It's their best season yet with a partnership between the Liberty Theatre and 45th Parallel Universe Orchestra. Since 2009, 45th Parallel has happily demolished distinctions between old and new chamber music, bluegrass and jazz, fiddle and folk. By bringing fragmented audiences together, 45th Parallel reflects Portland’s surging creative communities in fresh and imaginative ways.

45th Parallel stands apart from the region's other chamber groups by its borderless and unbounded innovation. Call it 360-degree programming. The city’s finest musicians weave Bach and Beethoven into adventurous programs of “forbidden” music, or violin wizardry by virtuosos such as Gilles Apap and Kevin Burke. Their far-reaching collaborations also include gospel singers and Persian musicians, embracing the area's growing diversity.

Five stellar performances will be presented:

October 11, 7 p.m., Primordial Swamp featuring the world premiere of a new work by Brandon Scott Rumsey, Dohnanyi’s Sextet, and the Martinu Nonet.

January 31, 7 p.m., Smörgåsbord. 45th Parallel Universe founder Greg Ewer gathers his friends for a night of Scandinavian delights on traditional instruments featuring works by Carl Nielsen and Edvard Grieg.

March 7, 7 p.m., Northern Lights. Arcturus Wind Quintet features three pieces that capture the ever-changing beauty of a northern landscape, from darkly brooding dawns to swirling snowflakes.

April 18, 7 p.m., Make It Rain. The Gemini Project promises to make it rain with a torrent of evocative music for percussion, featuring works by Alejandro Vinao, Andy Akiho, Toru Takemitsu, and Thierry de Mey.

May 1, 7 p.m., Carrot Revolution. Pyxis Quartet celebrates and welcomes Portland’s newest composer resident, Andy Akiho, with a program that features his epic work for prepared piano and string quartet.

Tickets are $30 for reserved seating, $25 with a season package.

The Liberty Theatre is located at 1203 Commercial Street, Astoria.