ANNA FRITZ

It was a huge honor to be interviewed and play some of my music for QuakerSpeak. This is a video project of the publication Friends Journal, based in Philadelphia. The work I do as a songwriter, singer, and cellist was named by my Quaker meeting here in Portland, Oregon as a ministry in 2016. You can learn more about what that means to me and how my spiritual life has changed the way I approach my work:

Actor Paul Susi and I got to talk about our experiences bringing our production of AN ILIAD to prisons across Oregon. We were interviewed for the October 17, 2019 episode of this great new podcast that focuses on artists using the power of their work for positive, progressive change. It was a deep and moving conversation with Douglas Detrick (executive and artistic director of Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble) and it's beautifully curated for the podcast. Enjoy hearing an in-depth account of this work, and check out the other episodes - conversations with other great Portland artists working for change.

CLICK TO LISTEN

I wrote a score for solo cello for this modern interpretation of Homer's Iliad. We toured it to eleven prisons, two schools, a homeless shelter, and two public venues last fall. This month we are remounting the show, offering performances at colleges, prisons, houses of worship, and Portland City Hall.

This project is focused on knitting together disparate audiences, using an ancient text that examines the cycles of violence, trauma, and rage that continue to affect us today. Every performance involves a conversation with the audience immediately afterward: a moving way to deepen the experience of the work and to bring together the splintered pieces of our communities, on either side of the prison walls. All shows are either free or by donation with no one turned away.

Thank you to Judy Lackey for beautiful poster design!

Live Solo Show

1036 NE Alberta St.

Portland, OR

MORE INFO HERE

It's about the spiritual struggles of self-promotion as an artist, from my own Quaker-cello-wielding-activist-folksinger perspective. You can read it on my Patreon page (just click on the images below) and, if you're so inclined, pitch in to support what I do.

I'm excited to split a bill with Mirabai Peart for the debut of her solo project in Portland! She's an incredibly talented musician I've had the pleasure of playing with on many recording sessions. I'm delighted that we'll get to experience her original compositions for viola and voice in such a perfect intimate setting. Advance tickets highly recommended!

In her solo project debut, Mirabai Peart gathers her many folk influences and her curiosity for dark and complex harmonies to see how a viola and voice can weave together. Some textures and melodic inflections are reminiscent of Bjork while the dynamic lyricism of other moments may recall Joanna Newsom, two major influences. Her songs are deeply personal and explore the subjects of creative journey and discovery, grief and loss along with hope and determination to live honestly and fully in these times.

Looking forward to sharing the stage with this magical troubadour! Juniper & The Wolf (aka Genevieve Andersen) is a duo of one; a storyteller turned singer-songwriter, traveling around the world to collect, study, reproduce & re-imagine folk traditions, old & new—from different eras, languages, countries & cultures.

We're going to the beach! My long-time collaborator David Waingarten and I are playing out at the lovely Sou'wester Lodge on the Long Beach peninsula just north of Astoria, Washington. The show itself is free! We'll be playing in the cozy living room of the main lodge building where you can get a room, or stay in one of their cool vintage trailers. There's a sauna and the beach is about a block away. It's a good excuse to get away for the weekend, reconnect with the great waters of the Pacific, and steep your soul in healing music. And you'll get 20% off your lodging if you tell 'em you're coming to see us!

David and I will each play our own sets, but I'll be contributing some cello to David's songs. If you want a taste of what that's like, I played all over his last record. You can listen to it here!

"Paul Susi plays 'The Poet,' who gives an impassioned telling of the story of the Trojan War. He's joined by Anna Fritz, who composed and performs original cello music for the play. The music she creates is haunting and beautiful – capturing both the thunder of war and the soft mourning of death. When Fritz, a Portland folksinger, finally shares her voice with the audience, it's an ethereal sound, as if from the Muses themselves."

- The Oregonian

Public performances in Portland, Oregon

Sunday, October 28th and Sunday, November 4th

BUY TICKETS HERE!

We are one week into our five-week tour of correctional facilities in Oregon and tickets are now available for the two public performances we'll be giving. It is proving to be a profoundly moving experience, sharing this work with people who are living in prison. The connection felt in these rooms has been deep and the post-show talk backs full of hearts brimming with gratitude, both on the stage and in the audiences. Please join us as we perform this play on the outside - bridging the divide in our community made by prison walls.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

I'm writing a score for the play An Iliad and we'll be touring it to prisons in Oregon this fall. The Portland Tribune ran a feature story about this project. Click on the image below to read it!

I'm composing and performing the music for this play touring prisons all over Oregon this fall.
Help make this project possible! You can provide support (and learn more) on my Patreon page right HERE.

Project Voice Fundraiser
Justice & Music

Saturday, September 22nd, 7:00 - 9:00pm
First Congregational UCC, Portland
1126 SW Park Avenue

Mark Babson, Bajo Salario, Anna Fritz, Jill Townley

$20 in advance, $25 at the door (cash or check only at the door)

BUY TICKETS HERE!

Anna Fritz and Douglas Detrick

Sunday, July 8th

early show! 5:00 - 7:00pm

Mississippi Pizza Pub

Portland, OR

details here

Facebook Event

Read the full article here

I’m deeply honored to be featured in an interview and on the cover of the latest issue of Western Friend Magazine. The music I put into the world grows from deep Quaker roots.  I speak in this interview about how that spiritual path and the Quaker community help anchor my work. Read more here.

RSVP on Facebook:

Portland, OR

Eugene, OR

Santa Rosa, CA

Yucca Valley, CA

NOVEMBER 18th: Eugene

NOVEMBER 20th: Chico

NOVEMBER 22nd: Santa Rosa

NOVEMBER 26th: Portland

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

I was interviewed recently by the brilliant queer Quaker performance artist Peterson Toscano for his show on Citizen's Climate Radio. We talked about connection to the land, right relationship to indigenous peoples, and direct action. Check it out and share with your friends!