Peninsula Park

Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness

Tye Austin, M.M. – Virtuoso Guitarist & Artistic Director

“One of the best classical guitarists in the world.” – CBS News

Peninsula Park Rose Garden
Location: 700 N. Rosa Parks Way, Portland, OR 97217
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Time: 6:30pm–8:00pm (Seating at 5:30pm)
Tickets: FREE Pop-up Concert (Donations Welcome Below)
Ages: Open to all

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About Wilder Frets

For our inaugural season, Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness will tour across the state of Oregon from August 1–October 1, 2026. Led by classical guitar virtuoso and artistic director Tye Austin, the series replaces the traditional concert hall with immersive wilderness landscapes—including state parks, farms, ranches, wineries, hot spring resorts, and other unique locations throughout the state. Audiences experience each performance through wireless headphone technology provided by Heartbeat Silent Disco, allowing them to move freely and explore the surrounding landscape within a quarter-mile radius as the music accompanies their wanderings through each Wilder setting.

About this Site

Nestled in North Portland, Peninsula Park is one of Oregon’s most beloved historic public gardens, offering a peaceful retreat amid the city’s vibrant neighborhoods. Established in 1909 as Portland’s first public rose garden, the park features formal flower beds, century-old trees, broad lawns, and winding pathways surrounding a picturesque fountain at its heart. Towering Douglas firs, maples, and elms provide shade for visitors while supporting a rich urban habitat for songbirds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Long before the city emerged, this landscape was part of the traditional homelands of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and other Indigenous peoples, including the Multnomah, Clackamas, Kathlamet, and Tualatin Kalapuya, who stewarded the region’s forests, wetlands, and waterways for countless generations. Today, Peninsula Park remains a cherished gathering place where history, horticulture, and community come together, inviting visitors to slow down, connect with nature, and experience one of Portland’s most enduring green spaces.

About the Artists

Oregon-born classical guitarist and composer Tye Austin, M.M., is the Artistic Director of Wilder Frets, a concert series that brings world-class classical guitar performances into natural wilderness settings. With ancestral ties to Franco-Spanish pirates of the Caribbean, he draws on a deep cultural connection to Spanish and Latin American repertoire, shaping his interpretations with distinctive authenticity and depth. Praised by NBC News for making “the guitar sing like it was invented only to be in his hands,” Austin is an internationally recognized virtuoso guitarist whose career includes appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall, performances for global leaders at the United Nations, and international residencies and tours across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. He was also hired as the principal classical guitarist for Royal Caribbean International cruise lines. He holds a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In his spare time, he can be found surfing, fly-fishing, foraging, or skinny-dipping in geo-thermal hot springs.

Takimba is a DJ, music producer, curator, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience creating immersive musical experiences rooted in a fusion of electronic music and global rhythms and influences. Known for his distinctive, emotionally resonant sound, he has performed at internationally recognized festivals including Burning Man, Oregon Eclipse, Lucidity, and What The Festival, earning a reputation for dynamic, genre-blending sets that connect diverse audiences. As the founder of Heartbeat Silent Disco, Symbiotica, Get On Up, and Takimba & Friends, he has collaborated with artists worldwide to create innovative, participatory experiences that bridge music, movement, and community in both traditional and unconventional settings. A longtime host of the Melting Pot radio show, where he spent over a decade showcasing global music and emerging artists, Takimba is dedicated to cultural exchange through sound. Whether behind the decks or developing new experiential formats, he continues to push the boundaries of live performance and audience engagement while creating spaces for shared musical connection.

What You’ll Hear

Classical guitar virtuoso Tye Austin will draw from the following programs at each concert, offering a different and unique selection of works for every performance. For the final portion of the concert, DJ Takimba will join Tye for a live, genre-defying collaboration that blends classical guitar with electronic music. In this rare fusion of acoustic tradition and modern sound design, Tye’s expressive classical guitar performance intertwines with Takimba’s immersive electronic textures to create a one-of-a-kind sonic experience.

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Concert FAQs

Accessibility
The walk from the parking area to the concert site is approximately 300–500 feet. The route includes uneven gravel, grass, and dirt surfaces with a gentle incline. The performance area is set on natural and uneven terrain.

Seating
General admission is first come, first served. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets, as no seating is available at this venue. To ensure clear sightlines for all attendees, please place high-back chairs toward the rear of the audience area.

Food & Beverages
You may bring your own picnic basket to enjoy during this concert. Make sure you pack out what you pack in and leave no trace.

Dogs
Dogs are welcome in nearly all Oregon parks, provided they are kept on a physical leash no longer than six feet at all times and don’t bark incessantly during the performance.

Smoking
Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited at all Wilder Frets concert locations.

Tickets
Tickets are FREE to the public. Please donate below if you can.

Refunds & Cancellations
All ticket sales are final. Refunds are only issued if Wilder Frets cancels a performance. Concerts take place rain or shine.

More Questions? Visit Concert FAQs on our website or email info@wilderfrets.org

Season Sponsors & Community Partners
The 2026 Wilder Frets Concert Season is made possible in part through the generous support of Heartbeat Silent Disco and its innovative wireless headphone technology.

Concerts take place rain or shine, and all ticket sales are final. By purchasing a ticket, you acknowledge and agree that no refunds will be issued. By attending Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness, you grant permission to be photographed and/or filmed, and consent to the use of your likeness in promotional and marketing materials. Due to the natural and outdoor settings of Wilder Frets performances, all guests are expected to exercise care and awareness while on site. By completing your ticket purchase, you—on behalf of yourself and your guests—assume full responsibility for any injuries, losses, or damages incurred during the event, and agree to release and hold harmless Wilder Frets, its artists, staff, volunteers, partners, and venue hosts from any and all claims or liabilities. By registering for this event, you also agree to receive important event updates and occasional communications from Wilder Frets and its partners.

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Tickets – FREE Pop-up Concert

July 16 at 6:30pm – Peninsula Park Rose Garden – Portland, OR

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Donations

Support our mission to bring classical guitar concerts into remote wilderness areas across the Pacific Northwest by making a tax-deductible donation for the charitable purposes of “Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness” through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas (a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts service organization) by clicking the link below:

Wilder Frets: Classical Guitar in the Wilderness | Fractured Atlas Profile

You may also make non-deductible contributions or monetary gifts using the form below. These gifts go directly to support Tye Austin’s living expenses and assist in reducing his massive student loan debt, helping sustain his artistic work and ongoing music career.

More questions? Contact info@wilderfrets.org