I attended the annual meeting of the Bellingham Festival of Music on Friday, Sept. 30, at Lairmont Manor, where festival artistic director Michael Palmer announced the guest musicians for the 2012 season, which runs July 6-21.
Applause broke out when he first named violinist Joshua Bell as one of next season's guests. Bell will play Barber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14, with the festival orchestra on July 9 at Mount Baker Theatre. The 2012 season also features renowned cellist Lynn Harrell, who will make his festival debut July 14 with Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85. That performance will be at Western Washington University's Performing Arts Center, where most festival concerts will be held.
The opening and closing concerts feature all-Mozart programs, with works by Dvorak, Debussy, Haydn, Ravel, Respighi and Sibelius in between.
Returning to perform with the festival orchestra are pianist Jeremy Denk, who performs July 6, and harpist Rita Costanzi, who performs with Miloš Karadaglic, a rising young guitarist from Montenegro, on July 18. The final concert, on July 21, will feature the festival chorus singing the Mozart Mass in C Minor.
In addition to the orchestral programs, festival performers will present a chamber music concert July 15 at Bellingham Cruise Terminal and will play at community outreach events at various venues in Whatcom County.
A special benefit concert featuring soprano Lindsey Nakatani, a 2009 graduate of Squalicum High School and currently a student in the operatic program at New York's Julliard School, will be held Jan. 2 at Christ the Servant Church.
To learn more about the Bellingham Festival of Music, visit bellinghamfestival.org, or go to youtube.com for a video previewing the upcoming season.
WHAAM FINDS HOME WITH MAKE.SHIFT
I received an email from Amanda Kalkwarf, president of WhAAM (Whatcom All-ages Arts & Music), a nonprofit organization created six years ago with the mission of uniting Whatcom County youth and community through a sustainable arts and music venue. It has now found a home with Make.Shift, a nonprofit that supports independent musicians through environmentally friendly programs, at Jinx Art Space, 305 Flora St.
Amanda says "Experiencing live music can often be a saving grace in a young person's life. Not only does it expose them to creative energies and opportunities, but it can also provide a sense of belonging that encourages them to become active community members."
The first show under the new ownership is Thursday, Oct. 13, with Big Kids, Jason Clackley & the Exquisites, So Adult and Livingston Seagull. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and shows start at 8 p.m. for all of the shows in October. Cover is $5; proceeds enable WhAAM to host more all-ages events. For more on WhAAM, see whaam.org. For more on Make.Shift, see makeshiftproject.com.
DANCE REHEARSAL OPEN TO PUBLIC
Gabrielle Nomura of Bellingham Repertory Dance says that the company of dancers will offer a sneak peak of their fall show at an open rehearsal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at Firehouse Performing Arts Center, 1314 Harris Ave.
Choreographer Deb Wolf, a professor of dance at Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts, will be working with dancers on her piece "Blue Decorum," which will be on the program for the fall show, the first two weekends in November. Gabrielle says people are welcome to come and go as they please throughout the rehearsal. For more on the company, see bhamrep.org.
JAZZ FESTIVAL COMING TO SEATTLE
It's worth a drive to head to this year's Earshot Jazz Festival, which kicks off Friday, Oct. 14, and runs through Nov. 6 at venues large and small in the greater Seattle area. The festival features formal and informal concerts, workshops and open rehearsals.
Among the performers this year: Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette (performing Nov. 1); the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Cory Weeds Group, Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, the Bad Plus, the Bill Anschell Trio, and pianist Gust Burns, a Western Washington University student during the late '90s who is nationally recognized for his jazz improv compositions and performances. For a full schedule, see earshot.org.
