© 2015 Ben Moon
by Kelley Gardiner
Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp, are, yes, the grandchildren of the original von Trapp singers, and the great-grandchildren of the real-life Captain and Maria von Trapp. And they’re a group of singing siblings, but they’re stepping beyond the spotlight of the past into a light of their own. August von Trapp took the time to answer a few questions for us at the beginning of their tour. The von Trapps will stop at home in Portland for a holiday concert at Lake Oswego High School and join Pink Martini on New Year’s Eve at the Schnitz. Check the NW Kids Calendar for details.
You’ve recently kicked off an extensive tour in Nashville. What are you most excited about on this tour? What can we expect from your upcoming Portland shows?
Yeah! We just started out and we are excited to keep sharing our music that we’ve been writing and take a road trip, which is aways really fun. A lot of stuff we get inspired about on the road makes it into our shows in Portland, so there will be new music and energy from tour.
What do you love about living in Portland?
I love how Portland fits so much culture and good food into a city that can still seem
welcoming and friendly. Usually you have to choose between the two, but Portland seems to be a wonderful balance right now.
Tell us about your album, Dancing in Gold.
Dancing in Gold is inspired by our travels and recent experiences as performers. It has a lot of different musical elements to it. We had such a great time working with Israel Nebeker of Blind Pilot as a producer too. We’re proud of how we were able to express ourselves and debut some original material. We are so happy to have worked with Jon Fox who created the cover art!
What are you listening to at home?
I listen to some Salyu, Radiation City, Edvard Grieg and Fleet Foxes.
How do you balance respecting your musical heritage with moving forward and creating your own sounds and future?
We grew up knowing what the older generation loved about music and have
inherited those same appreciations, so it kind of takes a natural course for us. We love to move people with music and we feel like we can do that by following in our ancestors footsteps, but also with our own music as well.
What’s next for the von Trapps?
We will keep traveling and collecting inspiration to turn into music!
Anything else we need to know about?
We’re so happy to be able to share our music! Thanks!
Kelley Gardiner is a Portland native, a freelance writer and blogger, and the mother of one sweet toddler. To see what she’s up to, visit kelleygardiner.com.
