About Lake Grove Concert Series

About Our Series

Wendy Bamonte and Jeff Wood founded Lake Grove Concert Series 10 years ago with the goal of opening the church's doors wide to the community to share world class music with all. We are a family-friendly series that provides a peaceful and easily accessible concert experience in the heart of Lake Oswego.

Uplifting Music

Grand orchestral music with 100-voice choir. Intricate baroque melodies on the pipe organ. A bell choir ringing joyful holiday songs. A soloist belting out a familiar song by Taylor Swift. All of these moments have been heard by audiences during Lake Grove concerts! Throughout the season we aim to offer a variety of programs that will be sure to please every concert-goer. Concerts are always 1-hour in length so are perfect for the whole family. We are fortunate to have some very talented friends, and our programs frequently feature world-class soloists from near and far, as well as members of the Oregon Symphony. You can be assured that everything you hear at a Lake Grove concert will be engaging and steeped in excellence.

Beautiful Space

Our concerts are hosted by Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in the peaceful Sanctuary. This room, remodeled in 2008, features beautiful wooden walls that are curved for ideal acoustics, bringing the music right to the listener. The sparkling pipes of our excellent organ are a focal point of the space, along with the vibrant colors of our stained glass windows. Lake Grove is right off the highway with ample parking, making a trip to one of our concerts an easy choice.

Outward Focused

One of the founding principles of our series is that we want our programs to always be FREE and open to all. When we do occasionally 'pass the plate', it is to support Lake Grove Presbyterian Church's mission partners both locally and around the world. Thanks to the generosity of past audience members, we have supported children in need in local schools, donated to local rescue missions in Portland, built school buildings in Senegal, and drilled wells in Zambia. To date, we have raised over $140,000 for these causes. Thank you for your generous support!

Concert Series Co-Founders

Wendy Bamonte and Jeff Wood started our series 10 years ago with a shared vision of opening this beautiful sanctuary to the community and making excellent music accessible to all. Lake Grove has a strong tradition of excellent performances in this space, and Wendy has fostered relationships with world-class soloists and members of the Oregon Symphony. We want everyone to enjoy the music we create at Lake Grove, whether it be during a concert or on a Sunday morning.

Wendy Bamonte

Wendy Bamonte enjoys a varied career in music, both as conductor and instrumentalist. She holds a Masters Degree in Music Education (conducting) from Portland State University and a Master of Music Degree (flute performance) from Boston University. As a flutist, Wendy maintains an active schedule, performing with many orchestras in the Northwest and has held positions in the Portland Chamber Orchestra and Eugene Symphony. Before settling in Portland, she spent a year touring the country with the Broadway National Tour of Les Miserables. Wendy also conducts the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir and was co-artistic leader for Portland Symphonic Choir. Presently, Wendy makes her home in Southwest Portland with her husband Dave, a member of the Oregon Symphony, and their 16 year old daughter, Emily.

Jeff Wood

Jeff Wood joined the music team at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in September 2013, where he serves as Assitant Director of Music. Since moving to the Northwest, he has been a featured soloist and choral accompanist at various venues around the Portland area, in addition to performances with the Oregon Symphony on organ, harpsichord, and piano. He holds performance degrees from the College of the Holy Cross and Oberlin Conservatory. Jeff lives in Tigard with his wife, Jessica, and daughter, Josephine.