3 Leg Torso/PFS Free Parks Concerts

Dear friends, 

 Béla Balogh here, - Violinist, co-leader, and composer in 3 Leg Torso.

When I was a young boy, the sound of music was heard daily throughout our household. My grandfather taught me to play the violin, and my father conducted the Marylhurst Orchestra, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and performed on the violin with the Oregon Symphony and Portland Opera. I clearly remember hearing my father practice his violin every single day.

In 1981, shortly after earning his U.S. citizenship, my father, Lajos Balogh Jr., wanted to honor the country that had adopted him by assembling an orchestra of professional musicians and conducting them in free outdoor symphony concerts to communities throughout the city of Portland. This was the beginning of the Portland Festival Symphony.

Almost forty years later, the Portland Festival Symphony has performed every summer for thousands of music lovers and grateful citizens throughout Portland's public parks. Families - with blankets, picnic baskets, and children dancing on the grass -helped my father realize his dream to see a community brought together by beautiful music had come true. To make these concerts free of charge to the public, my father and the Portland Festival Symphony have worked tirelessly throughout the years to raise funding from generous individuals, foundations, and local businesses.

With all of this musical and family history to share, and as my father passes the baton to Maestro Gregory Vajda (Huntsville Symphony, Hungarian Radio Symphony, Oregon Symphony), I'm very excited to announce that my musical ensemble, 3 Leg Torso, will be joining the Portland Festival Symphony this coming summer to perform two concerts,  in Laurelhurst and Peninsula Parks,  August 11th & 12th.  This will be our third appearance with the Portland Festival Symphony in the last twenty years, and it will once again be a showstopper! 3 Leg Torso's genre-hopping cinematic world chamber music arranged for full symphony orchestra has delighted listeners of all walks and ages, bridging the gap between serious art and popular culture, uniting all with their high artistry, compelling music, and joyful energy.

For this unique musical partnership to be presented FREE to the public, 3 Leg Torso is humbly asking for your generous help by making a contribution. Our GoFundMe goal is $6400, which will help cover the cost of rehearsal time with the symphony, orchestration of additional 3 Leg Torso tunes, musician fees, management expenses and promotional costs. Your donation will specifically benefit this meeting of musical forces between 3 Leg Torso and the Portland Festival Symphony, and your help will make it possible for this wonderful collaboration to bring joy to every single participant - audience, symphony musicians, and all of us in 3 Leg Torso. 

With gratitude,

Béla R. Balogh