We began this new year with a new experience. Groupmuse has recently come to Portland.

What started on the East Coast as a group of musician friends playing music together at each others’ homes, has now opened up as an invitation to the community to come listen to beautiful music in nearby homes.

Here’s the concept: Groupmuse connects local musicians to the communities in which they live. Anyone with a house, apartment, condo, or other venue, can sign up to host a groupmuse event. Local musicians then agree to come play a classical music house concert. Hosts can invite friends, but anyone in the community can sign up to come as well. It’s a great way to meet new friends and enjoy beautiful music in an intimate setting.

Some friends of ours hosted the very first groupmuse in Portland back in November, but we weren’t able to go. We were glad for another chance when some other friends of ours hosted the very first groupmuse in Beaverton! A husband/wife duo performed beautifully on the cello and viola.

One of the things that I was most struck by was the feeling of ownership we had in listening to live music in a home. I grew up with live music being played all the time in our home. My dad loves to pick up any stringed instrument he can find. He’s also taught himself to play several different types of accordions, so he’s constantly playing music around the house. My sisters, my mom, and I would often play along with him on our flutes, accordions, guitar, dulcimer, or autoharp.

Experiencing live music in a house again brought back those memories and made me happy to think that music is not just for performances on stage in large arenas, but it’s also very much for us at home with our families and friends. I hope to soon host our own groupmuse event where our children can see how accessible and beautiful music is. And most of all, I hope they understand that music is for them.