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Our new Portland Megaband CD, A Beneficial Tradition, was released at the end of May, 2009.

CD details and ordering information are here.

Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest...

Welcome to The Portland Collection website, named after our tune books, The Portland Collection: Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest (1 and 2). Here you will find a repository of information about contra dance music in Portland, Oregon. However, don’t be deceived by the localized title. Portland contra dance musicians, like contra dance musicians everywhere, play a repertoire of tunes that come from the four corners of this continent and beyond. You can hear much of the contra dance music in Portland at contra dances everywhere. We do have local composers who have added their own fine tunes into this mix as well as some local favorite tunes that we are eager to share with anyone who purchases these books and CDs.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with contra dance music, have a quick listen.  It is lively and propelling, serving the purpose of driving and energizing dancers as they move up and down a dance hall in simple called patterns, interacting with a partner, another couple, or another individual all along the way. Contra dancing is an American dance that dates back more than 200 years. It is almost always done to live music and usually features a fiddle, a rhythm instrument, and all kinds of other acoustic instruments. You can hear samples of the music on this website (follow the links to the CDs for sale), and see some pictures of contra dancing as well.

On this site you will find lots of information about our books and recordings, information about how to order, both directly from this site using a credit card or by mail-in order form; links to many of the composers with tunes in our books and links to other pertinent websites, information about us (Sue and Clyde), and updates on new projects.

 We love to hear from you. Send us email with comments, suggestions, praise, complaints, or anything else.

Web Designer:  Gay Pulley
Thanks to Dave Goldman for designing The Portland Collection's first website.