Our Story
Classical Music on the Coast
There is something distinctive about the Southern Oregon Coast. The communities are small, the landscape is extraordinary, and the distance from major cultural centers can make access to live classical music feel out of reach. Redfish Music Festival was created with that in mind.
Founded in 2021 by violinist and educator Fritz Gearhart, the idea simply came from the joy of making music. Memories of his youth and those wonderful summer-music-camp-days inspired him to create his own festival. Port Orford and the surrounding Southern Oregon Coast offered the setting—a place where music could feel intimate, personal, and connected to the people who live here.
The name came from the coast itself. Just offshore from Port Orford lies the Redfish Rocks Marine Reserve, a protected area known for its unusual diversity and importance within Oregon's coastal ecosystem. It is a distinctive place, worth preserving and celebrating. The idea resonated with the founders of Redfish: something rare, rooted in its surroundings, and deserving of care. That spirit became part of the festival's identity.
From a Festival to a Community
What began as a summer music festival has grown into something broader. Redfish became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2022 and has continued to build relationships with audiences, musicians, students, educators, and communities throughout the region.
The heart of Redfish has always been the connection between people and music. Professional musicians return to the coast not only to perform, but to teach and share their experience. Young musaicians have the opportunity to learn from artists who have spent their lives int he profession. Students encounter classical instruments and live performances in their own communities. Audiences return year after year, creating friendships and traditions around the music.
Those connections have shaped Redfish as much as the concerts themselves.
Today, the organization brings together performances, artist development, and education throughout the year. The summer festival remains an important part of the Redfish experience, while concerts and community programs extend that connection into the fall, winter, and spring.
Rooted in the Southern Oregon Coast
Redfish has grown by becoming part of the place it calls home. Performances have reached communities from Reedsport, North Bend and Bandon to Port Orford, Langlois, Gold Beach, and Brookings, introducing audiences to remarkable musicians while giving visiting artists the chance to know the region and its people.
The result is something more personal than a traditional concert series. Redfish is a growing musical community—one shaped by the artists who return, the audiences who listen, the students who discover music for the first time, and the local supporters who believe that great music belongs here.
The organization continues to grow from the same idea that inspired it in the beginning: that shared music creates connection, opens new possibilities, and becomes an important part of the life of a community.
Redfish Music Festival is classical music on the coast—but it is also the people, places, and relationships that make the music matter.
