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  2. Portside

New Musicians Bring a Change of Tune to PDX

noviembre 04, 2022
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After a short, pandemic-caused hiatus, we pressed “play” on the PDX Volunteer Music program – a vital part of what makes Portland International Airport so special. 

After holding open auditions for the first time in three years, five new musicians have joined the program to play to the traveling audiences. We spoke with Sister Mary Margaret Delaski, Shaymus Hanlin, Jimmy Free, Brenna Larsen and Mary Sutton about their art and inspiration for playing at PDX.    

Sister Mary Margaret Delaski

Instrument: Harp 
Genre: Celtic, folk, classical, spiritual

Tell us more about your instrument and musical style  

I play the Celtic harp, also called the lever harp. The model I play is one of the largest, non-pedal harps. It is made of Bubinga wood, with Camac levers on all strings – making it possible for me to play in many keys. The music I play ranges from Celtic to classical, with hymns and folk in between. As the saying goes, “There is no wrong note on a harp,” so I enjoy improvising melodies. 

Why did you want to be part of the PDX Volunteer Musician program?

Harp music has always had a calming effect on the listener. I volunteered to be a part of the program and to help all who pass through or work at PDX experience a moment or two of calmness.   

Shaymus Hanlin

Instrument: Vocalist 
Genre: Jazz/Swing 

Why did you want to be part of the PDX Volunteer Musician program?

I’ve always loved PDX and the atmosphere of traveling. When auditions opened, I knew right away I wanted to be part of it. This is a special opportunity – sharing music with a few thousand travelers every time I come in is quite thrilling. I’m grateful to play a small role in the program. 

Jimmy Free

Instrument: Seven-stringed violin
Genre: Live looping of the seven-stringed violin 

Tell us more about your instrument and musical style

My violin is actually the size of a viola, but since it has a high E string, I still call it a violin. It has three additional lower strings, all tuned a fifth apart. That means it can play a lower note than a cello.

Live looping is a method of performing where a musician plays a line or two of music into a recording device that then plays those lines on repeat – or a loop. I can stack as many tracks as I’d like, making it sound like several musicians playing together, and it all happens in front of you. 

Brenna Larsen

Instrument: Guitar and voice
Genre: Folk Americana and jazz

Why did you want to be part of the PDX Volunteer Musician program?

I wanted to meet people from around the world and to grow my connections in the Portland music industry.

Do you have any memorable moments to share from your time at PDX?

Somebody put a $1,000,000 dollar bill in my tip jar! Turns out it wasn’t real. Some other favorites include making friends with the airport staff, like the employees in the restaurants and the cleaning crew. Everyone has been so kind and supportive of the musicians. 

Mary Sutton

Instrument: Piano and synthesizer
Genre: Upbeat and uplifting songwriting with Americana and Jazz influences

Why did you want to be part of the PDX Volunteer Musician program?

I’ve been told that my music has a healing and soothing effect on the listener.  Getting to play shows again after COVID is wonderful, but I also want to bring my music to people in a time and setting where it could provide a deeper meaning. It’s hard to tour these days, so I thought, why not bring the tour to me? Connecting with audiences when they are least expecting it is admittedly thrilling.  

Do you have any memorable moments to share from your time at PDX?

I have had very nice reactions from passengers, anything from a smile to a thumbs up or saying thank you.  A passenger told me a song I played, called “Nocturne,” was very meaningful to her, and she loved hearing it performed live. An airline employee recognized my song “Barcarolle” and said he was excited for me to be his soundtrack while at work. These kinds of connections are humbling and deeply meaningful to me. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect and do more with music.  

 

Visit the Art and Music page to learn more about the PDX Volunteer Music program. And check out our entire line up of talented volunteer performers and their schedules.  

Timeline

A new purpose for Terminal 2

2017-2019 aerial of terminal 2

With an abundance of breakbulk cargo terminals along the lower Columbia River between the ocean and Portland, the Port began to consider whether Terminal 2, located on the Willamette River, should continue serving as a marine terminal. Multiple studies confirmed it: T2 was no longer needed for breakbulk cargo.

