 9 pm Thursday, March 14, Free

Sun of Goldfinger
For some reason, Sun of Goldfinger is frequently classified as a jazz band. Maybe that's due to the trio's complex arrangements and improvisatory flair or saxophonist Tim Berne's long list of collaborations with avant-garde jazz greats. But to call Sun of Goldfinger's music "jazz" would imply way too much coherence. Berne, guitarist David Torn and percussionist Ches Smith create frenetic soundscapes with the scope and intensity of a Stravinsky symphony and the onerousness of a glitchy horror movies score. Currently, the only way to hear the trio's music is live, but that changes March 1, when the band releases their much-anticipated, self-titled debut album. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., holocene.org, 8 pm Thursday, March 14, $15. 21+

Leclair, Rameau and the Age of Enlightenment
Portland Baroque Orchestra's biggest-ticket show this spring is undoubtedly their end-of-season Mozart concert, which will cultimate in the composer's hallmark Symphony No. 41, the last and longest symphony he composed. But PBO's penultimate show will be far more intimate and just as lovely. The program includes works by three French baroque composers. Harpsichord-heavy concerts risk sounding stale, but for this performance, PBO has booked Byron Schenkman, who co-founded the Seattle Baroque Orchestra and is more than capable of extracting personality from the semi-extinct instrument. First Baptist Church, 1110 SW Taylor St., pbo.org, 7:30 pm Saturday, April 6, $24-$62

Everything That Rises
In the world of classical music, John Luther Adams is somewhat of a folk hero. It's rare his work is discussed without mention of his backstory—in the late '70s, Adams moved from L.A. to a cabin in Alaska, where the landscape inspired much of his work. Then, in 2014, his sublime orchestral work Become Ocean won a Pulitzer, and Adams' status rose from underappreciated innovator to universal acclaim. In April, Third Angle Music will host the regional premiere of one of Adams' newest works, a string quartet composition titled Everything That Rises. If that doesn't sound like enough of a spectacle, the concert will take place in OMSI's planetarium. Kendall Planetarium at OMSI, 1945 SE Water Ave., thirdangle.org, 7:30 pm Wednesday-Thursday, April 10-11, $10-$35

Soul'd Out Music Festival
Every April, Soul'd Out Music Festival fills venues across Portland with a wide-ranging mix of R&B, soul, funk and hip-hop. As usual, this year's lineup is a mix of national names and local legends. The headliners include golden age rap duo Eric B. and Rakim, who reunited last year, and blues legend Buddy Guy. It may not be as of the moment as previous years', but it's still a solid, eclectic mix. On-the-rise rapper Leikeli47, whose 2018 album, Acrylic, is as luxurious as it is hard-hitting, is sure to be a highlight of this year's festival—which is probably why her set is already sold out. Various time and venues; see souldoutfestival.com for a full schedule, April 16-21, Festival passes $255, individual tickets available