Music, performance space jells in Canby

Pianist Michael Allen Harrison runs chapel, concert hall

Things have gotten a lot more interesting in Canby’s music scene.

Renowned pianist and Portland music man Michael Allen Harrison recently has taken over operation of the Canby Pioneer Chapel & Concert Hall after agreeing to a two-year lease with first right of refusal. He plans to make it a key cog in his musical journey. The owners were looking to make a shift in their lives to be closer to family, which provided an opportunity that Harrison jumped at.

Harrison’s right of first refusal offers him the opportunity, if someone else were to want to buy the property, to step in and either match or increase the offer. So, while things may shake out differently in the future, for now it’s about the music and the opportunity that’s come along.

“It was really great timing,” Harrison says. “I’ve been looking for a place to put my new piano, a nine-foot Bosendorfer concert grand. There are only three of them in the world right now. It’s a new design that they spent seven years redesigning an old model. I really needed a nice, big room for it — a place I could record and do concerts and make it available to other artists.”

The site will have a world-class recording studio and will function very much like The Old Church in downtown Portland, where Harrison conducts holiday concerts — open to rentals for all kinds of events such as weddings and lecture series.

“It’s a multipurpose playground,” he says. “What I see is other artists coming to Canby as a destination to record. We’re also putting together a great team of vendors for in-house use for rentals. I’d really like to gain a reputation that this becomes a destination — people coming to Canby because something special is going on here.”

Harrison had his grand opening Aug. 7.

The venue will still be open for weddings, special events and other concerts throughout the year.

Harrison has scheduled a series of concerts at the chapel for the rest of the year. He will perform solo on 7 p.m. Sept. 24, 7 p.m. Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14, and 7 p.m. Oct. 29. A Michael Allen Harrison and Aaron Meyer concert series will be 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16, 2 p.m. Oct. 23, and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12.

The Michael Allen Harrison and Julianne Johnson Christmas shows will be 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2-3 in Canby.

For more information check the website at www.pioneerchapel.net.

“I really love Canby,” Harrison says. “It’s a sweet town, and as I’ve been walking around the neighborhood, the people are so friendly and kind.”