Songwriters in the Round

“When we travel down those old back roads, that’s when we finally find our way,” sings Portland songwriter Richard Colombo — and that spirit of discovery runs through every note he plays. For over four decades, Richard has been a beloved songwriter, performer, teacher, and community builder whose heartfelt songs blend timeless storytelling with themes of love, courage, and joy. Known for his clear tenor voice, masterful guitar work, and playful energy, Richard’s performances move easily between the profound and the delightfully whimsical — especially when he breaks out his banjo ukulele. A night with Richard leaves audiences feeling uplifted, inspired, and connected.

Inge Hoogerhuis is a singer-songwriter, but that is not how she started out - a lounge and cabaret singer from way back when, who traveled up and down Highway 75, to Las Vegas, and then found a home on the West Coast. She has sung in grange halls to fancy hotels, for 20 people from the back of a pick-up truck to 500,000 in San Francisco's Gay Pride. But her favorite thing to do is to write songs that capture both the humor and melancholy of the West, and that ruminate over love and justice, lost and gained. You can catch her on Spotify or at local watering holes around Portland.

Wendy Emerson is a folk jazz guitarist and vocalist whose music is influenced by ballads and show tunes from the swing era, as well as folk and rock music from the 1950s on. Her repertoire consists of jazzy covers and originals about love and loss served up with a generous helping of speaking truth to power.

Brent Calderwood is a Portland-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist inspired by indie-folk, Americana, and the American songbook.