Jose Rubio’s apprenticeship with the Portland Opera is nearing a close. During his two-year stint as a studio artist, the 2001 Mountain View High School graduate has enjoyed quite a bit of time on stage.
Last fall, he sang a significant role — Schaunard — in Puccini’s “La Boheme.” Also this season, he had roles in “Orphee” and “Trouble in Tahiti.” He will appear in “The Barber of Seville,” the last show of the season.
Next, the 26-year-old will head for the Music Academy of the West for the summer, and from there will undertake an artist diploma program at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he completed his master’s degree.
“The Portland-Vancouver area will always be home to me,” Rubio said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever live there again. It’s sort of a vagabond lifestyle. You go where the work is.”
Mountain View graduate produces film on family
A documentary by Melissa Campbell, a 2006 Mountain View High School graduate, will premier in Seattle May 1.
Campbell, 21, is one of two Pacific Lutheran University students behind “The New American Family: Defining Commitment in a Changing Society.”
Campbell is a member of PLU’s Media Lab. She was the lead producer on “Illicit Exchanges: Canada, the U.S. and Crime,” a documentary that explored the explosion of guns, gangs and drugs across North America. The film won several national awards, including a 2009 collegiate Emmy.
Campbell will graduate this year with a degree in communications. Then she will move to New Orleans for an internship with a PBS station there.
“I really like making documentaries because it lets you go deep into an area of interest,” Campbell said. “I love interviewing people and telling stories.”
Vancouver family organizes 2nd large-scale garage sale
For the second year, Vancouver couple David and Kim Buffum are organizing a community garage sale at the Portland Expo Center, and there’s been a steep uptick in participation. Last year’s event drew 266 vendors, and this year’s will have more than 420.
“We actually had to open a second building due to demand this year,” said Kim Buffum, 40.
The sale takes place Saturday, and half the proceeds from the $3 admission charge will go to Portland Rescue Mission.
Kim Buffum said she thinks part of the increased interest on the part of vendors is due to the economy.
“We hear stories of people having to make their mortgage payments,” she said.
She and David, 45, along with their two children, 14-year-old Katie and 21-year-old Amanda, hope the show will help serve the community, including vendors, buyers and nonprofits receiving support.
They’ve long been garage sale and flea market fans, and plan to expand their offering with a two-day community sale in November at the Expo Center. Information is available on the Web site, http://www.portlandgsale.com.
Bits ’n’ Pieces appears Mondays and Fridays. If you have a story you’d like to share, call Features Editor Elisa Williams, 360-735-4561, or e-mail elisa.williams@columbian.com