Instead, the terminal would provide the greatest economic benefit – meaning it creates quality jobs for the people who live and work in our region, and opportunities for rural and urban businesses – if redeveloped as an industrial park or manufacturing hub, especially given the short supply of industrial land in the Portland area.

Finding possibility in mass timber

2020

Wildfires devastated rural Oregon, wiping out thousands of homes and increasing the region’s urgent need for more affordable housing – and sparked new collaboration between state and Port employees, who create an informal network to provide housing for fire victims.

Meanwhile, at PDX, we were bringing together partners from across the region to construct a new airport roof made of mass timber. Designed and built in the Pacific Northwest, with materials supplied by 40 Oregon and Washington landowners, mills and fabricators, the new 9-acre airport roof changed the region’s idea of what’s possible. Some of the wood was even harvested to reduce the impact of wildfires.

The PDX roof was just the beginning.

Create a coalition to do something big

2021 Oregon Mass Timber Coalition logo

The next step was to formalize partnerships that had started taking root, leading to the formation of the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition. Our goal was – and is – to create a regional hub for innovation and mass timber industry growth through sustainable design, manufacturing and housing construction.

Coalition members include the Port of Portland, Oregon Department of Forestry, Business Oregon, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and TallWood Design Institute.

EDA funding kick-starts plans for a mass timber modular factory

2021 Still rendering of T2 Mass Timber site concept

Another EDA grant enabled the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition to launch a comprehensive strategy for expanding the mass timber housing market.

Funding targeted coalition projects across the state, from fire and acoustical testing of mass timber products for use in multifamily housing, to wildfire reduction and sustainable, traceable wood harvesting in regional forests, to developing the workforce training needed for new jobs in an emerging industry. It also provided funding for the Port to begin site preparation at Terminal 2.

Transforming a longtime marine terminal this way requires a lot of planning, investment and infrastructure work before construction of new buildings can begin. We started identifying partners to help build and operate a new mass timber and housing manufacturing factory, and working with Mackenzie, a local firm, on high-level master plans to guide ongoing development.

Demonstrating mass timber’s promise for housing

2023 interior example of fully furnished mass timber home

One of our early partners was Hacienda Community Development Corporation, a local nonprofit that built six prototype homes from mass timber at T2. The Mass Casitas pilot project, funded in part by $5 million from the 2023 Oregon Legislature, not only provided homes for families in Madras, Talent, Otis and Portland. It demonstrated that mass timber modular construction can provide a quicker, more efficient and cost-effective way to build housing.

Around the same time, the Port also began leasing space to modomi, a Portland-based company specializing in sustainable modular housing, and modomi began renovating an old warehouse into a modular housing manufacturing facility.

Campus plans take shape

2024 Rendering of UO acoustics lab: modern timber building

Two years of plans started to become reality with multiple anchor tenants announced for the campus.

The Port approved leases with the University of Oregon for a new mass timber acoustics laboratory, along with Zaugg Timber Solutions, which took over the warehouse renovated by modomi to create a temporary mass timber manufacturing facility. With plans for a permanent mass timber modular factory at T2 as well, Zaugg began efforts to build an interim modular manufacturing facility and recruit for its training program in Switzerland.

Throughout all this excitement, we continued working out costs and plans for making sure soil is stable for future construction at the campus, and securing additional federal funding for developing critical infrastructure.

What’s next

2025-2028 man in hardhat and harness working on timber building

When complete, the 39-acre Mass Timber and Housing Innovation Campus at T2 will include manufacturing, research and development, skills training, and incubator space for small and emerging businesses.

In 2025-26, we’ll work on soil stabilization and critical campus-wide infrastructure improvements. We’ll also work with University of Oregon as they undergo design and permitting for their new acoustics lab – expected to begin construction in 2026 and open in 2027 – and finalize plans with Zaugg for a new, permanent mass timber modular factory to open in early 2028. Zaugg will begin producing mass timber modular housing units, industrial and commercial buildings, and prefabricated mass timber building components even sooner, as early as 2026, in their interim facility.

And we’ll continue collaborating with partners to make sure workers are prepared for the new, high-quality jobs in the emerging mass timber industry.

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