Wildhorse Foundation helps bring opera to Eastern Oregon schools
By Terry Murry on Friday, November 14th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PORTLAND – The Portland Opera to Go (POGO) school tour swept through Eastern Oregon in October, performing Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love.” Students and community members who got to enjoy the operatic treats can thank the Wildhorse Foundation for its role in funding the annual tour.
Performances occurred at Ione Community Charter School in Ione, Washington and McKay Creek elementary schools in Pendleton, Hermiston High School in Hermiston, Pine Eagle Charter School in Halfway, and at the Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario.
The tour was helped with a $10,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation. The Our Oregon tour has been traveling to schools and facilities throughout the state and into Washington state for more than 25 years. POGO has racked up more than 5,000 miles throughout the region engaging audiences totaling more than 300,000 people. The Portland Opera doesn’t stop at state lines, however. Audiences from Idaho, California, and Nevada have also been entertained.
“We can go places that no other arts organization is currently going, and it is due to the generous support of organizations like the Wildhorse Foundation,” Portland Opera Associate Director of Education Outreach Alexis Hamilton said.
The Wildhorse Foundation has awarded a total of more than $19 million in grants since it was established in 2001. For more information, visit www.thewildhorsefoundation.com.
