Reinventing a Classic

23 October 2023

Since the station’s beginnings — it was initially broadcast out of Benson Polytechnic High School in 1983 — All Classical has become a heavy hitter in the world of classical music.

This summer, the station announced a rebrand, dropping the name All Classical Portland in favor of All Classical Radio. But it’s staying in Portland, and president and CEO Suzanne Nance is optimistic about where the station and the city are headed.

“After 40 years, we have really enjoyed the inspiration of Portland. It's in our DNA. It's in everything we do. We want to be that window from Portland to the world and the world to Portland,” says Nance, a classically trained soprano whose resumé includes roles in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte with Chicago’s Intimate Opera Company and in an Italian Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea. She’s also worked in classical radio for more than a decade, and took the helm of All Classical in 2018.

The station, which serves approximately 250,000 regular listeners through the radio, and about 400,000 monthly visitors through its website, now has listeners across the United States and in over 100 countries worldwide.