Patricia Valian Reser Artist-in-Residence 2026-27:
Thomas Lauderdale
2026-27 Artist-in-Residence: Pink Martini Founder and Pianist Thomas Lauderdale
Founder of the legendary “little orchestra” Pink Martini, Thomas M. Lauderdale brings an extraordinary vision to his appointment as the 2026-27 Patricia Valian Reser Artist-in-Residence.
In collaboration with the Music Education program at OSU, Lauderdale launches The Melodica Project!, an experiment in K-12 musicmaking.
Lauderdale and participating teachers in local school districts will co-create and co-curate an experience for young musicians with all the flavor and flair that Lauderdale has brought to Pink Martini — that “unstoppable engine of joy” whose mission of multicultural connection expresses itself in old-fashioned pop, foot-tapping big band sounds, Hollywood glamour and a global musical repertoire.
The agent of this musical idea is the melodica — a handheld keyboard commercialized in the 1950s that’s played by blowing air through a pipe. PRAx and the School of Visual, Performing and Design Arts will distribute melodicas to classrooms, where OSU student teachers will work side-by-side with district teachers and Lauderdale to uplift the joyful, creative spirit of music.
Pink Martini-Related Performances
Ari Shapiro: Thank You For Listening
Detrick Hall│Oct. 28, 2026 at 7 p.m.│Free
He has been named Journalist of the Year, sung at the Hollywood Bowl, and regularly features on albums and in live performance with Pink Martini . And now one of America’s most recognized and beloved storytellers debuts his new cabaret solo show. Hilarious and moving, Ari Shapiro: Thank You For Listening adapts tales from Shapiro’s best-selling memoir, The Best Strangers in the World, into an evening of stories and songs about the power of listening to forge connections. Audiences will leave feeling more hopeful about the world around them … and may never listen to All Things Considered quite the same way again.
Meow Meow: A Feline Festive
Detrick Hall│Dec. 10, 2026 at 7 p.m.│$35-$46
Post-post-modern diva Meow Meow has hypnotized, inspired and terrified audiences globally with unique creations and sell-out seasons — from New York’s Lincoln Center and Berlin’s Bar Jeder Vernunft to London’s West End and the Sydney Opera House.
Named one of the “Top Performers of the Year” by The New Yorker, the spectacular, crowd-surfing tragi-comedienne has been called “sensational” (The Times, U.K.), a “diva of the highest order” (New York Post) and “The Queen of Chanson” (Berliner Zeitung). Her award-winning solo works have been curated by David Bowie, Pina Bausch and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Meow Meow specializes in Weimar repertoire and French chanson.
At PRAx, Meow Meow presents a holiday show like no other. Pluck up your courage. Buy this ticket. And launch your holiday season with just the right amount of pandemonium.
Edna Vazquez
Detrick Hall│Feb. 14, 2027 at 7 p.m.│$29-$36
Edna Vazquez, a featured singer with Pink Martini, was born in Jalisco, birthplace of mariachi. Join us for an incredible Valentine’s Day concert with this fearless singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist, whose solo music intertwines folk, rock, R&B and Mexican heritage.
Love takes on many meanings — cultural, personal, musical — on this special night of passionate, transporting songs, forged by a soul with roots in both Mexico and the United States and who has appeared with artists ranging from the LA Phil to Lang Lang, Flor de Toloache and Natalia Lafourcade.
Pink Martini
Detrick Hall│June 10 & 11, 2027 at 7 p.m.│$55-$65│Graduating seniors enjoy free tickets to our Pink Martini concert on June 10!
PRAx celebrates OSU Commencement with a special pair of concerts by Pink Martini!
Now in its 31st year, Pink Martini is an unstoppable engine of joy that continues to bring founder Thomas Lauderdale’s mission of multicultural connection and inclusion to legendary concert stages on six continents. Presenting a mélange of catchy old-fashioned pop, global color, foot-tapping big band sound and Hollywood glamour, Oregon's famous “little orchestra” performs music intended to appeal to everyone, regardless of age or background.
The band features a dozen musicians sharing songs in over 25 languages and collaborates with a wide variety of gifted singers in live performances and across the band’s 10 studio albums.