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Pianist and keyboardist Craig Bidondo has been performing on the West Coast for over 20 years. Originally from Alaska, Craig studied piano and music composition in Los Angeles before moving to the Portland area in 1988, and has been playing as a solo artist and with various professional groups in the Pacific Northwest ever since. His fresh jazz sound has been influenced by his years of playing not only jazz but also classical, rock, new age, and gospel music.
Besides backing up local talents such as Tony Starlight, Kate & The Crocodiles, the Art Abrams Swing Machine Big Band, The Cherry Blossom Orchestra, Kat Cogswell, Paula Byrne, Ollie McClay, Johnny Martin, Heather Keizur, the Swizzle Chicks, Skip Von Kuske, Cherie Price, Malea, and Sally Sieh, Craig has performed as a solo artist and bandleader at restaurants, weddings, parties, art shows and corporate events throughout the West Coast. Some of the local venues that have enjoyed his music include Tony Starlight’s Showroom, The Winningstad Theatre, the Persimmon Country Club, the Benson Hotel, the Jenkins Estate, the Heathman Hotel, The Caswell-Martin Gallery, The Columbia Gorge Hotel, Timberline Lodge, The Shilo Inn on Airport Way, Dy’s Broadway Diner and many other locations.
Craig has also been active in Portland’s theater community: In 1997 he co-wrote the award-winning musical, “Look At Us Now”, and served as both the pianist and music director for the local Tapestry Theatre production of the show. More recently, Craig was the music director and keyboardist for the 2006-2007 Portland production of “Menopause — The Musical”, which completed over 290 shows in Portland, making it the longest-running show in Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) history.
You can hear Craig perform live weekly during Saturday lunch (11 am – 1 pm) at Jazzy Bagels (corner of Powell and Main in downtown Gresham). Also, he frequently appears at other venues and workshops as well, so keep checking the Calendar page to find out where he'll be next!