Season tickets to the 19th annual Bellingham Festival of Music 2012 program are on sale now, announced festival board chair John H. Binns Jr.
This season's festival, which runs July 6-21, with most concerts on Western Washington University campus, features violinist Joshua Bell (at Mount Baker Theatre) and cellist Lynn Harrell, among other internationally known guest artists.
Other highlights include a "Chamber Music By the Bay" concert at Bellingham Cruise Terminal and a guitar recital at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church featuring Pablo Sáinz Villegas.
Individual tickets will go on sale Feb. 1.
All tickets are available through Western's box office, 360-650-6146 or tickets.wwu.edu.
Tickets to the concert at Mount Baker Theatre are also available through the theater's box office, and at 360-734-6080 and mountbakertheatre.com.
The festival is one of America's premier virtuoso orchestra festivals. Members of the orchestra hold prestigious positions elsewhere, and many are principal players in major North American symphony orchestras.
The festival recently received two consecutive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and selections of concert performances are often broadcast by NPR Performance Today and KING-FM. For more about the festival, see BellinghamFestival.org.
SHAPE THE FUTURE OF WHATCOM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Whatcom Symphony Orchestra is seeking community input about its mission and the role the orchestra plays in the cultural life of Whatcom County.
Community forums will be held 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at PeaceHealth St. Luke's Community Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway. If you'd like to attend, send an email to info@WhatcomSymphony.com and let the organizers know which date you prefer.
The orchestra has launched a series of fundraisers, hosted by patrons and board members. Each gathering is an intimate evening of food, conversation and music, including a casual performance by orchestra members. The first several events have been sellouts, says Pat Nelson, artistic administrator.
There are several more opportunities to attend in the coming months. Cost is $100 per person, with a limit of 10 people per event. If you would like to attend one of the up-close-and-personal evenings, contact Scott Henderson at scott@WhatcomSymphony.com.
You may have read that Maestro Roger Briggs will be stepping down from the podium at the end of this season, after 18 years with the orchestra. To find the next generation of leadership for the orchestra, a search committee has been formed.
Members include Bruce Cox and Cheryl Marier from the board of directors; Rosalie Romano and Michael Neville, representing the musicians; Scott Henderson and Debbie Arthur, representing the staff; and former Bellingham mayor Tim Douglas, representing the community. The committee will identify potential candidates, and finalists will be invited to audition by guest-conducting a concert next season. For information on the symphony, see whatcomsymphony.com.
CHORAL WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN SET FOR JAN. 21
Bellingham Sings! and its Allegra Women's Choir hosts a women's choral workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at Central Lutheran Church, 925 N. Forest St. The full day of intensive choral workshops is open to female vocalists of all abilities, age 16 years and older.
Guest clinicians include Morna Edmundson, director of Elektra Women's Choir; Ann MacDonald, director of Allegra Women's Choir; and acclaimed Argentinean-Canadian mezzo-soprano Fabiana Katz. The day will conclude with performances by participants, and performances by Allegra Women's Choir and Elektra Women's Choir.
Cost is $45 per person, or $30 per person for groups of 10 or more, and includes workshops, sheet music, a light breakfast and lunch. Group discounts are available. If your choral group wants to perform, indicate that on the group's registration form.
Bellingham Sings! also offers a "Serenade Your Sweetheart" voice class from noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at The Amadeus Project, 1209 Cornwall Ave. Ann MacDonald, artist director, says: "Prepare to serenade your loved one this Valentine's Day with help from this playful and fun group voice class. We will take several love songs as our repertoire and infuse them with basic vocal techniques. The rest of your Valentine's Day celebration is up to you!"
Cost is $15. To register for the vocal workshop or the voice class, call 360-676-1024 or go to bellinghamsings.org.
ABOUT BEHIND THE SCENES
Behind the Scenes focuses on the people who make the arts and entertainment world of Whatcom County happen. It appears in Take Five, The Bellingham Herald's entertainment section, each Thursday. Margaret Bikman is the Entertainment News Coordinator at The Bellingham Herald.
