"Every Monday morning, John Nastos enters the Portland airport a jazz artist. A short flight later, he emerges in San Francisco a software engineer. By Wednesday night, he'll be back in Portland, performing, rehearsing, or recording in town while still working remotely as an engineer, until the next Monday when he does it all again. One of the city's top woodwind players, he's staying as busy musically as he was before he took the full-time job three-and-a-half years ago that led to his current position"
"He's also been part of the classical scene, playing with the Oregon Symphony and contemporary chamber ensembles 45th Parallel and Third Angle. In fact, a 2023 Third Angle performance of Phillip Glass's 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof, he says, "was one of the coolest musical experiences I've ever been a part of. The performance was beneath the Spruce Goose, and it was an unbelievable multimedia show.""
John Nastos commutes weekly between Portland and San Francisco, flying Monday mornings to work as a software engineer and returning Wednesday nights to perform and rehearse as a jazz musician. He holds a full-time engineering position while remaining one of Portland's top woodwind players, active in jazz recordings and the classical scene. He has appeared on more than ten notable jazz records and collaborated with bandleaders, Pink Martini, and Grammy winners Diane Schuur and esperanza spalding. He performed with ensembles including the Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel, and Third Angle, and a 2023 Phillip Glass performance beneath the Spruce Goose is slated for a recording release in 2026.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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