Portland is frequently cited as a city on the rise, with a vibrant urban core and a young and growing population. But for the city’s arts groups, the mythical “big time” frequently seems a distant dream. “After four precarious seasons at the ‘majors’ — the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Portland Center Stage and Oregon Ballet Theatre — donations rose for the fiscal year ending in June. Ticket sales, however, fell behind. Talk about a mixed message. Donors seem to be saying, we’ll give you more money, but we won’t go to more concerts… It’s possible that these old-fashioned institutions that rely on audiences driving downtown to sit in formal halls can’t adapt to a digital age. Maybe they’re doomed to live in perpetual crisis.”